Quinta do Vallado Sousão 2017

Description

The 2017 Sousão, bottled about a week before this tasting, was aged for 18 months in 38% new French barriques (an uptick in new wood) and comes in at 14% alcohol. I can't remember a more concentrated Sousão that I've ever seen. This also has plenty of power to go with its big fruit and acidity. I am hesitant to lean up too much on this grape - it's not really known as one of the region's biggest stars and thus does not provide many benchmarks for comparison. For example, how do they age? This will need a few years of cellaring to show us everything it has, but I can't say I've seen any superstar Sousão monovarietals at age 25. With this one, I'm wondering if that is an issue that will be addressed in time. In short, it looks like the best I've seen in this brand, and from this grape as a monovarietal bottling in general. Apart from the fine structure, it is laced with delectable strawberry nuances, but it's always framed by good acidity. There is no rush to dive in, and it's not close to ready. Drink date: 2022-2045. Score - 95. (Mark Squires, robertparker.com, Aug. 30, 2019)

Tags

Full-bodied & Smooth, Red Wine, Sousão, Wine, XD - Extra Dry