TN: 2005 Quinta Vale D. Maria Douro

[Andy Velebil]

This showed a ton, and I mean a lot, of oak when I first opened it. Both on the nose and palate. After about 45 minutes it started to blow off, a little. Lots of vanilla bourbon, excessive wood tannins, and lacking in overall balance as a result. While there is some nice fruit underneath all that oak, it sadly is overshadowed. This is a good example of a number of Douro wine producers who in the mid 2000's relied on too much new oak to try and garner a good score when young. This won't make old bones and I'd recommend drinking soon. A true shame as this showed so much better when young.
86 Points