Joao Nicolau De Almeida & Filhos - Quinta Do Monte Xisto Douro 2016 (750ml)

 
WA
94

Price: $68.00

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Producer Joao Nicolau De Almeida & Filhos
Country Portugal
Region Douro
Varietal Touriga Nacional
Vintage 2016
Sku 165034
Size 750ml

Wine Advocate: 94 Points

The 2016 Quinta do Monte Xisto is a roughly equal blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca plus 5% Sousão all aged for 18 months in 60% used oak (80/20 French and Austrian). It comes in at 13.5% alcohol. I'm rather surprised at how dramatically this has changed since I first saw it. The hard-edged impenetrable wine that was only in bottle about two weeks when seen in Porto over the summer has come around to a point where I can sometimes use words like "lush." It is more expressive fleshier and more interesting with a hint of game around the edges. It has a certain transparency I appreciated too. That's not to say it is ready to drink. The power came back out with decanting. There is still plenty of pop on the finish here. For the moment it still doesn't quite seem to match the 2015 in personality but it may be deeper and more complex. This looks like a beauty but it still needs some time to evolve granting that it has taken some baby steps in that direction. Will this eventually surpass the 2015? It may but let's be conservative just now and see where it goes in a couple of years.