The 2013 Tinto (Quinta Vale D Maria), the Estate Tinto, is an old vines (60-plus years) field blend aged for 21 months in new (65%) and one- and two-year-old (35%) French barriques. It comes in at 15% alcohol. This was uninspiring on opening, but it kept getting better. If I had tasted it quickly, I'd be less impressed, but it woke up and showed beautifully with some air. On opening, it seemed like an overly sedate Vale d. Maria, emphasizing balance but little else. In some years, it has been far more lifted and intense. As did its CV sibling, it gained weight overnight, became far more complex and finished very well. Surprisingly approachable, it still kept getting better as it sat. It filled the mouth and felt simply solid. You could plunge in next year, but don't. Some aging won't hurt. It still has room to improve in the cellar and complexity only comes with time. There were 15,531 bottles produced.
(WA 31st Dec 2015)
