The 2014 Tinto (Quinta Vale D. Maria), the estate flagship, is a field blend sourced from 65-year-old vines, aged for 21 months in a 65/35 mixture of new and used French barriques. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. In this tough year, this shows very well, with fine concentration for the year, more than enough power and an initial burst of rich fruit. It certainly adds a layer of depth to the Vinha da Francisca and seems to hang together better overall than the CV. That said, like so many 2014s, the fruit flavor subsides pretty quickly and this won't exactly be remembered as the most vivid and flavorful of the Vale d. Maria bottlings. It is dry and a little dusty--and a little flat. With air, the mid-palate thinned a bit, too, but then it righted itself and showed equally well the next day, if rather stern and serious. It is a good performance for the year overall, although not the most charming offering ever in the brand. Maybe some extra time will help it develop better flavor. There is still potential here, as yet unrealized. There were just 15,732 bottles produced.
(WA 1st Mar 2017)
