The 2013 CV (Curriculum Vitae) (Quinta Vale D Maria) was aged for 22 months in new (75%) and one- and two-year-old (25%) French barriques. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. Rather restrained in this vintage, this is a CV that showed only average concentration and structure for the brand, at least on the first day. It was still beautifully put together with fine flavor and some elegance, seeming very approachable this year. It was on the second day, though, that it proved how much stuffing it really had. No wine benefited more from being given some extra time. It seemed to double in weight overnight. It became far more gripping. It maintained its fine balance. Surprisingly dense at that point, it is nonetheless elegantly constructed, with everything in place. Likely to improve with cellaring, it should turn into a wonderfully enticing CV. It does have some things to prove in the cellar, but it won't disappoint wherever it comes out. Given the concentration, balance and structure, it should age well. Let's start with the window indicated. It may do better. There were just 6,790 bottles produced.
(WA 31st Dec 2015)
