2018 Quinta Vale do Meão "Meandro" Douro Portugal

This wine is named after the majestic oxbow bend taken by the Douro river around the Meão estate. It is richly structured and with no concessions to immediate softness. It needs to age to bring its black fruits into full harmony with the structure. (RV) (3/2021)

Nicely textured, with smooth tannins, this elegant, full-bodied red is packed with dark cherry, violet, red plum and anise notes that are harmonious and well-integrated. Details of mocha, wild herb and spice cascade onto the finish. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Alicante Bouschet. (GS) (4/2021)

The 2018 Meandro do Vale Meão is a blend of 45% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz and dollops of Tinta Barroca and Alicante Bouschet for the rest, all aged for 14 months in used French oak. It comes in at 14.1% alcohol. This is often a can't-miss bargain in Douro, and that seems true again this year. Textured with velvet, concentrated and able to coat the palate, it does everything well. It is not a star in terms of structure—the tannins are ripe and you can drink it now—but everything else works great. It should still hold well for the rest of the decade, more or less. It did thin a bit with extended aeration, but nothing went seriously awry. As approachable as this is, allowing this to have at least six more months in the bottle would allow it to develop more. At the price point, there can't be much to complain about. (MS) (12/2020)