2018 Pegos Claros Reserva Palmela

The 2018 Reserva Vinhas Velhas is all Castelão, aged for one year in well-used French oak of varying ages. It comes in at 13.8% alcohol. The "old vines" designation on the back label means 70+ years here. Tightly wound, concentrated and firm on the finish, this is superb in this tough vintage that destroyed a lot of the winery's Castelão in a vicious heat wave. Winemaker Bernardo Cabral said certain plots were lost and the quantity reduced, but the ones in places that could survive were of high quality. It seems that way to me. This lacks for nothing in concentration, structure and flavor, although it is never a candied and overly simple wine. It does need a little more maturity to acquire some complexity. This grape ages well and the wine is built to age, so that drinking window might be conservative. It's a fine value. (MS)