Conceito Douro Branco 2016
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Estate Branco, a field blend from old vines, was seen before, but only as a barrel sample. This is the first look in bottle. It was aged in used French oak (second, third and fourth use) for ten months. For the most part in Portugal, I tend to prefer the 2015 whites, but this seems to be one example of the 2016 doing better. Some years in the cellar will give us the final answer, of course. The oak, although modest, is too prominent just now, giving this a woody feel up front but without any vanilla nuance. This is also very young, however, in bottle less than six months when tasted this time. Underneath the oak is the precision and crispness that I expect in Conceito's whites. The acidity gives this superb length on the finish, grabbing your palate tightly and eviscerating the wood as the wine warms and airs out. It has power to spare. The power is matched by good concentration—indeed, the wine seems fuller now than when I first saw it. This is a wine whose balance will only become better with time—don't even think of drinking it today, when it is still mostly about its potential. If you can, come back in the summer of 2019 for better results. It is now demonstrating that it should age well for a decade or more. Indeed, it may improve steadily for several years. Right at the moment, though, it desperately needs some cellaring. Don't drink it too warm, by the way. This is the type of wine that will show better closer to 60 degrees Fahrenheit than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's be conservative as well as optimistic for the moment. It's worth leaning up right now for the potential, but the ceiling might eventually be even higher than anticipated.
-
Wine Spectator
Minerally and focused, with vibrant acidity detailing the crunchy peach and melon fruit. Spice and green herb notes linger into the long, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2020.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This spicy wood-aged wine has nutmeg and ripe fruit flavors. Its perfumed fruits bring in apple, green plum and great acidity that is balanced by the judicious wood aging. This is a rich wine, full of intense acidity and fruitiness that needs to age further. Drink from late 2018.
Other Vintages
2018-
Robert
Parker
The way that Conceito Vinhos conceives of the wine, the deep understanding of their region, is the starting point for the project–inspiration for their story. Hence the Brand (Conceito = Concept). Port wine has monopolized wine production there since the 18th Century, producing a landscape of extraordinary beauty. But only recently people become aware of the tremendous potential of the eastern Douro.
Firstly, with the opening up of better access routes; and then with the table wine revolution. It has largely been this latter factor that has opened the way to a universe of specificities along the river course, a huge valley that can no longer be seen and cultivated as a uniform and undifferentiated whole. The wine will inevitably come to exhibit its various “terroirs”. Understanding them, working properly their widely differing altitudes, soils and microclimates is a journey from which there is no turning back, and one upon which Conceito Vinhos wholeheartedly embark. In search of the freshness and balance of terrain. That is the Concept!
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.