2011 Douro Tinta Roriz

The 2011 Tinta Roriz was sourced from three different plots, all fermented separately. Said winemaker Manuel Lobo, “Two of the vineyards aged 18 months in new French oak barrels from a selection of different cooperages with medium toasts. The other vineyard plot aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels, also from a selection of different cooperages, but in this case, with lighter toasts. The final blend was also a selection of the best performing barrels.” This was often a great Douro vintage. This was not quite as astonishing as the vintage reputation, but it is still very fine. That's all relative—this is still very fine. This takes the 2010 and adds a layer of concentration, plus a little extra power. It is still a little tight on the finish. For all of that, it retains (surprisingly) some of the 2010's finesse. It is not nearly as intense or as burly as I would've predicted. Rather, it is perfectly balanced. This still has a case to make in the cellar. Perhaps some future development will allow it to improve more. At the moment, it seems very fine but not quite the revelation it could have been in the context of the vintage. It will continue to age very well. There is no rush, and I would recommend aging this for another few years to allow it to develop more. There were 8,900 bottles produced.