2015 Ameal Escolha

The 2015 Escolha, in its handsome new packaging and a fat bottle now befitting its status, is a Loureiro aged for six months in used French oak. Bottled in August 2016, it comes in at 11.5% alcohol. Very dry, with big acidity and low residual sugar, this is the regular Loureiro with a different face. In time, this will take over from the unoaked version reviewed last year, but at the moment, there is not much from which to choose. The time in wood gives this a bit more power and fullness in the mouth, but a bit less purity, at least in its youth. That said, the most startling aspect to this is how remarkably fresh and clean it is despite the wood. If it is not the fragrant white that the unoaked version is, it is hardly subdued in its exuberance and power. A decade from now, I suspect this will easily take charge. Right now, I can only say they are both brilliant. They are both monuments to Loureiro. There were just 4,000 bottles produced.

Loureiro fermented and aged in French oak. The oak is very much in the background on the nose, a little more evident on the palate. Tangy, lightly spiced and still with terrific freshness. Lime and herbs, really crisp and rounded out by the barrels. Long. (JH)