Herdade Do Esporão Alentejo Torre 2017 (750ml) *

With sleek, animated fruit and seamless tannins, the fourth flagship release since 2004 turns down the power another notch. A (10%) blend component from Esporão’s cooler Portalegre vineyard at 400m imparts tension and freshness. Dispensing with new oak, additionally ageing the Aragonez in concrete, lets the raspberry, blackberry and plum fruit and smoky (mineral) and spicy (esteva) notes shine. Accomplished. (Decanter, February 2023)

The 2017 Torre do Esporão is a blend of 40% Aragonez, 30% Touriga Franca and 25% Alicante Bouschet, plus a dollop of Touriga Nacional. Different lots were aged in vats, barrels and concrete for 18 months. This handles the wood perfectly; it is not an issue. This comes in at 14.8% alcohol. This is only the fourth iteration of this specialty brand. It was in fact tasted next to the 2007 and 2011. A more different trio you could not imagine. The 2007 is in prime time, rich, ripe and succulent. If one of these three represents stereotypical Alentejo, it's that 2007. It is maturing, to be sure, sometimes hinting at a little tertiary edge, and its tannins have mostly fallen off. It is sensationally delicious, though. The 2011 is sterner, but it shows better finesse and less jammy fruit. The finesse is great to see in a 2011, many of which are too dense and a little clumsy. It has a firm backbone and fine structure, but the balance is impeccable. Both have justified the initial faith I had in them, but I wouldn't change the rating of either today. They are on track to continue aging well, although today at least, the 2007 is the better wine to drink. This 2017 falls in between. It's very ripe and expressive, but it is not the sexy fruit bomb that the 2007 is (many will swoon on tasting that today). Nor does this 2017 have the precision and structure of the 2011. For its own bragging rights, this 2017 might be the freshest and most polished of the three. The fruit is still expressive and delicious. There is still a backbone too, although a modest one. Therein lies the biggest question with this wine—whether it has sufficient structure to support the fruit as it ages. When I first saw this, it had been open for some six hours. It tasted great, but it seemed to project little if any structure. It sure didn't seem like a $300 wine. On retrying it from a fresh bottle, it was far more impressive, with at least some firmness on the finish. It projects no more power than the 2011, probably less, but that's six years older. The tannins here are very ripe and restrained, even as the fruit is very expressive. I retasted this from the fresh bottle again some hours later (just recorked, not decanted), and it seemed to be drinking perfectly. This is a bottle everyone is going to love for its finesse, delicious fruit and understatement, but I'm not convinced it has the upside potential that I'd look for in this brand at the price it now trades at. For the moment, let's be a little conservative and allow it to prove its case. Certainly, no one drinking it today—and it is surprisingly easy to drink right now—will fail to love it. (Wine Advocate, November 2022)