The 2006 TOURIGA NACIONAL comes from vineyards planted in 1994. It spent 16 months in French oak casks, 60% one year old, the rest new. It is a typical 2006—tasty, elegant and charming, but with little depth and a modest finish, well off the pace of better vintages in terms of ageworthiness and potential complexity. There were 1,500 cases produced. Drink now-2015. Importer: Quintessential, Napa, CA; tel. (914) 725-3479.

Solid, black fruited and finely structured, this estate wine from Vallado shows all the attractive perfumes of Touriga Nacional, as well as its elegance. It is certainly rich, and the tannins are sweet, their dryness masked by the blackberry jam flavor.——R.V.(4/1/2009)—— 87