The 2003 Colheita Seleccionada (Casa da Alorna) is a blend of Castelao (Periquita), Trincadeira and Tinta Miuda, aged in American oak. It leads off with a powerful bouquet predicting very ripe fruit, and an unusually lush feel. The considerable hit of oak provides some sweetness and roundness, but the wine is not loaded with those artificial notes often seen from American oak, probably because it only spent nine months in oak. Normally, hearing “American oak” is an immediate turnoff for me, but this is a good example of why it is nice to actually taste the wine before dismissing it. There are touches of spice, and lots of flavor, in fact a rather exuberant and exotic note that bordered on kirsch as the wine aired out. This tastes pretty good, and I suspect many will think it is a steal for the price. Purists may wind up preferring the more oak-restrained 2004 Tinto reviewed here, although it lacks this bottling’s depth and fullness. Drink now-2011.Importer: Grape Moments, a Division of Sintra Imports, New Bedford, MA; tel. (508) 997-0100