A soft, but spicy wine made from the Portuguese version of Tempranillo, giving rounded, silky tannins, balanced with fresh red berry fruits. With its acid highlights, it needs time to calm down, but it should be attractively ripe in one year.——R.V.(12/15/2007)—— 89

Big and dense, the tannins showing a dusty character from the heat of 2003 and the long, dry harvest. The wine shows plenty of structure, the fruits are big and jammy, very hot and ripe. Acidity seems to be missing, though with all this ripe fruit around.——R.V.(12/15/2007)—— 88