The 2008 Reserva "Olho De Mocho" is a blend of the winery's best Syrah, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet grapes. Not yet released when I first saw it, this is revisited in this issue. Earlier on, I admired its structure and balance - but for the oak. Roughly a year later, that is still an issue. The wine is far too marked by sweet oak flavors and it is hard to find the fruit. I held it open a little longer, the tannins popped out and there were some useful hints that if the aging curve is long enough the oak might integrate better. It is even more obvious now that this is a beautifully constructed wine, built for the longer haul, if a little heady (14.5%). I suspect, though, that this wine is always going to be more on the "laced with vanilla" side when most people encounter it. If that suits you or you don't object, there is an awful lot here to like. Cellaring it for a couple of more years would be advisable. Drink now-2022. Importer: Iberia Wines & Spirits, East Hartford, CT; tel. (860) 291-8988

The 2006 RESERVA OLHO DE MOCHO is a blend of Touriga Nacional and Syrah. Despite 2006 being a rather difficult year in Alentejo, this Reserva, bottled in January of 2008, is quite delicious, and perhaps a touch flamboyant. The Olho de Mocho brand represents the winery’s best fruit. It is 18 Euros on the winery’s website, reasonable enough for a Reserva. Like a lot of 2006s, even most of those that show well, the wine is likely to be early maturing and a bit softer than better vintages. Here, the wine is lush, the fruit very sweet, and there is just enough tannin underneath to give this some support. Still, it will be best approached sooner rather than later, and after an hour or so it thins out quite a bit. When that first rush of fruit fades, what is left becomes less and less interesting. Drink now-2014. Rocim is a relatively new winery, purchased in 2000. Many of the vines are newly planted, although the Aragonez, Antao Vaz and Trincadeira vines are older.There is no USA importer at this time.