Pocas Reserva 2012 | 750 ml.

WE93 Wine Enthusiast 12/31/2014

"A big, ripe and spicy wine, this is packed with woody notes as well as powerful fruit. It has solid tannins and dark flavors of bitter chocolate and black cherries. It’s rich and concentrated, with good aging potential. Drink from 2018." (93 pts.)

RP89 Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate 1st Jan 2015

"The 2012 Reserva is a field blend principally composed of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca; all aged in a 50-50 mix of French and American oak (mixed used and new) for 12 months. Although this sounds similar in many details to the Vale de Cavalos, also reviewed this issue, the winery told me that the Reserva is sourced from older vines at the winery’s Quinta de Santa Bárbara in Ervedosa. Easily the sexiest of the winery’s submissions this issue, this makes the biggest impression at the outset, showing somewhat lusher and sweeter, but also with the heaviest oak impact. Nicely constructed overall, it is elegant in the mid-palate as well as quite tasty. It should be approachable young, but hold nicely for several years. Right at the moment, it does not seem like a terribly big upgrade over its siblings, the nicely priced bargains submitted by the winery this issue. At the moment, in fact, I’d prefer the Vale de Cavalos. However, I do have some hope for the future here and I’d give this the slight nod, anticipating that it pulls in some oak, for its more expressive and flavorful fruit. There were 1,750 cases produced." (89 pts.)