Dark, brooding nose of blackberries, blackcurrants, cloves, black pepper, charred bark, bitter chocolate and tobacco. Dried lavender, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Compact and structured. Better from 2023.

The 2018 Tinto Princesa Reserva is a blend of 25% Touriga Franca, 25% Tinta Roriz, 25% Tinta Barroca and the rest a field blend from old vines, aged in for 12 months in 50% new French oak. It comes in at 15.2% alcohol. The vine age here ranges from 40 to 90 years. A bigger and more powerful wine than the regular 2016 (although that had two years more in the bottle), this is fairly intense and less evolved. It maintains many of the other themes, including reasonable mid-palate finesse (although the 2016 wins there), good structure and perhaps a high-toned hint, although not really an issue here. (I'm wondering if perhaps there is something in the grape blend producing that.) Overall, this is very well crafted with a refined feel, but it could use another couple of years in the cellar. That's not to say it is unapproachable, as the tannins are not too hard, but it could use a year or two to come together. There were 13,000 bottles produced.- MS

This has a zesty mix of blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry fruit flavors, mixed with warm fruitcake and backed by chocolate and bramble notes on the finish. Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca. Drink now through 2024. 1,400 cases made, 350 cases imported.