34 varietals. In ONE bottle.

Yea, this wildly complex Portuguese field blend packs ‘em in there like the Tokyo subway at rush hour. And at a recent tasting it raised eyebrows, dropped jaws, and sparked a mean game of rochambeau to see who took the bottle home.

Being our FIRST EVER wine from Portugal, it had to be special. Like 95 and 94-points + 40% off special. And what a time to bust it out, because Portugal is HOT!

Literally. Summer in the Douro River Valley, home to the world’s supply of Port, can get scorching. But we mean trendy, fashionable…

Bloomberg just came out with their “Eight Ways Wine Will Change in 2021” predictions and declared that “The wine country of 2021 will be … Portugal” explaining that “The thirst for discovery rolls on, and Portugal is becoming the latest hotspot. Why did sales of the country’s wines surge 35.1% in September alone in the US.? It’s simple: quality-price ratio. They’re delicious, food-friendly, inexpensive, and more than worth the cost. Douro Valley reds are stunning…”

Bingo!

A striking crimson on the rim bleeding into a deeper, darker ruby heart meets the eye. Smoky minerals surround a rich core of blackberries, Damson plum, and spice cake on the expressive nose. On the palate, it’s a true showstopper, with crazy complexity from the 100+ year old vines. Exquisitely balanced with refined tannins and graceful elegance. The sappy finish lingers 60+ seconds, with complex nuances of cocoa, leather, and balsamic drizzled herbs emerging. Wine Advocate nailed it in their review: “Sensually textured, it has plenty of power on the finish to go with its beautiful mid-palate finesse.” The ultimate pairing, of course - an evening of tapas with your favorite salty, savory, meaty, smoky, intensely flavored, authentically Iberian dishes. And a warm fire.

We are a picky bunch as you know, and this being our very first ever Portuguese feature, well you know it’s special. It hits all the right notes. Traditional winemaking meets modern style, ancient vines meet artful blending, and superb accolades meet a 40% discount on top?!

Repeat after us - eu te amo Portugal - and run to the checkout line, don’t walk!

95 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“Vallado has debuted a lot of pricey upper-level bottlings of late. Happily, they succeed. Whether they succeed well enough to meet the expectations created by their pricing is going to be up to you and your wallet. On a broader front, Vallado had quite a fine 2017 vintage. Their reds in particular look super, granting that they were not in bottle long when seen. The 2017 Reserva was only in bottle for a few weeks when seen. It is a field blend (some 32 grapes from centenarian vines), principally Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca, all aged for 16 months in 20% new French barriques. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. Of all of Vallado’s fine reds this issue, this might be the most refined. Sensually textured, it has plenty of power on the finish to go with its beautiful mid-palate finesse. It seems very sophisticated. Focused and precise, this looks like a great Reserva from Vallado. Let’s start here - but be prepared to cellar it for a few years, at the least, to allow it to become more expressive. Drink 2022-2042.”

94 Points, Cellar Selection – Wine Enthusiast

“From a field blend of 34 varieties, this wine is richly structured, dense and firm, yet still retains a ripe and fruity core. Partial foot-treading in open lagars has given the wine depth and dark concentration of black fruit flavors. Drink from 2022.”