The Touriga Nacional Quinta de S. José was aged for 12 months in second use French oak and comes in at 14.4% alcohol. When last seen, this was just a tank sample. It’s now in bottle. It has come into much better balance, the tannins better integrated than when I saw it in Porto over a year ago. Now, we can pay a little more attention to the fruit. Expressive and reasonably concentrated, this Touriga has come along well. There was initially a smoky hint on the nose that detracted a little from the whole. That aspect got better quickly as this aired out. Overall, this is a beautifully balanced and elegant Touriga with concentrated blue-fruit nuances. It finishes dry, though, and seems very serious, a perfect food wine. It’s never jammy or sweet.
