2019 Wine and Soul 'Pintas'
Producer: Wine and Soul
Region: Douro
Country: Portugal
Grapes: "Field Blend" of 30 varieties headlined by Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Touriga Nacional
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 14.5%
Vivino: 4.3
Drink By: 2040
Occasional Wine Note: We had an opportunity to visit this producer in the Douro Valley so that we could taste their portfolio. This wine flat out was in a league of its own. This is all single vineyard from 45 year old vines. This is a quintessential "Field Blend" that includes over 30 indigenous varieties. The grapes are hand harvested, destemmed, and foot trodden in granite lagares (yes, they still have people stepping on grapes here), and then aged in 50% new French oak barriques (225 liter). The result is this stunning, big, complex wine that can age for 20+ years, and probably needs another 10 to develop all of the flavors it can achieve. Beauty and the beast here.
Wine Advocate
Critic Score: 97
The 2019 Pintas is a field blend (over 40 grapes, but the dominant grapes are Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional) from old vines (around 90 years) aged for 20 months in 20% new French oak. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. What can you say about Pintas in all its glory? Big and expressive fruit is the first thing you'll take note of. Yet the second thing changes the opinion on and character of this wine. It's not even close to a fruit bomb. Its structure controls it, making it fresh, precise and lively, never jammy and ponderous. Then, it shows off some serious power. The winery's style generally eschews astringency (except at times on the Port), but there's certainly a fair bit of power on that finish. This is built to age and develop. It's delicious but not one-dimensional. It isn't even close to showing everything it has just now. While not completely unapproachable, it will show a lot better in a few years. It may not hit peak for 10.
Falstaff
Critic Score: 96
Bright ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate ocher edge lightening. Floral, a hint of violets, hibiscus and lime, delicately underlined with blackberries and licorice. Juicy, full of finesse, ripe heart cherries, silky tannins that carry a long way, red berry touch, salty finish, a delicate red wine with length and great future potential.