CONCEITO CONTRASTE RED 2014

Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca & Touriga Nacional

Reviews for the 2012 vintage below…

Keith Wallace, vinology.com (2012 Vintage)
"The tension between tannin and acid is remarkable. This wine is tight as a guitar string, which brings a high toned musicality to the experience. A nose of crushed stone and white cherries warbles about, with the thunk-thunk of burnt vanilla just in the background.

The melody here is fresh red fruit and a bridge of dark berry. Rustic notes come jam the middle palate with some serious old world bravado. A field blend from a forty year old vineyard and a fermented/aged in whatever was lying about the winery."

Wine Enthusiast (2012 Vintage)
"This is a tannic and mineral driven wine that is firm and solidly textured. It is full of ripe black fruits along with dry tannins and a concentrated structure. The acidity of this balanced wine keeps the freshness going and also suggests aging potential. Drink from 2016."

90/100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2012 Vintage)
"The 2012 Contraste red is an old-vine field blend aged for 20 months in a mixture of stainless steel tanks (30%) and used (second and third use) French oak barrels. Many of the 2012s I am seeing are rather restrained and somewhat light, particularly at this level. This one is impressive, hardly seeming to miss a beat off of the 2011 (granting that they are not currently side-by-side). At least in its youth, it seems surprisingly full-bodied for the second wine in what is generally a lighter-styled vintage, reasonably deep and concentrated. It is also focused and quite well-structured. The restrained oak treatment gives it a feel of transparency and purity as well. Showing some power, too, it preens in its youthful vibrancy just now. As the tannins gradually moderate, the tasty fruit comes to the fore. It will never, to be sure, be the biggest, most powerful or most obvious red – but Conceito rarely goes for the obvious anyway. It is a beautifully crafted bargain in an Old World style that should drink well for the rest of the decade, at the least. It may do quite a bit better, but let's see where we are when we get there. It may be approachable sooner, as indicated on the drinking window, but frankly, I think this will show a lot closer to peak around 2017. Given the price point, this is quite a fine deal and a very fine performance in the vintage. Among other things, Conceito seems remarkably consistent these days, even when the vintages are not."