Conceito White Douro 2016

The 2016 Estate Branco is probably the best white yet made here and a good testament to how fine 2015 is for Brancos. It is a field blend aged for ten months in used French oak barrels (second, third and fourth usage).

It starts with finesse, but it has the intensity and freshness to be enlivening, too. Pointed and focused, it often seems like a fine white Burgundy. It finishes with steel rather than wood on the finish. This is not the deepest ever Branco--if you're looking for fat, rich and sweet, that's never the style here--but it is simply breathtaking in its freshness and crispness on the finish.

For as much acidity as this has, it isn't, to be clear, an acid-freak wine. It is beautifully balanced in all ways. It is already integrating its oak beautifully, too. Only in the bottle a few weeks when seen, this gave every indication of being brilliant even then. I suspect it will improve notably with a year (or three) of bottle age, fleshing out a bit and coming together more harmoniously. The acidity underneath will allow this to age well and make this intriguing as it ages, though. It looks like a great Douro white with untapped potential.

Mark Squires for Wine Advocate - 2016