2016 Muxagat Tinto, Douro

The Douro Valley has wind in its winemaking sails these days. Everywhere we look there’s some exciting new marker of quality and taste coming out of Portugal. Enter Muxagat, with its Atlantic influence and high altitude freshness. Owned and operated by Susana Lopes and her family at her remote and rugged property, these are truly artisanal wines, made in an old barn with a very light touch. A truly low-intervention bottle that is packed with flavor. Blackberry, blueberry and red cherry fruit support ripe tannins, woody and rustic in a good earthy way. Cinnamon, licorice, and mineral salt notes lend piquancy and complexity. Very good and, while attractively primary and powerful now, has structure to improve with age.