Barão da Várzea do Douro Reserva Tinto 2022

Barão da Várzea do Douro Reserva Tinto 2022 — Generous in profile but held firmly in check. The nose is complex, red berries and hedgerow fruit to the fore — blackberry, blueberry, redcurrant — with a spice edge that the French oak contributes without overstating it. Blackberry and plum arrive on the palate, offset by a savoury register and a note of pepper, with lively acidity drawing the outline and ripe, well-polished tannins. Full and textured, never heavy: the depth of fruit gives away vines of more than fifty years.