Douro

Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is custy with clay, cherries, cocoa and a bubble gum note.  On the palate, this is sweet black cherry fruit.  Slightly disjointed at first, it came together in the glass and continued to put on weight.  Very nice red and black cherries.  Good complexity.  Slight tannins.  At this point, this seems at or close to peak, yet given that it took time to come together, perhaps not.  It would be interesting to revisit this in a few years.  

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose is nice with dark cherries, black raspberries and cigar.  On the palate, soft dark cherries with good acidity.  Tight layering that unwinds in the glass.  Lovely texture.  Nice finish.  Worked well with food.  While not quite as good as the Maria Teresa, it is also one third the price.  This will probably improve a bit in the cellar and certainly has a nice decade or two left.  

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, dust and spice and char.  This was decanted for a bit before trying.  On the palate, there is a great precision here.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with dried leaves and charred earth.  A bit of tobacco.  It is tightly layered but unwinds in the glass.  Long finish.  A beautiful wine with a bright future.