Baronesa de Vilar Touriga Nacional 2016

Rich, age-worthy Touriga Nacional is Portugal’s great (dry) red specialty. And if you love Cabernet Sauvignon – especially the ripe, lush-bodied type – it’s a grape you’ve got to try.

This one comes from 15th-generation winemaker Alvaro van Zeller, whose family has been famously crafting wines – namely Port – since 1715. Today though, the story’s all about Portugal’s stunning dry reds. And here, Alvaro’s definitely out to impress.

He hand selected the finest parcels of fruit from his family’s vineyards in the Douro Valley (a region that has “Grand Cru possibilities,” according to Wine Spectator), then gently pressed and cool fermented the grapes to extract all their beautiful color and floral aromas. Ten months’ aging in French oak barrels adds hints of spice to the bold, dark-fruit flavors.

Alvaro named the sumptuous final product after his maternal grandmother, the Baroness of Vilar, as he tells us it’s a wine that’s captured the essence of her elegance and strength. At the dinner table, it makes a very classy partner for roasted meats, particularly pork. Hurry to secure your share – this was a small-batch production, and tastes all the better for it!