The 2005 TOURIGA NACIONAL is seductively textured and beautifully balanced, with well integrated tannins lurking underneath. The fruit is sweet, but it is one of the ‘05s that sometimes seems a bit too compact and elegant. There are beautiful plum nuances and other flavors, and it certainly has its charms. Drink now-2017. Importer: Quintessential, Napa, CA; tel. (914) 725-3479.

The 2005 Touriga Nacional is revisited this issue as part of the vertical presented. I wasn't overly impressed with this the first time I saw it. Frankly, it is just OK at this point. Nothing special has happened, but it has held reasonably well, perhaps a bit thinner in the mid-palate. It has a certain elegance and a certain charm--but Vallado got much better at this as time went on. I'm sure this will outlast my drinking window in a sense, but there will be little reward for you in aging it. Drink up.

A big, fruity wine that starts richly and then becomes drier, more tannic and firmer. The fruit is all black, full of berries and fresh acidity. Finely balanced, with an herbal character to finish it off.——R.V.(7/1/2008)—— 88