The 2009 OUTEIRO is an equal blend of Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional with 20% TInta Roriz. With an initial meaty note on the nose, this tasty wine initially seems rich on opening, but it quickly becomes obvious that its main virtues are elegance and grace, plus, as it airs out, it acquires a sweet, fruity demeanor. Bright, crisp and beautifully balanced, with all of its parts perfectly integrated, this easygoing charmer does not feature a lot of anything except harmony, together with that sweet note on the finish. It is a nice, laid back value point in this lineup. Granting that it will peak early—it did get simpler with extended aeration--and that it does not have the persistence to develop much, it will be immensely pleasing if encountered young for its Burgundian elegance, provided you don’t object to that tasty sweet fruit on the finish, something I mean both wryly and literally. Drink now-2017. On most short lists to be nominated as the finest producer in his region, Castro makes a wide variety of wines that have two things in common—they have character and they tend to age well. In the USA, hardly anyone knows who he is—or even what Dao is. In Portugal, he is a cult-ish winemaker and people recognize the enormous potential in this old region. It is another example, unfortunately, of how a simple fact seems to control some realities—if his labels said “Burgundy” instead of “Dao,” people would no doubt be lining up. Note: Some of Castro’s wines, like the regular Tinto, are technically made under the formal producer name of Quinta da Pellada, although most, like the Reservas, prominently advertise his own name. Some (like the Reserva Tinto) do both. For convenience, they have all been grouped here. In Portuguese fashion, the brand (like “PAPE”) or the Quinta (when it is actually a single vineyard wine and not used just as a producer name) often subsumes the producer name in any event.Importer: Laurel Importers, Bristol, R.I.; tel: (401) 396-9661