Parker über:
Manoella Douro Red
-- Parker: The 2019 Tinto Quinta da Manoella, sourced from 35+-year-old vines, is mostly a 60/25 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with Tinta Roriz and Tinta Francisca filling out the blend. It was aged for 16 months in used French oak and comes in at 14% alcohol. The lesser wine, as compared to its big brother, the Vinhas Velhas this issue, this still performs well. Its real competition in the red lineup is the Pintas Character this issue, which has a similar relationship with the Pintas.Like the difference between Pintas and the Manoella Vinhas Velhas, the Character has more depth and fruitiness while the Manoella Tinto has more focus and elegance. The bigger surprise is the fine structure here. This is simply gripping on opening, reveling in its power. As with all the wines (and typical of the winery's style), the tannins are not too hard, and this does not finish with astringency. The power is still obvious. A hypothetical cross of this and the Character would be the best result, but if forced to choose, I'd take the Character, at least today. If this regular Tinto has a flaw, it is not nearly as expressive as it should be, an area where Character excels. For today, Character is the unquestioned winner, but this backward Manoella may well win in the end. Its structure is exceptional and it has plenty of room to improve. One thing that is not in question, however, is what the better value is, given that Character is around double the price of this. This is a terrific bargain for the money, the best intersection of quality and price in the lineup this vintage. This has some things to prove in the cellar, but if it gets no better, you will have gotten your money's worth and then some. 91+/100
