Quinta do Mouro Gold Label 2011

Parker über: Quinta do Mouro Gold Label

-- Parker: The 2011 Tinto Gold Label is a blend of 55% Alicante Bouschet, 25% Aragonez, 10% Touriga Nacional and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 14 months in a mixture of French and Portuguese oak (50% new). This has been seen before, but long before release. With release now here, it is worth another look. When I first tasted this, it seemed curiously light and rather too understated, while still showing a lot of potential. This is very definitely an elegant Gold Label in the mid-palate, but it has certainly blossomed, showing far more character, power and focus now. What do you get by trading up from the 2011 regular Estate (there, only the name is in gold rather than the whole label)? This adds a little depth and more oak. It also adds a lot more power, though, not that the regular Tinto was shy there. Most importantly, it adds more complexity, mostly from the Alicante, I'd say. It has a taste of beef that the regular 2011 mostly doesn't have. It combines beautiful focus and intensity of everything. It is a bit backward, to be sure, showing lots of power even on the second day tasted. It was still impressive and still tight on the third day after it was opened (refrigerated, stopper with mild preservative actions). In short, this has more upside and more potential for improvement than the regular Tinto. With extra time in the bottle, it has demonstrated that it has all the pieces necessary to become more splendid in a few years. To be sure, it isn't so bad now--the combination of structure, complexity and flavor makes it very appealing if you give it some air. This time, it is worth leaning up a bit for its potential. 95/100