2016 Van Zeller's, Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)

I 2003 indførte Cristiano van Zeller denne topvin fra parceller med nordvendte marker i Rio Torto dalen. Fra knap 90 år gamle stokke er CV i dag en af de væsentligste reference-vine i Portugal. 2016 var fra starten brutalt struktureret, kølig og fast og havde det svært mod de mere givende udgaver fra 2015 og 2017. Men tiden i flaske har gjort underværker: Sammen med de typiske toner af brombær, lakrids og tjære er her også hindbær, orientalske krydderier, violer, knuste røde bær og masser af friskhed. Hvor 2015 og 2017 altid har haft mere frugt, er denne 2016ere vidunderligt balanceret. Bredskuldret, stort anlagt, sort og massiv, men med pirrende stenethed, levende syrerygrad og smuk definerende tannin. Den bliver sikkert endnu bedre i flasken, men dens udtryk er en reference-bidrag til CV's spektrum af forskellige udtryk. (-2042+) *****

98 points RobertParker Wine Advocate: " The 2016 CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a field blend from 80-year-old vines aged for 21 months in 85% new French oak. It comes in at 14.7% alcohol. This was a tank sample when last seen. This is a better-balanced wine than the 2015 CV, which is pretty much a fruit bomb, although I grant you that the fruit bomb was really hard to resist and often sensational. This 2016 is fresher and more elegant, though, while seeming cooler. It still has plenty of gorgeous Douro fruit along with that brilliant structure. It is delicious. It also seems tightly wound and perfectly focused. The oak is still a bit too obvious, perhaps it's only remaining flaw. That can still improve, and I'll lean up on that likelihood, but it seems great no matter what. This tightly wound wine was harder to read as a tank sample, but I certainly underestimated it. As hedonistic as the 2015 is, this is better on almost all fronts now. It is one of the best reds I've had from Van Zeller. "