Adega Regional de Colares Arenae Ramisco 2006 (500ML)

92 Points, John Gilman, View From the Cellar: "The Ramisco "Arenae" from Francisco Figueiredo, the head winemaker at the Adega Regional de Colares now for several years, is outstanding, being produced entirely from old vines lying above the beaches west of Lisbon. The wine includes thirty percent whole clusters, is fermented with indigenous yeasts and raised for three years in old foudres (made from Brazilian wood!) and then another year of elevage in old French casks prior to bottling. The 2006 Arenae offers up a pure and complex bouquet, replete with scents of black fruit, beach tar, new leather, wood ash and a nice touch of salty soil tones. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, bright and tangy, with a lovely core, impressive complexity, modest tannins and excellent length and grip on the very well-balanced finish. I do not have any experience with aged Colares, but this wine seems like it could easily last twenty or twenty-five more years in bottle." 2/17