Twisted Tinto Douro Niepoort 2018 (750ML)

89 Points, John Gilman, View from the Cellar: "As I noted back in October, with my note on the 2017 vintage, Dirk Niepoort's "Twisted" Tinto is made from a complex field blend of grapes that includes Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, Tinto Amarela, Tinto Cão and more than a few others. Three quarters of the cuvée is raised in stainless steel tanks and the other quarter in older, French casks. The 2018 Twisted Tinto comes in a bit lower in octane than the 2017, listed at 13.5 percent and offering up scents of dark berries, black cherries, cigar ash, dark soil tones and leather. On the palate the wine is deep, broad-shouldered and full, with a fine core of fruit, a solid chassis of chewy tannin and a long, youthful finish. This needs bottle age to blossom, but should be a good bottle in due course. 2028-2045+."