Pintas Wine & Soul Douro 2008

Lobenberg: In der Nase Brombeeren und zerdrückte Heidelbeeren. Im Hintergrund lauert scheinbar eine Wand aus eingekochten Kirschen. Im Gegensatz zu so manch einem massiven Vorgängerjahrgang hat diese Ausgabe ein grandios harmonisches Mundgefühl. Trotz der immensen Fruchtintensität strahlt dieser Jahrgang endlich große Eleganz aus. Im Nachhall stützen die Tannine das Aromenspektrum noch einmal ab. Tabak- und Kaffearomen mischen sich mit den rotbeerigen Eindrücken. So mancher Kritiker wird nun verstummen. Hier wird klar, dass auch sehr gute Winemaker mit den Jahren noch besser werden können. 96+/100

Parker: The 2008 PINTAS is this year's iteration of the flagship wine, a very old vines (78 years) Douro field blend. Like a lot of wines in this vintage, this opens with a hard edge, crisp and bright, powerful and closed, with an elegant mid-palate. It is also fragrant and flavorful, persistent and lingering on the finish. As it aired out, it dribbled persistent flavor over the palate, while retaining its elegance and intensity. Much different at this stage than the '07, it is very pointed and focused, better integrated with respect to oak, and more powerful. It is a wine that I suspect will develop beautifully in the cellar. Its price tag will be off-putting to many, but this is a wine that should give a collector a chance to play with it for awhile in many different incarnations. I liked it more and more as I spent more and more time with it. Admittedly a little hard to evaluate when I saw it, it has a lot of upside potential and I think it will be one of the more interesting wines of the vintage when it settles down. 94/100