Off to a fine start: The Wine Society’s first Exhibition Portuguese Red

Timing, they say, is everything.  So a masterstroke then for The Wine Society to come up with their first own label Exhibition Portuguese red from the magnificent Douro 2011 vintage.  What’s more, it’s made by the Olzabal  family whose 2011 estate wine, Quinta do Vale Meão, made the cut for my top 10 2011 Douro reds, not to mention the number 4 spot in Wine Spectator’s coveted Top 100 Wines of the Year, 2014.

I had a sneak preview of the wine last July when I tasted through The Wine Society’s excellent Portuguese range last summer.  Having visited the estate and tasted the wines many times, its Douro Superior and  Quinta do Vale Meão pedigree shone through (this is, after all, the estate from which Douro icon Barca Velha was originally sourced).  Expect good bang for buck at £13.50; even more at the introductory price of £11.50 until this Sunday 8 February.

The Wine Society’s Exhibition Douro Red 2011 (Douro)

Like all the Olzabal’s reds  this wine was  foot trodden in the 19th century winery’s granite lagares and matured in French oak.  Its deep, velvety, chocolatey nose is quite typical of both estate and sub-region, as is the generous but  juicily persistent black berry and cherry fruit and perfumed oak.  14%  £11.50 until 8 February, £13.50 thereafter at The Wine Society.   Just the wine for this cold snap, although I expect it will mature rather well over the medium-term.