J. Cabral Almeida Dao Branco Liquen Encruzado 2019 750 ML

The 2019 Encruzado Liquen was aged for 14 months in used French oak and comes in at 13.1% alcohol. Smooth in texture to the point where this simply coats the palate, this then shows good freshness on the finish, with the fruit lifted, lingering and lively. Seeming concentrated and expressive, this is also beautifully structured. It is obviously very young and more than a little pricey, but this looks exceptional. It seems like a nice step up on last year's, granting that they are both not here together. The only remaining question is how well this will age. It may and probably must improve to justify my enthusiasm today, but I'd expect it to show more complexity and harmony in a few years. It should hold well throughout the decade, although it is certainly quite drinkable right now. There were 1,634 bottles produced from plots variously located in Silgueiros and Serra da Estrela, with the vines at around 40 years in age.