Herdade da Farizoa Grande Reserva 2013

The 2013 Grande Reserva (Herdade da Farizoa) is mostly Syrah, with 15% Aragonez and 5% Touriga Nacional, all aged for 20 months in 50% new French barriques. It comes in at 15% alcohol. If the regular 2013 Reserva this issue showed a fair bit of wood, this does as well, but it handles it better. There is a touch of coconut added in but it also adds more power, concentration and focus. The mid-palate does a rather good job of soaking up the wood. There is also an uptick in price here over the regular Reserva but if you can afford the tab it’s worth it. The Reserva is lovely and has a good chance of getting better with cellaring. This definitely will improve. It should really be given a year or two in the cellar at least. It will likely show far better around 2020. Drink date: 2018-2030. Score – 92+. (Mark Squires, robertparker.com, Oct. 31, 2017)