2017 Vallado Branco Reserva Quinta do Vallado

Grape varieties: 45% Gouveio, 30% Rabigato and 25% Arinto.

Parker-Squires 93 points: The 2017 Branco Reserva, bottled about a month before tasting, is a blend of Gouveio (45%), Rabigato (30%) and Arinto (25%), aged for eight months in 25% new French oak. It comes in at 13% alcohol. This handles its wood brilliantly, even at a young age. It's sharp, for the style, and surprisingly fresh in this big year. Winemaker Xito Olazabal said they picked in about half the normal time to retain freshness in these grapes. It seems to have worked. This fleshes out in the glass as it sits, but it obviously needs some time in the cellar. Come back next year, at least. There's no rush—it should age well. There were 13,600 bottles produced, plus 300 magnums.