Wine & Soul Pintas 2021

96 pts Wine AdvocateThe 2021 Pintas has an impressive nose—open, extroverted, aromatic and floral, a little toasty and smoky. This is always produced from the same vineyard at 400 to 450 meters above sea level on schist soils. It's spicy and has some creaminess, but it feels balanced and has freshness and acidity to absorb the oak with more time in bottle. It matured in 225-liter barrels, 20% of them new, for 20 months. This vineyard is very consistent; the old vines have deep roots, and the high altitude contributes to the freshness—and the 2021 vintage also helps! 6,000 bottles produced. Wine & Soul, Jorge Serôdio and Sandra Tavares, have concentrated their efforts in the last years in the vineyards. They have grown from the initial two hectares for Pintas to over 40 hectares today. The portfolio has also grown, and so have volumes. They now produce 180,000 bottles, including Port.- One of the top wines in all of Portugal, a complexity beast!- One of my all-time favorite wines an