"Este é um grupo impressionante de Pacheca" disse o famoso crítico de vinhos Mark Squires após ter provado vinhos da Quinta da Pacheca para a prestigiada revista Wine Advocate. Estas pontuações enchem-nos de alegria e ânimo para continuar o percurso de produzir grandes vinhos com a verdadeira identidade do Douro. Confira as pontuações e notas de prova abaixo.
95 points – Pacheca Vale de Abraão Colheita Selecionada tinto 2017
The 2017 Tinto Vale de Abraão "Pacheca" is an equal blend of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional aged for 18 months in used French oak. It comes in at 14.2% alcohol. In terms of power, this is a big boy. Tight, a little astringent and a little burly, this is taking few prisoners today. That said, it is not impossibly astringent, and there is enough concentration to balance the wine, in time. We are going to have to be patient to see where this comes out, however. It kept getting better as I held it in the glass. The fruit is fresh and not even a little overripe. There is a sense of balance here, and the wine actually has some notion of finesse. The power is the issue, for the moment. This will need a little cellaring. It should age well, so there is no rush. I tend to lean up a little for wines with the structure to improve with aging, and this may well improve notably. It is way too unevolved today, as noted. Come back around 2025 for a better look. There were 7,000 bottles produced.
93+ points – Pacheca Lagar N.º 1 Reserva 2017
The 2017 Reserva Lagar No. 1 is a 70/30 blend of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional aged for 18 months in used French oak. It comes in at 14.4% alcohol. This, if I can put it this way while not intending to be insulting, is a muted version of the Vale de Abraão this issue. This has less power, a softer feel and otherwise similar ideas. Don't misunderstand, as there is still obvious power here, but this will be approachable earlier. I also doubt that it has the same upside potential as the Vale de Abraão. On its own terms, though, it is very fine, and it does have upside potential. It's another winner this issue. There were 10,000 bottles produced.
92 points – Pacheca Touriga Nacional Grande Reserva tinto 2018
The 2018 Grande Reserva is a Touriga Nacional aged for 18 months in used French oak. It comes in at 14.1% alcohol. This was sourced from 32-year-old vines at 140 meters in altitude. Nicely done, this is a focused Grande Reserva that does show off a little oak, but ultimately handles it pretty well. Like its upper-level siblings this report, this has a fair bit of tannic pop (although not at the Vale de Abraão level) that makes it hard to approach now. It is also a year younger than the others. This may not ultimately be quite as distinguished as its siblings, but the mid-palate shows some finesse, the fruit has firm tannins for support and there is some complexity, even granting that it is a monovarietal. It will be interesting to see where this goes. I'm not sure it has quite the same upside as the Lagar No. 1 or Vale de Abraão, but in the mid-term, it might be a formidable competitor.
90 points – Pacheca Reserva Vinhas Velhas tinto 2018
The 2018 Reserva Vinhas Velhas is a field blend sourced from vines planted in the 1940s and aged for 12 months in used French oak. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. As compared to the regular Reserva, this (as advertised) is more nuanced and expressive. Its depth and structure are about the same, but the complex fruit profile makes this the obvious winner for just another $2. This is simply less one-dimensional. In addition, this seems slightly better balanced. The regular Reserva will do fine with a little time, to be sure. This Vinhas Velhas, too, could use another year in the cellar, at least, but the tannins here are not quite as hard. It's not a night-and-day difference, as the styles are similar, but this just seems to be put together a little better. Overall, this is a lovely Reserva Vinhas Velhas with a notable opportunity to improve over the next several years. Needless to say, it's a fine bargain. It does have some things to prove in the cellar, but so far it is impressive.