Portugal’s Douro River Valley, a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the first officially “delimited” wine zones in the world, has undergone a radical transformation. It is a cavernous valley, spanning the entire width of the country and emptying into the Atlantic at Oporto, the coastal city that gave the region’s most famous export—Port, or Porto—its name. It is a hot, arid climate, with terraced vines rooted in schist: an ideal setting for powerful dry reds from hardy local varieties such as Touriga Nacional.

This soulful red from Poças is the latest Douro red to take our team by storm. It’s like a Left Bank Bordeaux went on vacation someplace a little warmer and wilder, supremely elegant but also gutsy and full of saturated black fruit, crushed rocks, and dried herbs. You won’t believe how much wine it is for the money—it’s truly incredible. 

An opaque, inky, ruby-black hue in the glass, with loads of black fruit notes leaping out of the gate once poured: black raspberry, cassis, currants, plum. Then more savory elements show themselves: graphite, dusty earth, wild herbs, leather, tobacco. It is full-bodied, but not overwhelmingly so, with firm, fine tannins and a long, violet-scented finish. Reminiscent of Left Bank Bordeaux, but with more of a wild side—a pleasing touch of earthy rusticity that begs to be tamed by a rich braised lamb shank or short ribs.