Campolargo Arinto

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The 2010 ARINTO “BARRICA,” formerly marketed as “fermented in Madeira,” meaning wood, is an interesting offering from Campolargo. This bottling in the past has held better than I thought it would or could and I expect that this vintage will as well. At the moment, it shows its wood far too much, both on the tight finish and the nose. It never has that sweet, drenched-in-vanilla aspect, though, tasting more like old wood than new. It seems stern, tight and a little brooding. It will rightly draw some negative views based on its current woody condition, but this bottling has proven it can age and it has some chance to integrate this oak a bit better. Give it a year or so. Once past the hit of oak, this is beautifully wrought, with good acidity, finesse, focus and a sunny feel. Indeed, I held it open long enough to see it begin to integrate the oak, too, just a little, a beginning, not a total victory. As it warmed and got closer to 60F, the juicy fruit asserted itself more. This has its moments. It just needs to prove in the cellar that it can have more of them. There were 650 cases produced. Drink now-2017. Campolargo is an interesting winery in Bairrada that presents a less traditional face with its various small production bottlings. Manuel Campolargo makes things that are a bit different than the usual fare—Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, unusual monovarietals and the like. Modern Bairrada isn’t just about Baga—although they make one of those, too. The wines often provide some nice value, as evidenced by some of the offerings this issue, and the off-the-beaten-track wines often hit the mark.Importer: Tri-Vin Imports, Mt. Vernon, NY; tel. (914) 664-3155

The 2005 Arinto, was fermented in Madeira, in this case, meaning fermented in wood. Labels in the future will simply say “fermented in barrels,” I’m told. Revisiting this wine for a status check, I’m gratified to say that it still seems quite fine now and is aging even better than I thought it could. Still seemingly rich, with a hint of sweet oak, it seems like an unusual Arinto, but the natural acidity does cut through and gives this a certain level of tension. If anything, I liked it slightly better today, with its parts better integrated, than when I first saw it. I’d still be careful on drinking windows, until it proves what it does when it gets there. It is drinking perfectly now and I doubt it will improve, however long it theoretically holds. Drink now-2014. Importer: Tri-Vin Imports, Mt. Vernon, NY; tel. (914) 664-3155