Nossa Calcário Baga 2017

The 2017 Nossa Calcário red is a Baga (although in the past, I've been told that among the old vines there are tiny amounts of other varieties) from three vineyards with an average vine age of 80 years, aged 18 months in mostly used French oak (but one 2,000-liter Slavonian cask). Soft and understated on opening, this is a wine that needs some time in the glass to show what it has. It is easy to take a quick taste and wonder where everything is. This is often subtle, but it is eventually so persistent that it makes you notice its virtues all the time. Come back in an hour. The wine expanded in the glass and developed more power while it dribbled terrific fruit over the palate. It is relatively sexy for a Baga, and it was better the next day, fleshing out and seeming even richer. The Baga here never seems terribly rustic, as it can often be. The texture is pure velvet. The key to this, though, particularly in this vintage, is the gorgeous fruit. This is only 12.8% alcohol, but the fruit seems to be the essence of the grape, unusually rich and filled with flavor. If you (like many of us, by which I mean me) often think of Baga as earthy, astringent and acidic rather than fruity, this doesn't affirm those stereotypes. That said, there is the typical earth and power lurking underneath even while the finish is long and filled with flavor. If you give this time, it will acquire more complexity, however, and another dimension. Right at the moment, I'd still give the nod to the wonderful 2015, but this has hidden potential as well. This needs a little more time to acquire better balance and complexity, even if it sometimes seems approachable now. For best results, come back around 2025-2027. There were just 7,733 bottles produced, plus some large-format bottles.