Quinta das Carvalhas Vintage Port 2018

... bottled in June 2020 ... a field blend from old vines aged for approximately two years in a mixture of used and large Portuguese vats and used French barrels. It was bottled with 101 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is probably Real Companhia Velha's top quinta. The producer says this is 'produced from a single parcel called 'Vale da Mina' ('Mine Valley') in Quinta das Carvalhas at 100 to 150 meters in altitude above sea level, north exposure. It is a centenary vineyard with more than 30 varietals planted' ... shows off admirable finesse to go with expressive fruit. This is no jammy stereotype ... Here, we get elegance and freshness. The mid-palate absorbs the power well initially, but this Port steadily tightens with air. With aeration, the fruit asserts itself too, showing off more underlying concentration than seemed apparent at first. Two days later, it was essentially unchanged. This is an enticing beauty for those who appreciate elegance rather than fruit bombs, and it looks like one of the finest I've seen from this quinta. It certainly has plenty of room to improve more with cellaring. The only issue here is how high the ceiling is. I'd like to see it at around 15 years old, although it will surely be approachable sooner. This is a fine effort at a nice price point. Drink date: 2026-2065. Score - 95. (Mark Squires, robertparker.com, Oct. 30, 2020)