Vértice Millésime 2012

The 2012 Millésime Espumante Bruto (Vértice) was disgorged in April 2019 (the disgorgement date is noted on the bottle), and it's all from the 2012 vintage. (Sometimes, in some brands, the winery adds a little from an older vintage.) About 40% of the blend was aged in well-used French oak. It is mostly a blend of Touriga Franca (32%), Gouveio (26%) and Malvasia Fina (24%) with small amounts of other grapes. It was aged on the lees for some 70 months and comes in with just five grams of sugar, 7.2 of total acidity and 12.5% alcohol. If the non-vintage bottling was particularly terrific this year, so is this. Fresh for its age, lively and long on the finish, this has elegance but also power and complexity. It is both mouthwatering, thanks to the acidity, and nuanced. This is one of the best in a while. It should age gracefully, for at least a decade from disgorgement, if not more. There were just 8,000 bottles produced.