Claudia’s Reserve White

The 2019 Claudia’s Branco Reserve is a blend of 33% Viosinho, 23% Fernão Pires, 17% each of Rabigato and Gouveio and the rest Arinto, all aged for eight months in an equal mixture of one-third new French and Hungarian oak. It comes in at 13.3% alcohol. Elegant and fresh, this still has surprising persistence on the very respectable finish. It handles the new wood pretty well, and that should continue to get better. It is not the most concentrated Reserve, but it doesn’t feel thin, and it coats the mouth nicely. Overall, this is lovely, and its structure suggests that there is some room for improvement over the next couple of years. It does need to prove it can hold and develop a little to justify my enthusiasm, but it’s worth leaning up for the moment. June 2021.