DAC Dao Red / 750mL #26 of Top 100 Wines 2024

Alvaro Castro and his daughter, Maria, create a playful range of wines from their vineyards at the base of the Serra da Estrela. Yet their humble DAC (short for Dao Alvaro Castro) is consistently among the best, and among the best red wine buys in Portugal. Their 2019 is a blend of touriga nacional and tinta roriz (both 30 percent) with jaen and alfrocheiro. It has the taste of wild blueberries, all skin and little fruit, then the finish races with scents of cracked green peppercorn, black currants and thyme. An elegant and resoundingly cool mountain red, this has a seductive texture on the finish that combines fruit and a dopamine-receptive touch of tannins, the spiciness seeming to last for minutes. What Dao should be. 94 Points Wine & Spirits