2024 Bosward Touriga

Touriga has a real name, Touriga Nacional. That’s just too much and too confusing for a grape variety that is so fundamental, particularly in its home of Portugal. When I say fundamental, I really mean diverse. Its modern history is founded in port wine production, well at least since the 1750’s. As port has recently become less fashionable the production of dry red wine has back filled the gap for Touriga. Some of the reds coming from the Douro region (home of Port) are simply compelling. Un-complicated and leaning on the natural attributes of this variety. None, if any actually leaves the country, that’s how good they are, both in quality and value.

As a grape Touriga, is about as tough as it gets, a genuine Droughtmaster variety, sinewy and charmingly thuggish. Most cool climate varieties like to be preened with canopy manipulation, viticultural lipstick and make up. The leathery leaves of Touriga don’t respond, won’t respond, with cute viticulture best kept at a distance. It’s a late ripening variety. Stays in the shadows of the Barossa shiraz tsunami, until its ready a full three weeks later. It’s not a prize heavy weight fighter. All is revealed with welter weight alcohols.

The 2024 season was excellent. Climatic shocks always determine the quality of a vintage, and when they are small or negligible they define the great years. The 2024 Touriga is a great definition of the variety. Dark and deep-set aromas of ripe plums, blackberries and mulberry cradle other aromas, sandalwood, and spices. The taste is smooth and medium bodied, with a richness that is light and deceiving in its fresh finish. Given its heritage with vintage port, it will go the distance. The intention though is to show its features now.

Alcohol 12.5%

"Medium-deep crimson. Seductive musky black cherry aromas with
liquorice notes. Well concentrated and smoothly textured with ample
musky black cherry, dark plum fruits, some salted liquorice notes.
Finishes juicy and long. Lovely. "

95 Points, The Vintage journal, Andrew Caillard MW. Aug 2025

"Touriga does a little dance, has a little fun, well, in Reid Bosward’s hands. It’s a slurpy, soft, red and black fruited, jolly, jubey, sweet-at-heart, spicy-at-core, medicinal and minerally red. A really good time. Thick in the palate, a little relaxed in its way, the spice elements stick around, clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, the finish a bit of pine needle and orange pith. It fits the bill, it really feels like the variety, it has high drinkability for a wonderfully sluggish red variety. And kudos for that."

93 Points, The Winefront, Mike Bennie. Aug 2025
Drink 2025-2032