Prats & Symington, Douro (Portugal) 2008

 This is one of three terrific wines from the Bordeaux-meets-Douro partnership of Prats & Symington, each of which over-delivers in a major way at its price point.  In this case, you’ll get lots of concentrated flavor braced by just a little oak, with fine-grained tannins that provide guts and definition in the finish without rendering it astringent.  Although it can be enjoyed now, this is a serious wine, as demonstrated by the fact that it tasted even better after being open for a full day, whereas most reds priced in the teens will have cracked up after 24 hours.