Brett happens

Vinho Regional Alentejano 2011, Terra Plana, Monte da Cal ($16.55, 11469795)
A blend of Trincadeira (aka Tinta Amarela, 40%), Alfrocheiro (30%), Aragonêz (aka Tempranillo, 20%) and Alicante Bouschet (10%). The grapes are crushed and destemmed, then fermented with selected yeasts in small, temperature-controlled (24-26ºC) stainless steel vats. Matured six months in French oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 4.9 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Société de Vins Fins.
Savoury nose of pencil shavings, old leather and turned earth with distant dried herbs. What there isn’t much of is fruit (blackberry? black plum?). The warm room-temperature bottle was popped and poured and the first sip did not impress. Middleweight. Clean. More savoury and minerally than fruity, with keen acidity, fine tannins and no great depth. The finish is lightly astringent and very dry. After 20 minutes in a carafe and nearly as long in the fridge, the wine showed better: fruitier, suppler, rounder and more integrated, with an appealing set of flavours on entry. Still, the fruit quickly fades and there’s not much else to hold the attention. A decent enough barbecue or pizza wine that ought to be a few dollars cheaper. (Buy again? Maybe.)