2003 Croft

Chocolate, walnut and ripe berry aromas, with some figs and plums showing the heat of the vintage. Full-bodied and very sweet with dried fruits and a softness and lusciousness. Shows the unique character of base of the blend, Quinta do Roeda. Drinking beautifully now but can improve with age. Just starting to open.

The 2003 Vintage Port is a field blend bottled in 2005 after 21 months in wood. It comes in with 85 grams of residual sugar. Although an oldie, this is about to be rereleased. Gorgeous, this obviously once had bold and upfront fruit. It still does to some extent, but now you get more nuance and maturity and a big hit of complexity. That's not to say this is too old. In fact, it is rather youthful in many respects, with a couple of decades of life left. There sure is no rush to consume it, and it may do even better than indicated. In the meanwhile, you get something with some maturity and complexity at a very nice price. This is a great deal.

Dark ruby. A little muddy on the (not very intense) nose. Very sweet palate entry and a bit of pruney, slightly overripe fruit on the palate. Fairly loose structure but you wouldn’t turn it away! Brûlée and a bit hot on the end. (JR)