2011 Croft
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Tasting notes
Bright medium ruby. Slightly reduced, spirity aromas of kirsch , blackberry, boysenberry, licorice pastille and mint, plus a suggestion of nutty oak. Densely packed and quite sweet, but the slightly disjointed black fruit flavors are tough going today; this struck me as more like a ruby port. Quite closed and tannic on the back end, in need of patience to display its personality. Many other critics rated this wine considerably higher than I did.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Croft is initially taciturn on the nose, even after allowing it 20 minutes in my glass. A light swirling immediately awakens the aromatics to offer blackberry, Seville orange marmalade, blueberries and dried fig – complex and quite compelling. There is real mineralite within this bouquet that, returning after 30 minutes, offers alluring ocean spray scents rolling in off the ocean. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety-smooth opening that belies the fine, structured tannins underneath. It clams up a little towards the finish, shuts the lid tight and consequently there is the sensation of less persistency here compared to the Taylor’s or Fonseca. But Croft has a knack of filling out with bottle age and becomes both gentle and generous with the passing years. Tasted May 2013. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7700
Not one of the deepest colours. Rather smudgy, indistinct nose. Something a bit vegy/herby about this wine. More open than most. Almost as though it is made to sit under the Fonseca and Taylor from this stable. Agreeable but not the most ambitious. Slightly sudden dry finish. Just a tad spindly. (JR)
The 2011 Croft is initially taciturn on the nose, even after allowing it 20 minutes in my glass. A light swirling immediately awakens the aromatics to offer blackberry, Seville orange marmalade, blueberries and dried fig – complex and quite compelling. There is real mineralite within this bouquet that, returning after 30 minutes, offers alluring ocean spray scents rolling in off the ocean. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety-smooth opening that belies the fine, structured tannins underneath. It clams up a little towards the finish, shuts the lid tight and consequently there is the sensation of less persistency here compared to the Taylor’s or Fonseca. But Croft has a knack of filling out with bottle age and becomes both gentle and generous with the passing years. Tasted May 2013. eRobertParker.com.June, 2013