2009 Quinta do Crasto Tinto Reserva Old Vines
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Tasting notes
Winemaker: Dominic Morris & Manuel Lobo. Grape varieties: 25% Touriga Nacional, 25% Touriga Franca, 25% Tinta Barroca, 25% Tinta Roriz. RS 2.3 g/l. Grapes are hand picked and transported to the winery in small plastic crates. Prior to destemming they pass through a conveyor belt in order to carefully select the best quality fruit for fermentation. The fermentation is carried out in open plunging tanks along with a number of specially designed fermentation vessels which enhance the mouth feel of the wine. Near completion of primary fermentation the skins are pressed with a basket press in order to extract soft tannins from the skins with all pressing combined with the free run. The oak is hitting me on this one too. Just a bit too tarty though certainly it expresses Douro fruit underneath the make-up. (JR)
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Old-vine field blend of 25-30 varieties. Dark black cherry colour. Basket pressed. 16 months in French barriques. Damsons and blueberries on the nose and oak spice. Richly flavoured but surprisingly elegant on the palate. Old-vine syndrome. Juicy and almost a red-fruited sweetness on the palate but also finishes fresh. (JH)
70-year-old field blend. 16 months in French and American oak. Dark ruby. Restrained and dusty on the nose, dark fruit. Juicy and super-smooth but finishes a little too sweet-tasting for my palate, with the oak the strongest aftertaste. Although it is well structured, there's lots of easy pleasure and the lightweight concentration of old vines. (JH)
The 2009 Reserva “Old Vines” is a Douro stalwart that has crept up in price over the last several years, but in fairness – it was cheaper in the USA than in Portugal for the most part and it competes well with Crasto’s higher priced entrants in most years. So, too, this year. Once again, I look at this and it seems equal or superior to more expensive wines, particularly including Crasto’s. So, it’s hard to complain. Powerful, focused and intense, this is ripe and delicious, but it has the structure to support the fruit and oak and some pretty good acidity. If you like them sexy, sweet and rich, this qualifies. If you like them elegant in the mid-palate and structured, it does that, too. It did calm down with air, even if it is burlier than usual, certainly a very different wine than the more compact, elegant, but utterly charming 2008 that I loved. While not as big on the “wow” factor as some of the so-called upper level wines, it’s probably Crasto’s best and best balanced upper level wine this year, not completely immune to impressions of alcohol, but handling it very well and combining a lot of virtues successfully. This is not really in a great place now – two to three years in the cellar could help a lot. Drink 2014-2023. Crasto is one of the Douro’s most prominent estates, typically one of its leaders. With a beautiful Quinta and view – easier to get to by boat, more interesting to get to by car – it justly attracts a lot of attention. The releases this year, 2009s, have plenty to offer, but I was not entirely convinced by all of the upper level wines. Perhaps time will tell another story as they calm down and settle down. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, Ca.; (415) 931-1725.