Mark Squires 94 points!
Mark Squires 94 points!
"The 2004 "Reserva Old Vines" is an unfiltered field blend from 70-year-old vines, raised in a mixture of French and American oak barrels. Intense on the attack, with fine depth, this beautifully constructed wine projects flavor with focus. It has good concentration, and a lingering finish, with some grip provided by the tannins that sneak up on you. The longer it is open, the more apparent the structure becomes. When I was at Quinta do Crasto, tasting this bottling next to the $125 "Ponte" also reviewed here, I said to co-owner Miguel Roquette that this was the sweet spot in the Crasto lineup " not quite as good as the Ponte, perhaps, but very distinguished, not too far off, and a way better value. He said he had just finished saying more or less the same thing in Portuguese to someone else. I suspect, though, that I liked this even more than he does. Let me go out on what I think is a very sturdy limb " this winery's ageworthy, complex and concentrated Old Vines Reserve is, from year-to-year, simply one of the best and most consistent wines that you can get for reasonable money in the Douro. The 2004 is a very young wine, of course, rather tight and closed, going through multiple stages at the moment. It was fun watching it wake up and expand in the glass after four hours of decanting, which finally allowed the structure to show, and the wine to flesh out. This winery is not aiming to be a value producer, but if you are looking for value in this lineup, this is probably the biggest intersection between high quality and reasonable price (although that 2003 Tinto is no slouch!). As between this and the very fine 2003 Reserva, a great one-two punch, I'd give the nod to the 2004 for its impeccable balance, but admittedly the young 2004 is a little more mysterious today and has some things still to prove. If you prefer the sexpot 2003, I won't hold it against you. Note: In terms of my predictions of aging capability, there is actually some track record here. I had a nice vertical lineup of the Old Vines Reservas going back to 1994 presented to me, and every one was alive and delicious. As they aged they became very Bordeaux-like, by the way. Stick one in a blind tasting for fun. I'd say winemaking at the estate is even better now. There were approximately 6,000 cases produced. Drink 2009-2019."
Mark Squires, Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007).
Country:
Portugal
Region:
Portugal
Variety:
Wine Red - Other
Size:
750mL
