The opulence and simplicity of a Croft Vintage Port
The producer
Founded in 1588, Croft is one of the oldest and most prestigious Port Houses. Croft has earned its reputation due to its outstanding Tawny and Vintage Ports as well as its diverse range of Old Port. For over 400 years, this estate has passed down both excellent craftmanship and style from generation to generation. A pioneer at heart, the Croft House has also established itself due to its various innovative and bold creations.
The vineyard
Quinta da Roeda Vintage Port comes from the Quinta da Roêda: a large expanse of terraced vineyards on the north bank of the Douro River in Portugal. The estate's very old vines are rooted on slopes above the village of Pinhão.
The wine
Presented as a Classic Vintage, the 2016 Croft Vintage Port is one of the historic Port trading house’s iconic products.
The vintage
Despite a hot summer, the temperatures in 2016 enabled the grapes to reach both optimal and even maturity, resulting in berries that were perfectly healthy and presented a great aromatic expression. The musts suggesting a great finesse with regards to the tannins.
The blend
Port Blend.
The tasting
Nose
The aromatic palette reveals the richness of delicious, jammy strawberry and blackcurrant notes, while aeration reveals grassy notes reminding us of the signature fragrance of Quinta da Roêda’s old vines.
Palate
Elegantly classic in style, Croft Vintage Port 2016 is defined by its opulent aromatic expression, exuding the perfect balance of pure fruit. Bursting with flavour, the palate opens with notes of red berries, evolving towards a tannic framework whose fine, tightly packed grains provide structure and volume. A great Vintage Port.
The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend originally seen about a week before bottling. It comes in with 104 grams of residual sugar. Not a lot has changed except that it seems even more approachable and much better balanced now. It also seems drier than its statistics would suggest. Tight and intense on first taste, this comes around relatively well with a couple of hours of air on the first day tasted, but it isn't expressive until a couple of days later. The initial firmness moderates to some extent, showcasing a relatively approachable young Port. (That doesn't mean it is ready or close to it.) The concentration seems good enough now, so that the hints of alcohol that I saw in June--and again this time around when this was in its first 90 minutes of aeration--seem under much better control. The balance is just more appealing. It shows beautifully with a couple of days of air. As with all Ports of any quality, this could use some time. This is gripping, but it won't sear your mouth with tannins. You are going to have to cellar it awhile to allow it to acquire more complexity and more harmony, though. This is showing more promise than ever.