2017 | Quinta do Crasto | Vinha Maria Teresa

Red Wine: 2017 | Quinta do Crasto | Vinha Maria Teresa

This wine comes from a single vineyard of old, field-blend vines. Named after the granddaughter of the estate’s founder, the wine offers rich tannins, tamed by black-currant fruits and acidity. Still developing and young, the wine has a great future.

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Producer: Quinta do Crasto

Ratings: WA | 96 JS | 94

Vintage: 2017

Size: 750ml

ABV: 14.5%

Varietal: Portuguese Red Blend

Country/Region: Portugal, Douro

This wine comes from a single vineyard of old, field-blend vines. Named after the granddaughter of the estate’s founder, the wine offers rich tannins, tamed by black-currant fruits and acidity. Still developing and young, the wine has a great future.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2017 Vinha Maria Teresa, a field blend from centenarian vines, was aged for 20 months in new oak (90% French, 10% American). It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. The final blend comes from the best-performing barrels. This was only in bottle about a month when tasted. This doesn’t quite have the power of the Tinta Roriz, but it is only a small step behind. Yet the power is beautifully controlled. It never seems too astringent, even if burly at times. Of course, Maria Teresa always has beautiful structure. The key to this bottling is typically its personality, its lively fruit, its aromatics. The fruit this year is beautiful, delicious, very ripe and lingering on the gripping finish. It has focus and potential, but it certainly needs a lot of time. Could it be a little livelier and more lifted? Maybe. It might be a bit darker in flavor this year, more nuanced with plums, which became more obvious as it opened when retasted the next day. But I suspect most will like this just the way it is because it is awfully delicious. The next day it was still gripping and very long on the finish. It is on track to be another great Maria Teresa, the only question being how great. For that, we will need a little cellar time. Although it may well wind up approachable earlier, you’d be advised not to waste this small-production wine; give it a few years of rest, at least. Then, it should be a 30-year wine, more or less. That’s something we’ll have to check on as time goes on. There were just 6,555 bottles produced, plus some large-format bottles.

• James Suckling: This serious red shows a depth of flavor, with steeped black cherry, red plum reduction, vivid wild herb and mineral notes underscored with woodsy spice, anise and violet notes. Refined, with deep complexity and concentration.

Producer Information

Quinta do Crasto is a well-regarded estate in the Douro region founded in 1615, although it is sometimes viewed as something of a newcomer. This is due to a change in Portuguese wine law which allowed single quintas to bottle and export wine. Following this, Quinta do Crasto has been producing Port and table wine under its own label since 1994. The portfolio includes LBV and Vintage Port, plus a range of table wines under the Quinta do Crasto and Crasto labels. The estate has 70 hectares (175 acres) of south-facing terraced vineyards located in the heart of the Cima Corgo. These are carved into the schist bedrock on the hills above the Douro river, reaching altitudes of around 2000ft (600m) above sea level. The vineyard terraces are planted to a host of classic Port varieties, in traditional mixed plantings. The winemaking at Quinta do Crasto combines traditional foot-treading lagares with state-of-the-art temperature-controlled equipment. As well as the quinta itself, the company also has offices in downtown Porto.