Quinta Do Crasto

 

Visiting Quinta do Crasto, Portugal’s leading table wine producer IMHO, first requires a hair raising drive up the Douro mountains. But you are rewarded not only with amazing views, a look at its world famous Maria Teresa vineyard (above), but also a memorable tasting. The Maria Teresa vineyard, over 100 years old, is always voted as one of the world’s top 10 vineyards and the single vineyard wine certainly made the reputation of Crasto. When I visited 6-7 years ago, Manuel Lobo, the winemaker, described a project to identify the different grape varieties of this field blend. He estimated about 35. When I met him now, he mentioned they are up to 54 varieties - astonishing and pretty unique. The care for this vineyard is such that if vines die, and the variety is not known, they replant with the major varieties mix, in order to maintain the profile of this vineyard. It is an amazing story, but not the only one. Total production of table wines has grown dramatically to 1.8 million bottles. Let us taste some.

We start with two whites. The 2021 Douro is an entry level wine. It comes from grapes grown at 600m altitude on granite soils, and it sees no oak. The wine is fresh, with good line, citrus and melon flavours, refreshing acidity, good energy, and a saline and mineral finish. This is an entry level wine? (91 points).  The 2020 Superior White comes from a similar vineyard, but in contrast, has been matured for 8 months in barrique, 50% new of light toast. The other feature is the batonage, in a racking system of barrels, which allows each barrel to turn individually. It also avoids any oxygen contact. This wine is also fresh, and impresses with its fine texture (93 points).

Now to the reds, which is the winery's main focus. The 2019 Superior, from a good year, comes from the Upper Douro, not far from the Spanish border. The main varieties in this blend are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Souzao. The wine is matured in oak for 12 months, 35% new. Red plum is the main flavour. The wine has firm tannins and will require a bit more time to fully settle (90 points). The 2020 Reserva has an incredibly black colour. It comes from old 50-100 year old vineyards, 42 blocks in total. Each individual block is a field blend - amazing. The wine is matured in 60% new oak, but the oak is not obvious. The wine is concentrated and powerful, but elegant as well, with a long lasting mouthfeel (95 points).

The final two reds in this tasting are single variety wines, which is not often found in the Douro. The 2018 Touriga Franca comes from 40 year old vines, and is matured in 85% new oak. Despite this, it is a lighter wine, but with some bite. It is fresh, red fruited, and with some spice (93 points). The 2017 Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo in Spain) is also matured for 18 months in 85% new oak. It has a darker colour and is a bigger wine. The palate is quite complex with red and black fruits, dark mocca, and olive flavours (95 points). 

Overall, this tasting has been impressive. Manuel Lobo has been the winemaker for 18 years now. He has assembled an incredible portfolio of vineyard sources. The oak treatment is smart, and all the wines are of a high standard.

Niepoort

 Niepoort, a family business in its 6th generation, is an important winery in Portugal. When I visited here 6-7 years ago, I was impressed with the white wines. In a country which started from Port, then moved to serious red table wines, this was different. Dirk Niepoort, the 5th generation winemaker, has influenced many younger winemakers in Portugal. It all stemmed from his broad-based experience in wine. I am showing here one of his three wine cellars.

Since my first visit the range has expanded enormously, and I was looking forward to tasting some exciting wines from the six regions Niepoort operates in. The main winery is based in Douro, but the philosophy is almost an antithesis of typical Douro wines: Niepoort wines are fresh and low alcohol. What was unfortunate was that I got caught up in the increasing wine tourism trend: I was offered more entry level wines.

The Agua Viva Champagne, made in the traditional method, was quite agreeable. Quite fresh, but some toast on the back palate, and plenty of mousse. 

The 2021 Dialogois a field blend from a number of Douro vineyards, is fermented in stainless steel. This is a very light wine, with citrus and green apple flavours, and vivid acidity at 11% alcohol - an easy drinking, quite simple, but well made wine (86 points). The 2021 Redoma is sourced similarly, but from 60 year old vines. The wine is matured in French barriques for six months, 10% new. This has added some toastiness and complexity to the more intense fruit. Alcohol is 11% again (91 points).

The first red is the 2020 Lagar de Baixo. It comes from the Bairrada region, near the ocean, and is made from the Bara grape. This variety is lighter in character than the typical Douro grapes. The wine has been aged in Foudre for 18 months. The wine is quite transparent, the fruit not intense - an open, easy drinking and approachable style (88 points). The 2020 Batuta was the best wine in the line-up. It comes from two vineyards in the Douro, one high up, one near the river, to blend intensity and freshness. The wine is a blend of eight or nine varieties (who knows?). It is fermented in steel, and after a staggering 80 days of maceration moved to oak barrels for 22 months. Despite this, the wine is fresh and elegant, and the blue fruit flavours attractive (93 points).

I would have liked to taste more of the Niepoort range. Alas, it was not to be.

Wine & Soul

 My final stop in Europe is the Douro Valley. I have very fond memories of this region from a visit 6-7 years ago. This time, I will only visit the four wineries which impressed me most at the time. Today, the first stop is at Wine & Soul. This was a very small, high quality operation at the time. It is still a family business, but it has gone from strength to strength and produces 120,000 bottles per annum now.

The passion of the winemaking couple is old vines. The original vineyard, owned for a bit over 20 years now, is called Pintas, and their field blend from 95 year old wines made the business famous. Then it had the chance to acquire an even older vineyard, with vines 135 years old, some eight years ago, I think.

The first wines of the tasting were from much younger fruit, of course. The 2022 Manoella White is a blend of three varieties, with Rabigato being the major one. This is a crisp wine, a little fruity, with citrus and stone fruit flavours. There is some complexity in this summer wine, but the finish is a little short (90 points). The Manoella Rosé is based on the national grape, Touriga Nacional. The colour is very pale, it is fashioned along Provencal Rosé. I found the wine quite tight, and lacking in flavour (87 points).

Then came two mid level wines. The 2021 Manoella Red is based on four varieties, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca being the major components. The vines for this wine are young, and it shows. The wine is quite fruity and a bit blocky (88 points). The 2021 Pintas Character Red is a big step up. This is a field blend from the famous vineyard, I suppose declassified from the flagship. The wine is matured in old barrels for 18 months. The wine is blue and black fruited, with more depth and more elegance. The wine has good length, but is a bit rough and angular on the finish (92 points).

The 2020 Manoella VV (vielle vignes) is a terrific wine. Only 3000 bottles are made from the oldest vines of this vineyard, including over 30 varieties. The soil of this vineyard, mainly clay based, is quite fertile, and this is reflected in the glass. This wine, red fruited, is super elegant and feminine, with silky tannins, and a fine grained, long finish (96 points).

The 2020 Pintas from a vineyard only a few hundred meters away, is quite a contrast. The soil of this vineyard is quite poor and rocky. The vines struggle more. Again, this is a field blend from over 30 varieties, from vines 95 years old. The wine has been matured in barrique for 18 months, 15% new. This is a firmer, more masculine wine, red and black fruited. The tannins are strong, and the finish is long. This wine will need more time to completely integrate, but the structure of this wine promises a long life (95 points). 

Quinta Do Crasto Vinha Da Ponte - A Unique Wine

 Quinta do Crasto is among the best, if not the best Portuguese winery. The Vinha da Ponte wine will be legendary over time and is unique for a couple of reasons. The first is the vineyard. It is situated on the steep slopes of the Douro Valley in schisty soil. There are probably over 30 varieties in this very low yielding, terraced vineyard of more than 100 year old vines. The best known are Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tempranillo, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Dao. There are some white varieties here as well. All is put together in a true field blend.

The second is the winemaking. As I understand it, the grapes are picked at the same time. Some may have an alcohol level of 16%, some of 11%. Obviously, most will be around the 14% mark. The grapes are then foot trodden in traditional lagares. After fermentation, the wine is matured for 20 months in new French oak barrels. This wine is only made in exceptional years, seven times this century so far.

I am drinking the 2015 Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte. I managed to get two bottles to Australia, with great difficulty. The bouquet has lifted aromatics. I smell red and blue forest berries on the nose.

The flavours of this full-bodied wine are unusual. It is very blue fruited. There are red berries as well and some spice. I decanted the wine, as suggested on the back label, but the wine still felt very young with a lot of energy. It was a warm vintage, but the acidity in this wine is high - maybe because some varieties are harvested early for them. Tannins have medium intensity. The oak is smartly integrated and hides behind the strong fruit, which carries through to the long finish.

This is quite a unique wine with a lot of personality. I also have two bottles of the sister wine, the Maria Teresa, but based on this experience, I will leave them in the cellar a little longer.

Score: 96/+++