Of Course My First Offer Is From Portugal!
**Reserva Old Vines 2015 94 pts WA****&
Crasto Superior White 2015 92 pts WA**
Crasto: One of the most Popular & Important Portuguese Wine Producers
When I started to dream of starting my own wine business, it was long before I had ever had a great wine from Portugal. Since that time many, many years ago, I have grown as a person. Traveling and experiencing different cultures has shaped my wine knowledge and most importantly my palate. Since then, I have had many, many great wines from Portugal and could not think of any better way to start off my wine business than offering one of the all-time greats, Quinta do Crasto!
When you go out for dinner in Portugal, one of the most popular wine brands that I see at the dinner table is Quinta do Crasto. The Roquette family make some of the best and most important wines from Portugal. Located in the heart of the Douro Valley, the Cima Corgo, along the Douro River, Crasto rises from the river like a fortress with vineyards that reach even further up the mountains behind the Quinta. The name “Crasto” comes from the Romans which translates to a fortified place. I recently tasted them at the Quinta and they are outstanding wines. The red will age for 25 years easy, but will also drink well young if you prefer.
If you have questions, feel free to email me or call (917) 374-1184.
Mix & match across both wines for the deepest discount.
To order follow this link to the offer page and click the red “Order” button - PM/DM is not great but acceptable if timely.
https://mailchi.mp/a1d25af511e4/the-inaugural-offer-portugals-quinta-do-crasto
2015 Crasto Superior Branco (White) 92 pts WA
- Like a fine Puligny village wine, very Burgundy-like but true to the Douro
- Planted at 2,000 ft of altitude in mostly granite soils
- Field blend of TWO white grapes of Portugal: 60% Viosinho and 40% Verdelho
- Aged for 6 months in French oak barrels
- 50/50% New/Used, 15% with acacia heads
- Inert batonnage (no oxygen) see video below
- North and east facing vineyards to temper ripeness
- Vertical (vinha ao alto) & terraced (patamares) vines
My Tasting Note (on the 2016)
Light gold in color. In the nose we have loads of fresh and sweet orange and lemon citrus, and orange zest. A moderate presence of oak in the nose with a light touch of sweet vanilla, a slight nutty note of Marcona almond. The palate is medium bodied and very fresh, excellent tension from the med/med+ acidity, excellent acidity, long and fresh on the finish.
Mark Squires, Wine Advocate
The best Superior Branco yet, this has a big bite on the finish and a touch of oak up front. The fruit is tightly wound around a core of acidity. Its fresh feel is enlivening and it is solidly built as well. That means it has both the body to pull in the oak and the acidity to slice and dice it. It will show far better this time next year (right now - TK) and it should age well.
*$25
$23 on 4+ bottles
mix & match both wines for the best deal*
2015 Reserva Old Vines
‘Vinhas Velhas’ 94 pts
- One of the top red wines from the Douro every vintage
- Reminds me of a cross between a Classed Bordeaux and a Cornas from the Rhone (Syrah)
- Made from about 30 grape varieties, a field blend
- Made from vines averaging 70+ years of age
- From 42 small estate vineyards of the patrimony of Crasto
- grapes destemmed and slightly crushed, fermented in steel
- 18 months in 85% French oak & 15% American, 65% new
My Tasting Note:
Light gold in color. A subtle touch of oak, with a fresh salinity of tropical and citrus fruit. Tightly wound right now, this is incredibly fresh and light on its feet for the purity and clean. In my experience newly opened bottles tend to need 30 minutes and served not too cold. Less new oak has worked well for newer vintages of Guru as it adds more elements of complexity and dimension to add to the already beautiful profile.
Mark Squires, Wine Advocate
The 2015 Reserva Old Vines is a field blend (average age: 70 years). This may not be the biggest or most powerful or deepest Old Vines, but it will certainly be considered one of the best. Like the Crasto Superior this issue, it has all the hallmarks of the 2015 vintage—elegance, freshness and big, vivid fruit flavor. Here too, and as with most 2015s, the fruit is never jammy but always well-defined by acidity. This then adds a layer of concentration and a caressing texture as well. This is a beauty that will be approachable young, but it will hold well—20 years should not be a problem, while more is easily possible.
$38
$35 on 4+ bottles*
*mix & match both wines for the best deal
For the Douro Superior white wine, this video shows the process of how barrels are stored in a rack system with rollers which enables barrels to be rotated to stir the fine lees without the introduction of oxygen. Stirring the lees is also known as batonnage which imparts more complexity of flavor, aroma and texture when done right. Burgundy is the place where this process was perfected.
Quinta do Crasto & the Roquette Family
The earliest records mentioning Quinta do Crasto and its wine production date back to 1615. It received the highest vineyard classification of the time (Feitoria status), together with the other noteworthy estates of the Douro Valley. Between 1758 and 1761, the Marquis of Pombal ordered the installation of 335 granite markers to delineate the first ever Demarcated Region in the world. One of these stone pillars, or “marcos pombalinos” in Portuguese, dates back to 1758 and can still be seen today at the Quinta do Crasto nearby the century-old farmhouse.
Located in a prime spot in the Douro Demarcated Region in Northern Portugal, Quinta do Crasto has been in the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for more than a century. Like all the other great Douro estates, Quinta do Crasto dates far back into ancient times. The name Crasto comes from the Latin castrum meaning “Roman fort”.
In 1981, Leonor Roquette, daughter of Fernando Moreira d’Almeida, together with her husband Jorge Roquette, took over majority ownership as well as the management of the estate. With their sons Miguel and Tomás, they began the process of renovating and extending the vineyards. They also began producing the Douro DOC wines that Quinta do Crasto is now famous for domestically and abroad. They are, thus, the fourth generation of the family to manage this emblematic estate.
If you have questions, feel free to email me or call (917) 374-1184. DM is OK, but less direct to get a hold of me!
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To order follow this link to the offer page and click the red “Order” button - PM/DM is not great but acceptable if timely.
https://mailchi.mp/a1d25af511e4/the-inaugural-offer-portugals-quinta-do-crasto
