I tasted this at varying times over the past three days. This started out dark purple and by day 3 was solid opaque. Initially lots of tobacco leaf, boysenberry, and some chocolate on the nose that gave way to a large amount of seductive lavender and blackberries by day 3. The one thing that remained consistent was the massive chalky tannins that completely dried out the palate and a solid dose of acidity. I will say this wasn’t pleasant to drink on day one, but not in a bad way. It was just so youthful, primary, and raw that it was a chore to taste…always a good sign for a VP! The one other thing that was consistent throughout was the full, complex, and long finish. It just hung on the palate and throat and seemed to never end. However, the fruit did get a little tight at the end of day 2 / beginning of day 3, not bad mind you, just a sign of a solid bottle going through some youthful fazes. I’m glad to see Croft getting back in the game after a long dry spell (1991 and 2003 excluded). I look forward to tasting more from this house in years to come as I think The Fladgate Partnership, and winemaker David Guimaraens, is finally getting this house back on track.
95 points
I thought this was great. The fruit is still primary in expression but on the tight side. The even level palate was a nice surprise for such a young Port.
I somehow missed tasting this one on release and this was the first time I got to evaluate it. This is a rock star for sure and shows that even Single Quinta VP’s can be just as good as their VP counterparts in “non-declared” years. And these SQVP’s from the large producers are usually lower in price than “declared” VP, a win for the consumer.