Multi: 2003 Vintage Port Tasting (Taylor, Graham, Ferreira, Crasto)

[Kurt Wieneke]

I attended a small port tasting today which showcased some of the 2003 Vintage Ports. The Graham's is to die for. . .

2003 Taylor's - Dark and brooding, with substantial tannin frame and a long satisfying finish. 91+ pts

2003 Graham's - A jaw-dropping port with a great nose of briar and licorice. Incredible depth. Great mouthfeel. 95 pts

2003 Ferriera - Very fine and polished. Grace notes of vanilla and caramel. 90 pts

2003 Quinta do Crasto - Stinky rotten veggie nose. Spiky tannins. Stay away.

[Derek T.]

Kurt,

Do you think the Crasto was just a bad bottle?

Derek

[Andy Velebil]

Do you think the Crasto was just a bad bottle?

Kurt,
That would be my question. I've had the '03 Crasto (and so has Derek) and I thought it was a decent VP. I would guess you had a bad bottle. Try it again some time and see if you change your mind.

[Kurt Wieneke]

The first bottle had been open quite awhile, and it showed OK, but certainly not up to the level of the Ferriera beside it. The second bottle was pop and pour, and this had some stink and VA on the nose.

I suppose the second bottle was flawed in some way with the off nose. Based on the first bottle, I would still definitely rate the Crasto 4th behind the other company.

[Roy Hersh]

2003 Quinta do Crasto - Stinky rotten veggie nose. Spiky tannins. Stay away.

Advice like this on CLEARLY flawed bottles, does a disservice to the CRASTO reputation (and sales!) and to VP in general. I've had four or five examples of the 2003 VP by Q d Crasto and only had one with a flaw (TCA) ... but I certainly would not bash the wine because of one bad bottle.

[Tom Archer]

I wonder why Ferriera only seem to market their VP in North America now..

Tom

[Roy Hersh]

Tom,

Why not post this question in its own seperate thread? By doing so, you may just find some intriguing answers that way. 8)