Hello guys,
I know some of you will participate in a huge Croft tasting. It will be nice to read your TN and experience.
For the others, don't get impressed and choose a Port from The House of Croft and share with us your thoughts.
February 2008 VT : Get any Port from Croft
Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil
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Frederick Blais
- Posts: 2709
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
- Location: Porto, Portugal
February 2008 VT : Get any Port from Croft
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
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Bob Parsons Alberta
- Posts: 212
- Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:21 pm
- Location: Alberta, Alberta, Canada
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Frederick Blais
- Posts: 2709
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
- Location: Porto, Portugal
The selection of Port from Croft is very limited in Quebec, we have the 2003, 2000 and Roeda 97... and yes the 55!
So tonight I decided to open the 97 Roeda.
The bottle did leak a little, due to corking or bad cork? Anyhow it did not show any sign of flaws due to that.
The Color is deep ruby, small edges are starting to appear with lower tones but nothing significant. After 3 hours in the decanter, it is showing a intense and complex bouquet of flowers, ripe cherries, cassis with some tobbaco and chocolate in the background. On the palate, the wine is sharp, the acidity seems to be a common point for this Vintage. Bold entry with lots of young fruits, cherries, plums with a balance of licorice and aromatic herbs. The mid palates reveal dry tannins, very good concentration and a long finish on cherries and chocolate flavours. Well made!! 17.5/20+ Give this another 10 years and it will shine!
So tonight I decided to open the 97 Roeda.
The bottle did leak a little, due to corking or bad cork? Anyhow it did not show any sign of flaws due to that.
The Color is deep ruby, small edges are starting to appear with lower tones but nothing significant. After 3 hours in the decanter, it is showing a intense and complex bouquet of flowers, ripe cherries, cassis with some tobbaco and chocolate in the background. On the palate, the wine is sharp, the acidity seems to be a common point for this Vintage. Bold entry with lots of young fruits, cherries, plums with a balance of licorice and aromatic herbs. The mid palates reveal dry tannins, very good concentration and a long finish on cherries and chocolate flavours. Well made!! 17.5/20+ Give this another 10 years and it will shine!
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
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Frederick Blais
- Posts: 2709
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
- Location: Porto, Portugal
Croft 1977 vintage port
Decanted 5½ hours. Mid-red in colour, with the colour holding in to the rim. Strawberry syrup on the nose, sweet and fragrant. Sadly, the nose promises more than this port delivers in the mouth with a harsh tone on entry , with the sweetness not well balanced and a strange woody pine-sap flavour mixed in with the fruit that I found very off-putting. Too much alcohol shows on swallowing although this does give way to a sweet cranberry and coffee length. 1/1 or 87/100. Drunk 8/2/08.
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Andy Velebil
- Posts: 16626
- Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:49 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America - USA
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1985 Croft Vintage Port
1985 Croft Vintage Port
It was a basic ruby color with no real noticable fading. The nose was more evolved and consistant with a much older vintage Port. The palate was only medium in weight and very hot. It was simple, very lean, and hot on the finish as well. This seemed like a much older vintage where the fruit was mostly gone leaving a lot of alcohol behind. I'd put this on par with a weak ruby. If this bottle is representative, as this was the only time I've had this vintage, then I'd say avoid this one in the future. I was probably a bit generous with 84 points.
02/08/08
It was a basic ruby color with no real noticable fading. The nose was more evolved and consistant with a much older vintage Port. The palate was only medium in weight and very hot. It was simple, very lean, and hot on the finish as well. This seemed like a much older vintage where the fruit was mostly gone leaving a lot of alcohol behind. I'd put this on par with a weak ruby. If this bottle is representative, as this was the only time I've had this vintage, then I'd say avoid this one in the future. I was probably a bit generous with 84 points.
02/08/08
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Andy Velebil
- Posts: 16626
- Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:49 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America - USA
- Contact:
1977 Croft Vintage Port
1977 Croft Vintage Port
The color was a solid ruby with no signs of fading at the edge. The nose had some violets, which are typical in VP's as they gain that aged secondary characteristic. The nose also had some red fruit and white cherries on it. As Alex mentioned in his TN, the nose was quite alluring. The palate still had some tannins that were noticable and was balanced by good acidity. The lean bodied medium red fruit was marred by some heat, both on the palate and finish. I think this was decanted just over a couple of hours when I had it and I wonder if a longer decant would have helped some of that alcohol blow off. 90 points
02/08/08
The color was a solid ruby with no signs of fading at the edge. The nose had some violets, which are typical in VP's as they gain that aged secondary characteristic. The nose also had some red fruit and white cherries on it. As Alex mentioned in his TN, the nose was quite alluring. The palate still had some tannins that were noticable and was balanced by good acidity. The lean bodied medium red fruit was marred by some heat, both on the palate and finish. I think this was decanted just over a couple of hours when I had it and I wonder if a longer decant would have helped some of that alcohol blow off. 90 points
02/08/08
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Croft Quinta da Roeda 1995
Decanted 4 hours before this tasting note was taken. Decanted cleanly off a fair amount of very fine, intense purple sediment. Blueberries overwhelm on the nose with a very delicate lavender mixed in with the fruit. In the mouth the port is soft and delicate to start but develops a strong (overwhelming perhaps) acidic structure with great mid-palate complexity and all kinds of blackcurrants flavours coming through. The aftertaste is stunning, full of dark chocolate and bitter cherries and lasts and changes over a long time. This is probably the best bottle of the Roeda 1995 that I have had yet, this is good stuff. 4/5 on Uncle Tom's scale or 88/100 on the traditional 100 point scale. Drunk 24/2/08.
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John Danza
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2006 11:10 pm
- Location: Naperville, Illinois, United States of America - USA
Re: February 2008 VT : Get any Port from Croft
1985 Croft VP
Sorry to be late to the party on this. I have to agree 100% with Andy on this wine. The bottle I opened last week was near identical to his experience. Based on the cork, the bottle had been stored properly through its life, so I don't think it was a bad bottle. I think I paid $10 or $15 for this wine at an auction, and it's not worth a penny more.
All the best,
John
Sorry to be late to the party on this. I have to agree 100% with Andy on this wine. The bottle I opened last week was near identical to his experience. Based on the cork, the bottle had been stored properly through its life, so I don't think it was a bad bottle. I think I paid $10 or $15 for this wine at an auction, and it's not worth a penny more.
All the best,
John