#5: What is your favorite vintage of Croft's VP?

[Roy Hersh]

I know things will probably change when the big Croft tasting takes place in MA. But for now at least, what is your single FAVORITE vintage of Croft's Vintage Port? It will be fun to come back to this particular thread in about 3 weeks, after many here get to try the full monty.

[Tom Archer]

There are several gaps in my drinking experiance of Croft, so it is hard to nominate a 'best' wine. My attempt to indulge a '27 last year was thwarted when the cork revealed it to be a T27.. :?

The older Crofts have a rather distinctive signature - an orange note, mid-palate, but I have not detected this on the '75.

That said, the '75 is one of the best wines of that much maligned vintage.

The '45 is a much lauded Croft vintage, but my own experience suggests that it's glory days are over (though still very respectable)

Croft blew their reputation when they declared a poor wine in '82, but the reportage of more recent vintages has been respectable - especially of the '91 - which I plan to explore sometime this year.

For some reason, they declared a Q. Roeda SQ in '97 instead of a regular Croft blend. To my mind this was a dumb move, as SQ's are perceived as being of less value in the market. Even if the wine had been entirely sourced from the one Quinta, it should have been marketed under the blend name (I am sure there have been many occasions when other top 'blends' were actually the product of a single quinta)

Tom

[Moses Botbol]

'91 is pretty darn good, still young be I think it should be epic one day; it's too young for me to give a best vintage port. '70 is a winner, as is '63... So far, maybe the '70 is the best Croft I have had.

[Roy Hersh]

Moses,

There you go again, picking those 1970s!




Tom,

Great post ... but it leaves me with one question: What is your favorite vintage of Croft's VP?

[Moses Botbol]

Moses,

There you go again, picking those 1970s!

I would've said 63, but that 70 magnum is so good we had on New Year's (after 2 bottles of port and champagne among the 3 of us...) It certainly left a good impression. I am sure I am leaving out a few 80's Croft and maybe a 70's vintage I forgot, but 70 seems to be a winner for every producer.

Curious to see how it stacks up to much older Crofts in a couple of weeks.

[Andy Velebil]

I can't recall ever having a really old bottle of Croft Vintage Port. So I will have to say 2003 VP.

I'm hoping that will change this year

[Tom Archer]

but it leaves me with one question: What is your favorite vintage of Croft's VP?

Of my encounters with old Croft, none have been bad, but neither has any one wine stood out ahead of the rest.

If I had to draw one bottle from my cellar to illustrate the shipper's work, I think it would be the '63.

Tom

[Al B.]

My limited experience with the Croft ports to date leaves me with just two clear candidates to choose from - the 2003 vintage or the 1945 vintage. I've had both of these twice and scored both at 96/100. The 1945's that I have had were both from stock that had been held in a cellar in the west country since purchase and neither showed to my taste as past their peak. Both were just stunning.

Having never had the chance to try the 1945 at just a few years of age, I have no idea what they were like in 1948 but I can imagine that the Croft 2003 is something like the 1945 would have been. It is just so full of fruit and vitality (and mature tannins) that it is going to take a long time to reach its plateau of secondary maturity but will be delicious when it does.

But, if I had an endless supply of all the vintages of Croft in my cellar and had to choose one that I would keep drinking then it would be the 1945. It is a fabulous wine.

Alex

[Roy Hersh]

Tom,

Thanks for your 1963 reply. A fine VP and I had one last month that had me pretty happy at the time. Well stored bottles are still very fine indeed.



Alex,

I made a similar comment when doing my 2003 report a few years ago re: the probable future comparison to 1945. Although I obviously never had the '45 Croft when it was young, I have had it enough times now (most recently in Dec. 2007) and of all bottles I have tried, only once was it not showing like something from the 1985 vintage. It has always blown me away with its youth and most often incredibly young coloration.

I love the 2003 and think it will be a stunning Port equal to the 1945 (as it shows today) at some point long after we are old or gone. However, the 2003 was really tasty last month when I had it again. Superb juice!

Tough choice but I would side with you and choose the 1945 as my all time favorite.

[Tom Archer]

Hmm - maybe I was a bit unlucky with the '45..!

I have a couple more in the cellar - will take them off the 'drink-up' list!

Tom

[Ronald Wortel]

My vote goes to the 1991. I've had it several times and every single time it was very impressive. I like it even better than the exceptional 2003.

[Roy Hersh]

I find it interesting that people seem to have less experience with this producer than any of our other four that have preceded Croft. I look forward to seeing this thread revisited in a few weeks, once the vertical in Boston takes place.

Ronnie wrote:

My vote goes to the 1991. I've had it several times and every single time it was very impressive. I like it even better than the exceptional 2003.

I have always been a big fan of 1991 and have been of the belief that it is amongst the all time greats of Croft. However in a recent vertical, I found the 2000 and 1994 tied for 2nd and 3rd, behind the 2003 and ahead of the 1991 (4th) of the top Croft's in the modern era. That does not mean that I could not be swayed if trying all those youngsters side by side in the future, but solely, that is how they showed for me at the tasting at Croft in December.

I certainly respect the 1991 Croft choice too, as it is an excellent VP.

[SEAN C.]

My favorite is the 1963 Croft with the '70 magnum I had recently in second place.. I have only had '63, '70,'75, '77, and 1985
Hopefully I can add a new favorite to the line up soon!