Last night I opened my next to last bottle of 2007 Quinta do Crasto Douro White which was better than any I've had so far. In the early days of this wine, it was crisp and steely. Now it has evolved and is more creamy in texture and has less of a citrusy essence than before. I really like the way this has developed.
We also had a 2000 Quinta do Portal Grande Reserva - which was a beautfully mature and complex red wine. It shows not only richness, but dark, smoky, charred notes and tart black fruits. Really lovely and more of a food wine than a sipper at this point, but a really expressive, wine that only will drink well for another three or four years.
The third bottle of Douro wine that we enjoyed was a 2007 Quinta do Vallado, Touriga Nacional which was a crowd pleaser. It is still a bit young for my liking but so filled with boisterous, primary fruit and it provides a great insight into the quality of the this grape. Four or five more years of bottle age will bring this puppy to the place where I find Touriga Nacional most interesting. Fun young, they gain so much depth of character with about 8-10 years of bottle age. This one will reward patience and I'll wait until 2012, to try another from my stash.
We finished with a 1983 Graham's VP which is in a perfect place given its 28 years of age. Even my daughter loved this one!
Several Douro Wines
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Several Douro Wines
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