Quinta Do Crasto Reserva Old Vines Douro 2009

John M. · Post by **John M.** » Wed May 02, 2012 12:59 pm

on www.wtso.com

Hi Subscriber,
Today we are offering Quinta Do Crasto
Reserva Old Vines
Douro 2009
94 WE!
originally priced at $55.00 and available now for only $29.99.
Ground shipping is free with your purchase of 3 bottle(s).

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Wed May 02, 2012 1:55 pm

Thanks picked a few up

Brian C. · Post by **Brian C.** » Wed May 02, 2012 5:15 pm

I wasn't out for long and that offer came and went while I was away. This is $40 at Binny's. Well done.

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Wed May 02, 2012 7:16 pm

I already owned some of these, so I cracked one when I got home tonight. Here's my TASTING NOTE

Brian C. · Post by **Brian C.** » Wed May 02, 2012 8:21 pm

Great note, Andy. My only concern about this one is the ABV level of 14.5%. If it was lower, do you think you would have given this a higher score? I've had some stuff that I like at such levels, but it doesn't seem to happen as often for me. I just wonder how often it's warranted to go to that level or higher. With Douro wines, is it a necessity like it is with Amarones or CdP's or Priorats?

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Thu May 03, 2012 7:18 am

Brian C. wrote:Great note, Andy. My only concern about this one is the ABV level of 14.5%. If it was lower, do you think you would have given this a higher score? I've had some stuff that I like at such levels, but it doesn't seem to happen as often for me. I just wonder how often it's warranted to go to that level or higher. With Douro wines, is it a necessity like it is with Amarones or CdP's or Priorats?

No the ABV in this had no play on my overall score. In my experience it's pretty hard to get Douro reds into the 12-13% range without being under ripe or coming off as tasting thin and lacking body. The viticulture and environmental aspects of the middle and upper Douro tend to naturally produce reds in the 14-15% range. I've generally not found this 14-15% ABV to be an issue so far. The wines are generally well balanced and I suspect the minerality and generally good acidity levels have helped in tempering it.

Of course, there is always the caveat that the Douro is a huge place with wildly different growing areas. So a red made in the far western part of the lower Douro will probably be lower in ABV than a Douro from the far eastern part of the Upper Douro. The climates are very different during the year between these regions. Not to mention altitude playing a part as well.

So don't look at the ABV and walk away thinking they are making jammy wines with higher ABV. That is not the case at all. This is just more their normal range.

Brian C. · Post by **Brian C.** » Thu May 03, 2012 9:02 am

Good points, Andy. From my more uninitiated perspective, it can be hard to remember that the Douro is not some monolithic region. Some regions have been dissected to death, down to location within a single vineyard, like Burgundy, but there's not much written about all the subtle differences that exist within the regions and subregions of Portugal. I'd think the delineations within a region would good thing for the marketers to include, anyway.

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Thu May 03, 2012 5:16 pm

Actually there have been books on that very topic!

$29.99 is a very good price and had I not purchased a few cases early on of the 2009's (across the board w/ the Reserva and all others too from Crasto) this would have been a "buy all you can grab" kind of deal. Congrats to those who scored these. Feel no compunction to open these anytime soon. They will be long lived, due to the fact that nearly all of the Vinha da Ponte vineyard's production was declassified and blended into the Reserva in 2009.

Reading Andy's TN is almost like a mirror image of mine from a few months back.

Decanted for 5 hours, 14.5% alc by volume. This wine carries the alcohol well and also the oak, which is obvious and still requires time to integrate, yet is unobtrusive at this point in time. Dark brooding scents of black fruits, pure essence of vanilla and mocha. Absolutely gorgeous and concentrated blackcurrant and boysenberry fruit with overt oak that is more integrated at this point than many previous versions of this old viney stuff. There's a rich and soft mouthfeel, plenty of acidity and fine grained tannins here to provide the focus and stellar balance. Hold onto your bottles for another two years when this will have even greater symmetry, although it can certainly be enjoyed now, especially as an accompaniment to a hearty meal, like stew, roasted meat or a grilled steak. However, the long term potential of this Vinha Velha and quality overall, may just trump some of the great bottlings such as 2003-2004-2005. This is worthy of a case purchase and the price has come down this year. 106,000 750 ml bottles produced and 600 magnums. The make up of this wine explains why it is such a beauty; as two thirds of the Vinha Maria Teresa and all of the Vinha da Ponte production was blended in here. It should drink quite nicely from 2014-2025+. 94 Points (2012-02-17)

Claus P · Post by **Claus P** » Fri May 04, 2012 12:48 am

Roy,
A quick question about this: Is it standard for QdC to declassify their better wines in some years? This would make it very interesting to decide which vintages to buy.

Cheers
Claus

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Fri May 04, 2012 6:17 am

Claus P wrote:Roy,
A quick question about this: Is it standard for QdC to declassify their better wines in some years? This would make it very interesting to decide which vintages to buy.

Cheers
Claus

Brian C. · Post by **Brian C.** » Fri May 04, 2012 11:25 am

Roy, which books would you recommend for Portuguese table wines? I have seen the threads of books about port, but I haven't seen a lot about table wine, though I certainly don't overlook the possibility that I missed discussion about them. I've looked at Amazon and seen that these books do indeed exist, but have no idea which ones are really worth looking. at. My point was that there is not a ton of depth of coverage regarding Portuguese table wines.

Post by **Glenn E.** » Fri May 04, 2012 12:46 pm

Claus P wrote:A quick question about this: Is it standard for QdC to declassify their better wines in some years? This would make it very interesting to decide which vintages to buy.

Let's put it this way... the Maria Teresa and Vinha da Ponte vineyards both exist and produce grapes every year. If you don't see one of those two wines released in a particular year, those grapes had to go somewhere. Odds seem good that they'd go into the Old Vines Reserva.

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon May 07, 2012 8:45 am

Claus,

Yes, that is a common practice at Quinta do Crasto; which typically makes the old vines Reserva a fantastic bargain in addition to a very solid Douro wine.

Claus P · Post by **Claus P** » Mon May 07, 2012 11:56 pm

Glenn, Roy

I guess I was kind'a stating the obvious there.
I suppose I was more thinking whether it always goes into the reserva, or if it might also be used in some of their other wines or ports?

Cheers
Claus

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Tue May 08, 2012 8:17 pm

Some is likely to make its way into some Port on occasion, but I don't think they'd declassify any significant quantity of juice below the level of the Reserva, although I could see maybe 3-5% or so being incorporated into the Douro, just to polish it up. This is purely speculation though on my part.

For The Love Of Port