TN: 2006 Quinta do Crasto Old Vine Reserva

[Andy Velebil]

been open 1.5 hours now. This one is more austere up front than the 2004 and 2005 versions, I dare say more old school? I love the saddle leather, minerality, and earth that pops up mid palate to balance out some dark but restrained fruit. The tannins are slowly becoming more pronounced the longer it sits open and are now lending some good weight to it. When first opened this was a little lean on the palate, but boy it has really started to pick up steam with aeration and that is no longer the case. I'd recommend at least a 1-2 hour decant at this point. A solid bottle worth every penny. I'm curious to see how this does with more aeration, so I'll try and make this bottle last for a bit longer...but that won't be easy to do, it's hard not to drink this.
92 points