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Quinta Do Crasto - Reserva Red Old Vine - 2021

UPC
850069639259
Vegan
97224-21
Product Ratings
Wine Enthusiast 93pt

Black plum, mint and dense wood aromas are the result of oak aging and concentrated fruit from 70-year-old vines. The Crasto vineyard is rich in mixed plantings and this wine shows the resulting complexity alongside the fruits.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2024
Wine Advocate 94pt

One of the icons of the modern Douro reds, from 42 plots of old vines on the beautiful Quinta do Crasto property (three plots didn't make it to the final blend in 2021), the 2021 Reserva Old Vines (or Vinhas Velhas) comes from different plots averaging 70 years of age. It has the perfumed, outgoing and exuberant nose it has always had, floral, spicy and showy, smoky and nuanced. The destemmed grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, and the wine matured for 18 months in oak barrels, 85% French and 15% American. The palate is medium to full-bodied with superb balance and very fine tannins. It still shows very good value for money. It has 14% alcohol with a pH of 3..66 and 5.2 grams of acidity. It's approachable but with aging potential. 90,000 bottles and some larger and smaller formats produced. It was bottled in July 2023.

by Wine Advocate, 2024
Wine Spectator 92pt

There's a sleek, silky feel to this medium- to full-bodied red, with fine, taut tannins enmeshed with a pure beam of ripe black raspberry. Focused and minerally, offering an undertow of iron and loamy earth, this is fragrant with accents of mountain herbs, espresso, cocoa powder and mandarin orange peel that play on the lasting finish.

by Wine Spectator, 2024

Tasting notes

Deep dark ruby in colour. The nose impresses for its depth and complexity, showing aromas of ripe red fruits in perfect harmony with notes the wood forest and hints of fresh gum cistus. The palate starts in an elegant way, evolving into solid, structured wine, with velvet-textured tannins. Engaging, with a balanced, fresh, and persistent finish. This is a wine with an extraordinary complexity that fully reflects the essence of the old vines of Quinta do Crasto. Serve at a temperature between 16 and 18 degrees Celcius.

Estate

Nestled on a privileged location in the Douro, Quinta do Crasto is one of the oldest winemaking estates in the region – the name 'Crasto' is derived from the Latin word 'castrum', which means 'Roman fort'. The first known references to Quinta do Crasto can be traced back to 1615, long before the Douro became the world’s first Demarcated Wine Region in 1756.

Description

Made from grapes coming from old vines at Quinta do Crasto averaging around 70 years of age, Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vines is an authentic blend of the best that the Douro has to offer. It has built a solid national and international reputation due to its excellent price/quality ratio and to the ample number of bottles available on the market. Quinta do Crasto has 40 hectares of old vines divided amongst 42 vineyard lots, the most famous of which are the Vinha da Ponte and Vinha Maria Teresa. Each of these plots of old vines is planted in dozens of mixed varieties and produces, on average, 3,000 litres/hectare. The yield, of course, varies from year to year according to the decisions of the winemaking team as they craft the full range of wines made from these old vines, including the varietals. Given the productive restraints, the number of Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vines bottles varies significantly but it ranges from 80,000 to 90,000 annually. The low yield of these old vines, together with the 18 months that the wine ages in French and American oak barrels in the temperature-controlled Barrel Cellar, makes Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vines a complex and concentrated wine.

Ageing

About 18 months in French (85%) and American (15%) oak barrels.

Appellation

Douro

Varietals

Old vines (mixed plantings with 25 to 30 dierent grape varieties).