Quinta do Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa 2017
€ 245.00
| Producer | Quinta do Crasto |
| Region | Douro |
| Ageing | About 20 months in new oak (90% French, 10% American) |
| Alcohol | 14.5%vol | pH: 3.61 |
| Serving | 16-18°C |
| Drinking window | 2024-2050 |
| Scores | 96/100 Robert Parker 95/100 Wine Enthusiast 19/20 Grandes Escolhas |
Vinha Maria Teresa 2017: wild flowers, white pepper and 96 points from Robert Parker.
Tasting note
Intense, vivid purple. Lots of body and complexity, with wild flowers, white pepper, a little blueberry, vanilla and soft dark chocolate. Beautiful, well-integrated tannins in perfect harmony. A wine that gains nuance with time and keeps evolving in bottle.
The story
Vinha Maria Teresa is a hundred-year-old field-blend vineyard, named after Constantino de Almeida’s granddaughter. Since the first vintage in 1998 this wine has been among the most acclaimed Portuguese wines.
A field blend of some thirty old varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Francisca, Sousão, Rufete, Arinto and Rabigato. The wine ages for about twenty months in new oak (90% French, 10% American), and only the best casks go into the blend.
2017 was the earliest harvest ever at Crasto. After a warm, dry winter the growing cycle started early and it stayed dry. White grapes were picked from 8 August, reds from 18 August, and everything was in by 19 September. Lower yields, with smaller bunches and berries, but excellent concentration.
Food pairing
Excellent with hearty dishes of grilled or roast red meat, lamb and game. Also a wine to end a meal with.
The producer
Quinta do Crasto lies on the right bank of the Douro, between Régua and Pinhão, in the heart of the Cima Corgo. The quinta is recorded as early as 1615, and in 1918 the Port merchant Constantino de Almeida bought the estate. His descendants still own it: in the 1980s Leonor de Almeida and her husband Jorge Roquette began modernising the vineyards, and since 1994 Crasto has released its wines under its own name.
The vineyards lie on steep schist terraces, with many very old field-blend vines, such as Vinha da Ponte and Vinha Maria Teresa. Crasto also owns Quinta da Cabreira in the Douro Superior, the source of the Superior wines.
Critics & Awards
96/100 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate | Tasted: Feb 2020
Drinking window: 2023-2045
Drinking window: 2023-2045
95/100 Wine Enthusiast | Tasted: Dec 2021
From a single vineyard of old field-blend vines, named after the founder’s granddaughter. Rich tannins tamed by black-currant fruit and acidity. Still young, with a great future: drink from 2024 (Roger Voss).
From a single vineyard of old field-blend vines, named after the founder’s granddaughter. Rich tannins tamed by black-currant fruit and acidity. Still young, with a great future: drink from 2024 (Roger Voss).
19/20 Grandes Escolhas | Tasted: Feb 2021
4,8/5 Vivino (180 ratings)