Quinta do Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa 2019
€ 255.84
| Producer | Quinta do Crasto |
| Region | Douro |
| Ageing | About 20 months in new oak (90% French, 10% American) |
| Alcohol | 14.5%vol | pH: 3.55 |
| Serving | 16-18°C |
| Drinking window | 2025-2050 |
| Scores | 20/20 Grandes Escolhas 98/100 Robert Parker |
Vinha Maria Teresa 2019: 20/20 from Grandes Escolhas and 98 points from Robert Parker.
Tasting note
Deep ruby. An impressive nose, complex and fresh, with wild berries, delicate spice and elegant rockrose notes. Attractive on the attack, complex, with excellent volume and a firm structure of fresh, fine tannins, and a lovely, fresh, persistent finish. The personality of a hundred-year-old vineyard on an exceptional terroir.
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.
After two small years, 2019 was more generous. Winter and spring were dry, but the summer was 5°C cooler than the five-year average, giving slow, balanced ripening. Harvest ran from 26 August to 11 October and produced complete, concentrated reds with excellent ageing potential.
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
20/20 Grandes Escolhas | Tasted: Dec 2023
98/100 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate | Tasted: May 2022
