Quinta do Crasto Douro Touriga Nacional 2010
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Touriga Nacional was aged for 16 months in new French oak and bottled in April, 2012. It comes in at 14% alcohol. If you appreciate grace, finesse and harmony, this will be exactly what you want. Despite its subtle opening, this tightened and then showed the ability to evolve constantly in the glass, not becoming truly expressive of the grape for a couple of hours. When I retasted it from a fresh, newly opened bottle a few days later, it was equally impressive for its focus and persistence, while showing gorgeous and classic floral notes and intensity of flavor on the finish. However, it was not until Day 2 when it actually sealed the deal. On Day 2, it was remarkably subtle and graceful on first sip and, yes, a bit compact and restrained. Then, the very fine aromatics expressive of the grape broke through. That was worth the price of admission. The finesse makes it lovely and a pleasure to drink. It is the type of wine that you’ll want more of as your glass empties. It drinks effortlessly, yet it is interesting all the while. It finished with bursts of flavor, slightly tinged by oak at the moment and nicely supported by a well-integrated backbone. Its balance is impeccable. This, along with the Vinha da Ponte, is Crasto’s statement for the vintage. It is quite unevolved at the moment, but it is easy to get to like even now. However, take note: despite its elegant beginning and graceful style, there is a lot going on here. Crasto’s style will not burn your palate out with astringency, but that said, considering the price and availability of this bottling, do yourself a favor and cellar it a few years. Let it become more expressive.
-
Wine Spectator
Exhibits a dark color, with rich aromas and flavors of dried plum, kirsch, mocha- and baker's chocolate, featuring notes of smoked meat. Displays good lift midpalate, with a muscular, well-spiced finish that offers plenty of tannic grip.
-
James Suckling
A dense and dark red with blackberries, dark chocolate and hints of nutmeg. Full body with chewy tannins and an intense finish. Loads of fruit. Tangy.
Other Vintages
2016-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
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. In the early 1900s, Quinta do Crasto was purchased by Constantino de Almeida, the founder of the famous Constantino Port house. Today, his granddaughter, Leonor Roquette, and her husband Jorge Roquette own and manage the estate, together with their sons, Miguel and Tomás. The Roquette family has invested tremendous time, attention, and resources to rebuild and expand the vineyards and facilities to produce top quality Port and Douro table wines. Vineyard mapping, DNA-matched replanting, a new state-of-the-art wine cellar and centuries of tradition mean that no detail in the winemaking and vineyard management is overlooked.
Quinta do Crasto produces different styles of port and table wines each year. Together with their winemakers and their entire team, they seek to produce year after year wines that display the unique and beautiful characteristics of the Douro, through a tireless devotion to tradition, integrity and excellence.
Gaining great popularity for its bold but beautifully aromatic dry red wines, Touriga Nacional is the noblest variety in Port wine. Most likely originating from the Dão region, today it grows throughout the Douro Valley as well. Somm Secret—As many as 80 grape varieties can be used to make Port wine, each contributing something unique to the resulting blend. Touriga Nacional adds great color, tannins and aromatics.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.