Quinta do Crasto Tinta Roriz 2011
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Wine Spectator
This lithe red oozes with rich spiciness, showing concentrated flavors of kirsch, dark chocolate, mineral and allspice. Features a creamy core, presenting medium-grained tannins that lengthen out nicely. The unctuous finish is filled with a vibrant silkiness. Drink now through 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Tinta Roriz was sourced from three different plots, all fermented separately. It seems to me to be the best TR yet made here, likely to warrant an uptick in a few years. Said winemaker Manuel Lobo, “Two of the vineyards aged 18 months in new French oak barrels from a selection of different cooperages with medium toasts. The other vineyard plot aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels, also from a selection of different cooperages, but in this case with lighter toasts. The final blend was also a selection of the best performing barrels.” The wine was bottled in September, 2013, a couple of months after the Touriga Nacional (because it took longer to complete malolactic fermentation). Surprisingly soft in the mid-palate on opening, it seems to be a caressing Tinta Roriz in Crasto’s style, as displayed in this issue: more graceful, balanced and with reasonably well-integrated tannins. This changes rather quickly, though. It shows more power, pop and focus, while never becoming overbearing. You won’t always realize how much you are like this until you’ve sat with it for a while and actually drunk it. Bright and fresh, it developed a lively feel with air and became more complex. I had the chance to see this issue’s lineup twice. This and the Reserva were the biggest beneficiaries of more time. The next day there was lovely tension on the finish and it preened in its concentration and well-controlled power. There were 8,900 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2027.
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Wine Enthusiast
There is power inside this bottle. Tinta Roriz, or Tempranillo, showing both its tannic strength when young and also its potential for elegant aging. So this impressive wine is smooth, ripe, full of black fruits with a layer of caramel wood aging and a firm core. Age this for several years and drink from 2017.
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2016-
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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.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
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.