| Size | 150cl |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2018 |
| ABV | 14.5% |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Douro |
| Main Grape | Blend of indigenous grapes (100%) |
Tasting note
A showstopper of a wine, fragrant with wild berries and spice, with a hit of dark chocolate following a mouthful of dark fruit.
In the press
Dark and brooding with a cool graphite undertow; an implosion of fine tannins ensnares tightly wound black fruit. Located metres above Maria Teresa, Ponte’s south-east-facing aspect catches a few more rays. Its improbably sublime melt-in-mouth finish attests to the impressive tannin quality and ageing potential of this diminutive centenarian 1.96ha parcel. Intensely concentrated, yet precise, this powerhouse requires patience. Drinking window: 2024-2046
The 2018 Vinha da Ponte, a field blend from very old vines (100+ years), was aged in new French oak for 20 months. It comes in at 14.8% alcohol. As always, Ponte is a very different animal than Maria Teresa. It's less personable and less exuberant, but it is solid in the mid-palate, brooding a little and promising that better days will come. This is a great Ponte and one of Crasto's best versions of it. Concentrated and powerful, but with the tannins held in check and still showing some expressiveness, this grabs the palate and doesn't let go. In fact, this might be a year when this is as open as the Maria Teresa (although it's never as personable). Serious and long on the finish, this is just a baby that will need a decade in the bottle to show its best, or even show well. It should age well for another decade or two after that. As with the Maria Teresa, it was better the next day. It looks to be brilliant. Drink 2023 - 2050.
Viticulture
Vinha da Ponte takes its name from a small 1.96 hectare plot of vines that are over 100 years old, located above a roman bridge ('ponte' in Portuguese). The vineyard is purely south-facing and tends to produce powerful immensely ageworthy wines. It is only bottled in years of exceptional quality and under very limited number of bottles.
Vinification
The grapes are foot trodden in traditional stone trough or lagares at Quinta do Crasto, and the wine is then aged for 20 months in French oak barrels at the Barrel Cellar under strictly controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
Food Match
Beef, Lamb, duck, roasted and slow cooked. Aged cheeses.
| Closure | Natural Cork | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Suitable for | Vegans | ||
| Grape Varieties |
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| Allergens | Sulphur | ||
| SKU Code | 64187818 |