June 7, 2019 - Enormously charming and complex in the nose, lots of dark fruit, spices, tobacco and floral notes. Still very youthful, is very dense and powerful in the mouth, but with great finesse and a lot of precision. The tannins are still very present, but of excellent quality. Very powerful and spicy, full-bodied, aromas of blackberries, plums, tobacco, black pepper, a mouthful of wine. Very long finish full of energy, depth and despite a lot of strength with very fine minerality and delicacy.
A great wine from the Douro Valley and a balancing act of strength and elegance, wow! Very nice to drink at the moment, but absolutly no hurry.
January 5, 2018 - Time to check in and see how this is maturing. I decanted about 6 1/2 hours prior consuming. When I first decanted it there was lovely black stone fruit aromas but when I tasted it there was no fruit and a clipped finish. I was a bit worried it may have some low level TCA robbing it of flavor. I left it in the decanter to see where it went. Came back to it just over 6 hours later and it had transformed into a beauty. The first thing I noticed was the oak that was pronounced in its youth was totally gone. Leaving behind fantastic complex and still youthful red stone fruits and cassis, moderate tannins, uplifting acidity and an expansive mouth presence that led up to a long lingering finish. I was duly impressed by how this is maturing. Having had it some years ago when it went through a phase and didn't show it's best then. Based on this bottle, give it a good long decant or leave it in the cellar for another 8-10 years. Though I have no doubt it will last many years longer than that.
96 Points
June 17, 2014 - This is the kind of wine that makes grown men including myself cry. The amount of work and care that goes into this Crasto masterpiece pays off. Intensity structure and depth are the strong points of this wine. Dusty Oak and leathery smoke meld together with the rich dense peppered fruit. Bought at De Luca fine wines in Winnipeg for $190.
January 17, 2014 - What's old is new again. This wine is basically port without the spirits! A new version of an old world wine. The grapes are foot trodden for goodness sake. The fruit is massive even by new world standards. I found it fits in the the same category as Zinfandel or Petite Sirah for food pairing. The body is rich and the mouth feel is full. Lovely finish and smooth as silk.
November 29, 2010 - I opened this last night and slowly sipped it over the course of several hours. I some how managed to save a couple of glasses for today, so I could see how this would develop over 24 hours. Layers of brambleberry, tar, cherries, and dry minerality are just the intro as plenty of tannins come to the fore and even more layers of fruit continue into a finish that lasts for minutes. These wines can have some dense fruit and prominent oak when young, but I am always amazed at how that dense fruit and oak integrates and settles down so quickly and the flavor profile becomes more of a classic Douro wine and far less of a "modern" one they can seem when very young. This wine showed even better on day 2, where that fruit shows even more balance, minerality, and just shear grip. This is a stunning wine that drinks well now, albeit give it a good long decant, and I have no doubt it will continue to improve for another 20+ years.
96+ Points
May 2, 2010 - Pizza and "wines that don't suck" with Leslie Fisher (Seattle, WA, USA): A bit tough in this lineup. Roy insisted that we try this on its own. Distinctively Douro. A big wine with huge structure and plenty of depth and intensity to match. Quite a tart profile to it, but I have had enough Douro reds over the past few years to appreciate that this was pretty special. I would love to have this on its own with just a steak. Thanks for bringing it Roy!
July 2, 2009 - Joseph Visits Scott & Kate, Part III (Burlingame, CA): This was a big, ripe, black-fruit driven wine, with notes of licorice and anise. Very highly extracted with a large amount of structure, almost like a dry vintage port. This is not as enjoyable as it could have been due to the fact that it was not decanted, which in retrospect it definitely needed. Lots of potential, but a bit monolithic right now.
July 2, 2007 - Jantar harmonizado - Vinhos do Crasto. (Adega Santiago): Violáceo. Aromas bastante contidos de início e que foram abrindo com o tempo e revelando mentol, mineral e frutos vermelhos escuros. Na boca bastante concentrado,estruturado e equilibrado. Mostra muito potencial com alta acidez e taninos bastante numerosos e finos. É um vinho que certamente precisa respirar bastante antes de ser aproveitado em sua totalidade de aromas e sabores. Grande complexidade, grande persistência, grande vinho. Excepcional. 95+
March 1, 2007 - Quinta do Crasto (Carlota): Violáceo com halo aquoso. Nariz que não se destaca pela intensidade. Aromas sutis, grande profundidade, bastante mineral com um fundo tostado. Na boca é intenso, potente, e extremamente elegante. Taninos empoeirados, finos, numerosos e marcantes. Altíssima acidez, grande concentração de fruta e muita mineralidade. Complexo, abriu imensamente com o tempo... a cada momento uma nova nuance se destacava, algo delicioso de se acompanhar. Mais próximo do estilo de um Bordeaux (tanto ou mais que o Xisto -- que sugere esse tipo de comparação em razão de ser fruto da parceria da família Roquette com Jean-Michel Cazes, do Ch Lynch-Bages). Apesar do alto nível dos vinhos servidos nesta noite, consegue se colocar acima dos demais. Estupendo! 95+pts. Excepcional.