TN: 2002 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vine Douro

[Andy Velebil]

I've had seven bottles of this wine this year and didn't post TN's on all of them, so this is a bit of a summary of those bottles, plus one of which was consumed two days ago. There is some bottle variation in these as I've had ones seeming past their prime with more leather, forest components, and the fruit drying out and a couple bottles, like the last one, which have been full of simple tart cherries, acidity, light tannins, but a shorter simpler tart finish compared to other Reserva vintages. These last two bottles, and all previous bottles except for one, came from the same case and it's interesting to see the variations. After having seven bottles of this wine from such a very tough vintage my overall impression is it's time to start drinking these up as they don't have the backbone nor the complexity to continue to hold up long term. I'd say it's probably best to consume these in the next few years. As for this last bottle I had...
88 Points