TN: 2004 Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte Douro

[Andy Velebil]

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