Croft, Vintage Port

Wow - much better than last two bottles. Difference? Decanted for a few hours! Wish I would have last few times. Luckily have 4 more bottles. Huge, intoxicating bottle bouquet ... cinnamon toast and cherry liqueur. On the plate, red fruit and still relatively youthful and structured. Really liked this bottle.

2003 vintage

Deep brown red. Very rich and luscious. Red fruits and great balance.

2003 vintage

Very good to excellent port but only lacking a “wow” factor. Alcohol has integrated well with just a touch of heat and the palate s there with lots of dried black fruit. Holding it back is only the clipped finish.

2003 vintage

hideously corked, didn't even have to pour a glass.

2003 vintage

not nearly as complex and fruit driven as the 03 Fonseca. good, not great.

2003 vintage

Vintage Port 2003 (P81) : Dark plum and prune fruit but also some aged flavors of leather. Has some licorice, black pepper and is to the dry side of the VP style.

2003 vintage

Cooked plums, still primary driven and you get some of the spirits. Slightly cloudy tannins and already quite mellow now, quite dry and sugar sticks out towards the finish but still conc fruits, lots meaty, savouriness too.

2003 vintage

Delicious, leather and tobacco.

2011 vintage

The first vintage made traditionally with food-trodden grapes in lagares since 1963. 20,5% alcohol, 92 g/l residual sugar and 4,45 g/l acidity. Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color that doesn't look young nor aged. The nose feels dull, dusty and quite indistinct with vague sweet aromas of dark forest fruits and a little bit of boysenberry jam. The wine feels dull, dusty and understated on the palate with a full body and sweet, muddled flavors of dark forest fruits, some dusty …

2003 vintage

Wild spicy nose Big ripe cherries, almost like cherry cola, soft tannin, spicy. Delicious drinking so well now.

2003 vintage

Portuguese exploration (Lunas, Petersham) : from half bottle. plums and black fruits, dense, alcohol prickle, still very primary despite 13 years. Powerful and dense on the palate, integrated oak. Woof.

2011 vintage

I am not sure ... I like it, but don't love it. Young, spirited, lighter tannins, strong, alcoholic nose. Very long finish, but a bit acidic. First of 6 bottle bought in 2006.

2003 vintage

In its prime if you like younger drinking. Few signs of age. Fruit and spirit on the nose. Very sweet initial taste, lovely smooth mouth feel - plums, spice and cherry linger, Remarkably little tannin. Delicious.

2003 vintage

Day 2. From a small capped bottle as part of a zoom tasting. Some heat on nose. A little coffee and prunes: plummy fruit. fruitcake. Nutty or marzipan? Palate is better - plummy and sweet. Some nice spices. Finish is sweet and plummy. Good but somewhat non descript. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15/20.

2003 vintage

Excellent fruity port. Still young but can be enjoyed now I think. Many years ahead with also improvment.

2003 vintage

Dense purple, dark and brooding. Very concentrated fruit but still very tannic. Good potential but a long, long way to go.

2011 vintage

Dark ruby, red rim, heavy sediment. Lovely nose. Full and fruity, spirit has dropped into the background. Plums and spice. Delicious now and plenty of time to grow. Gentle burn in the finish. Very popular when set against an ‘87.

2003 vintage

Supps with Tim and Phil (McLeay Street Bistro, Potts Point) : From half bottle. Sweet spice, plums, blackberry, slight raisins and figs, smidge of herbaceousness…Medium plus intensity acidity, slight alcohol warmth, off dry, sweet spice, tight and textured tannins, dark fruits are fresh and supported by these. Not quite in balance for me.

2011 vintage

Opened this to just have a small glass - good concentration, still feels young, good striking tannins (not so overly sweet).

2011 vintage

First of the dozen. Surprisingly young and unblended. Still spirity. Cherry and plums follow through. Enjoyable, but needs more time to integrate.

2003 vintage

Boozy black cherry nose. Rich, full-bodied palate with loads of dark cherry flavors, floral notes, milk chocolate and a lace of red leather. Relatively short finish with dark cherries, resolved tannins, earthiness, and rose petal. Smooth and mature.

2003 vintage

Notes from an infrequent Port drinker - this is fantastic, super energetic and youthful, kind of a "beaujolais of Port" character to it with a very bright fruit forward nature. Highly gulpable. Maybe that's not what it's supposed to be? Loved it.

2003 vintage

Croft VPs (P81) : Lovely balance between sweetness and acidity. Liquorice and floral notes dominate the nose and palate. Overall, a light wine with a med-long aftertaste and restrained sweetness. Beautiful wine and clearly one of the best VPs from 1975!

1975 vintage

I’ve had better Crofts. Being almost 20 years old, I was excited. Dark wine. Cork was almost black. (Definitely have a filter to drink this wine). This was a smooth port. But it was far from my favorite. I feel it lacked complexity and finish for an ‘03. I would drink again but wouldn’t go out of my way.

2003 vintage

Clear deep ruby; clean medium plus nose of stewed prunes, fig jam and mulling spices; sweet; high acidity; medium minus tannins; high alcohol; full body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is smooth and velvety; long finish; excellent wine - could use another 5 years to develop more tertiary

2003 vintage

A great port - but feeling very hot at the moment. The intensity of the alcohol is feeling a little elevated for my liking. Will have to see how this goes over the next 20 years!

2011 vintage

Intense nose of dates, baked plum, and singed currants with smoky and turpentine notes. Dark black fruits and heavy fig flavors with fruitcake flavors and candied fruit. Firm, dry black fruit finish provided a backbone with smoke, tar, asphalt

2003 vintage

Drank this at Kam Boat with my wine mates. Theme of the night: Wines that start with B. Criomson red in colour, with very fragrant floral notes on the nose. Beautiful wine which has aged very gracefully with an amazing maturity and pleasantry. Wines which are 30 years or older usually have sour plum notes, or odor that comes with extensive aging. This wine has none of them. Soft, gentle, feminine, and charming.

1975 vintage

First time I have had this wine. Solid port from an excellent vintage. I feel this port is actually pretty mature - will definitely hold for another 10-15 years but I don't think much will be gained. Medium minus sweetness. Lots of chocolate, hints of espresso and chocolate covered cherry notes.

2003 vintage

Good but a little bit of burn from the alcohol reflecting the hot vintage

2003 vintage

NobleRottersSydney - even year Shiraz (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney) : [Aaron] {375ml, cork, 20.5%} This was very closed against the 2009, to the point where I’ve hardly recorded any actual flavour descriptors at all. Brambles? Warm spirit palate. Plenty of acid. Not especially sweet. Some nutty character. Medium length. Wait, obviously. Drink the ’09, in fact…

2011 vintage

A nice vintage port, nothing special about it, just fun to drink after lunch.

2011 vintage

Dinner at Feitoria, Lisbon (Feitoria, Belem, Lisbon) : Very good - this was precocious vintage port. It had a lovely nose of loamy earth, dark plums and prunes and blackberries, alongside a nice whiff of spicy tobacco and savoury smoked hams. The palate had a wonderful sense of balance and poise to it, with perfectly judged acidity and velvety tannins laced through characteristically Croft flavours of dark berries seasoned with smoke, spice and earthy minerality. It had a lovely long …

2011 vintage

Really dark profile with dried Corinth raisins, blueberries, currants, pastry, dark chocolate and just a hint of caramel showing just a tad of evolution. This is still a bit compact and still needs time to get in the right spot. I'm just a bit worried by the short clipping finish. Open in advance to give extra air.

2003 vintage

Opened and poured at a party...everyone loved it with the chocolate-based treats. No formal notes, but this seemed pretty well balanced and I will look forward to checking in on this again in 25+ years.

2011 vintage

Wine Spectator Grand Tour - Las Vegas : Full, rich and completely dense. Notes of plum and blackberry compote and a range of spices. Full middle palate, and plush tannins through the finish.

2011 vintage

Amazing young port.

2011 vintage

From 375 ml. Powerful and aromatic on PnP, yet still quite smooth. Rich and mouth filling. Toffee, chocolate. Yum. Better on day 2.

2003 vintage

Terroir-istes International - Portugal, Port (Groot Constantia) : (Tasted Blind): Deep black-purple wine exhibiting enticing aromas reminiscent of Christmas cake, raisins, damson fruit dried apricot, blueberry jam and figs. A charming wine on entry, there is a well-integrated spirit despite its youthful nature. The mid-palate is enveloped by plenty of black fruits, with abundant warm spices, all supported by firm, robust tannins and lively acidity. The RS is nicely integrated, and the flavours reflect the nose with dried blackcurrants, orange …

2011 vintage

similar to my previous note.

2011 vintage

Balanced and composed, thick and concentrated, not overly sweet, well-defined. This is long, broad and deep with lovely dry tannins on the finish. Really excellent. What's not to like? Holds up great on the 2nd day after vacuum seal, unsurprisingly. Has a slightly more forest floor and cedar tone. Feels more rounded and even thicker. The alcohol is pronounced. Not quite as etherial as the Fonseca, but close.

2011 vintage

Port Tasting at the cellars while on holiday in Porto; 10/2/2016-10/3/2016 (Porto) : Rich and deeply fruited, fleshy structure, blue fruits, plums, very refined and smooth but deep, with fine tannins. A lovely young port.

2011 vintage

Port Tasting at the cellars while on holiday in Porto; 10/2/2016-10/3/2016 (Porto) : A deeply fruity profile, not much sign of development, just a little caramel, fleshy, blue and black fruits, good but not as special as the 2011.

2003 vintage

Drank over five days and it was the most open on the fifth. Concentrated berry fruit, pomegranate juice, ink, bramble, dark chocolate, espresso, gravel, and mincemeat on the bouquet. Alcohol was somewhat angular over the first days and then integrated nicely. With air the wine features a coco powder-like texture, serious weight, and substantive grip. What it lacks in refinement it makes up for with sheer power. Hold until 2025 and drink through 2040+. 93-95.

2011 vintage

2015 Port Harvest Tour; 9/26/2015-10/3/2015 (Portugal) : Dark purple in color with bricking on the edges. Cool black fruit on the nose. Luscious, juicy black plum on the palate, followed by well-structured tannins on the mid-palate and great structure and body on the finish.

2011 vintage

Very impressive for such a young port. Decanted for an hour. Fruit filled nose with generous sweet fruits on the palate. Long smooth finish.

2011 vintage

Quite a gem; really composed, refined and extended. The concentration is beautiful, so expressive. Will obviously improve with years but so delicious already. This is my first taste of the '11 vintage, and if this is anything to go by this strikes me as more serious, powerful though less flamboyant compared to the '07.

2011 vintage

From a 375 ml bottle and tasted over 4 nights and kept in an open decanter After 8 hrs in the decanter - sweet spice, pepper rosewater on the nose. Sweet to taste and I got some prominent dried fruit - currants and raisins. firm long tannins. At 32 hours - Similar nose to 24 hours earlier but more intense. Notes of black tea with the tannins being big long and a little more integrated. At 56 hours - A …

2011 vintage

Huge fruit, and a lot of heat. This will be better in a few years.

2011 vintage

Old Oregon Pinot with Travis and Friends (Little Bird) : Very fruit forward with noticeable alcohol on the nose. No perceptible tannic structure.

2011 vintage

Are you sure?

Croft, Vintage Port

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews