16°C to 18°C
Bottle lying down
Recommended
Douro
Temperature
16°C to 18°C
Classic Vintage 2003
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Croft has remained true to its distinctive Vintage Port style, characterised by a powerful, ripe fruitiness and a round luscious palate. Croft Vintages develop great aromatic complexity with age and a soft velvety texture.
Tasting Notes: An opaque core with bright ruby rim. The nose just explodes from the glass: blackberry, bilberry, violets, morning dew and cassis all with superb delineation. The palate is full-bodied, magnificent and regal, with better definition and focus than the millennial port. Blackberry, blueberry, that sense of minerality coming through towards the finish, seamless with unnoticeable alcohol. Great finesse on the finish. this is Croft returning to past glories. Outstanding.
viticultural year and harvest
The Winter preceding the 2003 harvest was very wet. Flowering took place in bright warm weather at the end of May in some of the best conditions seen for several years. The first two weeks of August provided the intense Summer heat which often precedes a great port vintage. The second half of August was cooler and two days of rain occurred with perfect timing, ripening off the grapes at the end of the month.
The picking season in September was warm and dry and the yields were even across all grape varieties, ensuring balance and complexity in the wines. Winemakers’ notes highlight the very intense colour and large amount of tannin released by the skins during fermentation, as well as the powerful fruitiness of the young wines.
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