16°C to 18°C
Bottle lying down
Recommended
Douro
Quinta da Roêda is the cornerstone of Croft’s reputation as a producer of superb Vintage Ports. Its characteristically plump, full, vigorously fruity wines, with their hallmark aroma of Gumcistus, the aromatic bush, are the quintessence of the inimitable Croft house style.
Tasting Notes: Dense ruby black core surrounded by a purple red rim. The nose is true to the Roêda style, a luscious fruitiness combined with the resiny, musky redolence of wild herbs and gum cistus. However the year, with its typical purity and finesse, has placed this finely constituted wine at the elegant and subtle end of the Roêda spectrum. Blended with the typically jammy fruit are fresher notes of raspberry and apricot and the palate is lifted by a crisp acidity and supported by a dense warp of firm sinewy tannins. Slightly more restrained and clearly delineated than some recent Roêda vintages, the wine nevertheless displays the seductive ripe fruitiness which is the hallmark of this great historic estate.
The winter prior to the 2012 harvest was considerably colder and drier than normal with only 183.6mm of rain falling at Pinhão, where Quinta da Roêda is situated. Budburst occurred under very dry conditions towards the end of the third week in March, followed by very welcome rainfall in April and early May. The vineyards at the end of May showed low vigour, due to the combination of the cooler than normal spring and the extremely dry winter.
The temperatures for the 2012 growing season were very balanced, with no real spikes of intense heat, with the exception of the 24th and 25th June. The vines maintained their lower than usual vigour and the smaller bunches and berries resulted in a low yield for the year.
By mid August, the canopies covering the grapes were still incredibly luscious and in good condition, helping the grapes to continue ripening during the entire vintage, something that rarely occurs. Picking at Quinta da Roêda started on the 18th September and with the exception of some rainfall on the 24th September, the rest of the harvest was carried out under perfect conditions.