Crasto 2003
Off to Bordeaux tomorrow for a day trip, tasting a nice array of 2005s. Problem is, I have to leave at 04:30 am. Ouch. Should be in bed now, but I need to take a bath this evening to avoid waking the family and RTL tomorrow morning on my way out.
Tonight I'm drinking Quinta do Crasto 2003 Douro (£6.99 Adnams). It's very drinkable, with ripe, sweet dark fruits providing the gratification, and subtly green, tarry tannic structure providing a nice counter. There's nothing terribly heavy or serious about this wine, and the bright plummy, slightly sappy fruit is really appealing. This is a wine for current drinking that has a hint of the new world to it, but also speaks (albeit rather softly) of its Douro origins. Great value, and recommended at this price. Very good+ 87/100
Crasto is pictured above, from my first visit to the Douro in 2002.
6 Comments:
Wow - absolutely stunning shot there.
I'd happily go there for the view alone, forget the wine.
Apparently Crasto's swimming pool is located right at the tip of one of the promontories. It has always been a dream of mine to get there... Actually just getting to Europe one day would be a great start!
I agree with Salil, what a great photo. Funnily enough, I've been learning a lot about the Douro recently, thanks to another wine blog I came across. Looks like I have two to read now. Two weeks ago, I didn't even know there were wine blogs. (Since I'm not here to advertise, I'll only mention the name of the other blog if someone asks.)
Salil, glad you like it. I can hardly take credit - just had to point the camera. You should visit the Douro. From the UK - £50 ryanair flight to Porto, plus £8 trainfare to Pinhao, plus cheap taxis to Douro Quintas. It's accessible.
Doug, do tell!
Paul, there's a picture of me by the Crasto pool on this page:
http://www.wineanorak.com/douro6crasto.htm
I didn't swim though - it was an unseasonally cool Douro May when I visited.
Europe: you could get a return flight to London for £500 and then spend relatively little on a combination of budget airline fares and car hire and cheap hotels - and have a mind blowing experience.
Jamie
I was given grief by several people for not coming to London in November to pick up my certificate (which I still do not have, incidentally.) Pretty unfair, I feel. My partner was not keen for me to go alone, and for the whole family to come to London for a single ceremony seemed outrageously expensive. It really is not fair on them, as I already spend a great deal of time in Australia.
The cheapest return flight to London would be around 650 quid from this end.
As it is, we had a great time in Melbourne and Adelaide in January, with relatively few, but excellent winery visits.
I've been wondering about that Crasto swimming pool: are they open to the general public? Do they have rooms, etc.? (I couldn't get the info from their web site.)
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