Croft Vintage Port 2009 – 750ml

2009 will be remembered as a year of low yields. This was partly due to the small amount of fruit and also to the effect of the very dry ripening season. Dormancy ended very early, with bud burst starting at Pinhão in the first week of March. The ripening season started with relatively cool weather which continued throughout July but in August this turned to intense heat. From July through to the harvest in September, there was almost no rain. These hot, arid conditions produced concentrated musts, rich in colour, tannins and sugar and by early September the grapes had reached phenolic maturity. An early start to the harvest ensured that the wines had a good acid balance and avoided over ripeness.

95

Wine Spectator
Review Date: 04/2012
Redolent of blackberry and dark fruits, this also features a fascinating mix of mocha, graphite and tobacco flavors. Very juicy as well, which figures into the finish of fine-grained tannins and spice. An exuberant and refined Vintage Port. Best from 2020 through 2050. (KM)

94

Wine Advocate
Review Date: 06/2013
The 2009 Croft has a tightly wound bouquet of blackberry, black plum, and touches of glycerine and graphite that are well-defined but persistently broody. The palate is full-bodied with a burly, powerful entry. There is real structure and presence here — a Croft packed full of spicy black fruit with white peppers generously sprinkled over the finish. This is an ambitious Croft that could become a future legend — or might trip over its untrammeled ambition! (NM)

93

Wine Enthusiast
Review Date: 04/2012
Based on the Roêda vineyard, this opulent, fruity wine is dense, beautifully ripe, a powerhouse of sweet fruit, figs and raisins, plum jelly and the roundest, most generous tannins. It’s a wine that will show well in the next few years, but which should age magnificently. (RV)