2015 Croft - Porto Quinta da Roeda Vintage Port

Croft's roots as a Port shipper trace to 1678, the same year as the first recorded Port shipment from Oporto, when the firm operated under the name Phayre & Bradley. In 1736 the house adopted its present name after John Croft, from a distinguished family of Yorkshire wine merchants, joined the business. Central to that legacy is Quinta da Roêda, acquired by the Croft family in 1875 and long regarded as one of the finest properties in the Douro. Roêda's plump, vigorously fruity wines, marked by a signature aroma from the wild gum cistus shrub that grows across the estate, define this single-quinta bottling, which Croft releases only in years of strong quality when a general house-wide vintage is not declared.

The 2015 growing season at Quinta da Roêda saw notably low winter and spring rainfall, though enough groundwater remained to avoid drought stress, and the dry, warm conditions brought forward an early, healthy harvest. Grapes were foot-trodden in traditional granite lagares to gently extract color and tannin while avoiding harsher compounds from the skins, and the wine spent close to two years aging in vat before bottling.

The 2015 shows an intense purple-black center with a vivid magenta rim, opening to a nose of rich dark berry compote layered with exotic tropical fruit and wild herbs. Warm licorice, dark chocolate, and spice add to its opulent character, while the palate is smooth and jammy, its silky texture concealing firm, well-knit tannins that surface on the finish. It pairs nicely with soft ripened cheese, dark berry compote desserts, or roasted hazelnuts.