2016 Croft - Porto Vintage Port

Croft is one of the founding houses of the Port trade, established in England in 1588 and counted among the oldest names still shipping wine from the Douro today. Much of its reputation as a vintage producer rests on its ownership of Quinta da Roêda, one of the valley's most celebrated estates, prized for its characteristic aroma of gum cistus, the wild rockrose that grows across its hillsides. Since 2001 Croft has been part of the Fladgate Partnership, joining Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca under shared ownership while retaining its own distinct style.

The 2016 growing season brought a hot, dry summer to the Douro, yet abundant groundwater and a late cycle allowed the grapes at Quinta da Roêda to ripen slowly and evenly, with picking beginning in mid-September. The final field blend spent about twenty months maturing in wood before bottling, a relatively compact aging period intended to preserve the vintage's exuberant fruit character.

The color is an intense purple ruby with a vivid rim. Ripe strawberry and blackcurrant lead the nose, layered with resiny rockrose and a lift of eucalyptus, all hallmarks of the Croft style. The palate is rich with berry fruit, framed by a dense, close-knit structure of tannins through a long finish. Pair with a dark berry crumble or an aged pecorino.