Croft Quinta da Roeda 2018

Croft Quinta da Roeda 2018 is a port red wine from Croft, the Quinta da Roêda vineyard, near the town of Pinhão, in the heart of the Douro valley.

This is a vintage port wine that is a collector's piece for anyone who enjoys port wines.

The wine's aroma displays an alluring, opulent character of red fruit, which is a well-known hallmark of the vintage Roêda ports, along with intense forest berries that add concentration and finesse. The fruit is, as usual, wrapped in an exotic mint and eucalyptus scent. The first impression on the palate is round with a rich, velvety structure, but the finish reveals excellent acidity and well-integrated, catchy tannins.

The weather in 2018 was somewhat unstable and at times challenging, but ultimately the conditions necessary for producing an excellent Vintage Port were met. The year began extremely dry, as very little rain fell in the previous year, and in January about two-thirds of Portuguese land suffered from drought. The stress that the dry conditions posed to the vines was alleviated by substantial rains in March.

The weather station at Croft's Quinta da Roêda recorded 223 mm of rainfall during the month. This replenished the groundwater reserves depleted in the previous year, and this underground moisture proved crucial during the ripening period.

The harvest at Quinta da Roêda began on September 17 under hot and dry weather. The yields were low, but the wines exhibited excellent color intensity, very good acidity balance, elegance, and freshness of fruit.