The 2007 VINHA MARIA TERESA, from 90 year old vines, is usually the sexiest wine from Crasto, sweet, fragrant and simply delicious. The ’07 is a beautiful example, with more depth and concentration than the 2006 and 2005, and more elegance than the rich 2003, to list some recent examples. The wine was aged in French and then American oak (which Crasto uses better than most) for a total of 18 months. If I have a quibble, it is that the oak seems all too obvious, and too much of the fragrance and flavor at the moment is oak derived. To be sure, this is not unusual given the stages young, newly bottled wines go through. This should hold well in the cellar and that ageworthiness should give the oak a chance to integrate a better, assuming you can keep your hands off of it, as It will drink well young. Give it a chance to settle down, though. It also will likely shut down. It showed nicely the next day, but still too marked by oak. Drink 2010-2022. Crasto, on every short list for “best of Portugal,” had an awfully nice vintage this year. The Old Vines Reserva is one of the best intersections of price and quality in this report, and the Vinha da Ponte is a strong “wine of the vintage” candidate.Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, Ca.; (415) 931-1725.

One of the finest wines from the Douro, a powerful statement from 100-year-old vines. It has dense black fruits, tempered with an elegant style, the acidity giving a fresh edge to the concentration, spice and layers of wood. Age for 7–8 years and more.——R.V.(11/1/2010)—— 95