The 2006 RESERVA OLD VINES is usually one of the Douro’s best bargains. In most years it is competitive with Crasto’s pricier offerings. This year, although the price has crept up, it is still a bargain as it might well be the best of Crasto’s lineup, as good or better than anything else, yet about a fourth of the Maria Teresa’s price and less than half of the Touriga Nacional’s price. The structure here is impressive for a 2006, the wine showing good grip and intensity, with that lush texture and sweet fruit this bottling usually displays. As with most 2006s, there are moments when you wonder if the finish is quite what it should be and if it will hold as well in the cellar as earlier, better years. It certainly seems leaner and more compact than the ’04 and ’03, for instance. Many of those questions were answered the next day, when it drank beautifully and was still evolving. This is an impressive effort in the context of this vintage. Drink now-2016. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, Ca.; (415) 931-1725.

From 70-year-old vines on the Crasto estate, this is an impressive wine, with its superripe fruit layered with acidity and the sweetest of berry flavors. Wood aging gives roundness to go with the tight mineral complexity.——R.V.(12/15/2009)—— 93