TASTING NOTE
Colour
Clean and bright Red color with ruby reflections of great intensity. High layer. Very nice to look at.
AROMA:
Nose with very good intensity and complexity, where aromas of fresh and elegant fruits are developed, and everything perfectly balanced with some balsamic aromas that together make it an organoleptic experience.
TASTE:
From the outset you are seduced by an enveloping palate that evolves into a serious and attractive wine with strong and textured tannins. And with a fresh, long and persistent finish. It is a wine that expresses the essence of Vinha Maria Teresa's unique terroir.
WHO CAN CONTRACT
Vinha Maria Teresa was named after the first granddaughter of Constantino de Almeida (the founder of Quinta do Crasto). It is a century-old plot of vineyards and one of the oldest on the estate. Located on the eastern slope of the property, at an extremely low altitude near the Douro River, it is planted in dry stone terraces or socalcos that have excellent sun exposure. The 4.5 hectares occupied by Vinha María Teresa are amazing in natural beauty and, above all, in the incomparable qualities of their old vines.
More than 100 years ago, wine producers throughout the Douro region would plant a blend of almost any grape variety they had on hand, as they intended to produce Port wine, which has the peculiar characteristic of using a blend of many different varieties. That is why this plot ended with many varieties mixed at random.
In 2013, due to the advanced age of the Vinha María Teresa, Quinta do Crasto began the genetic mapping of each variety. The idea was to replace some of the dead vines with genetically identical varieties so that they could perpetuate the terroir and field mix of such a unique plot. Quinta do Crasto, in collaboration with the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), developed a project called PatGen Vineyards, which seeks to identify all the varieties that make up the Vinha Maria Teresa. To date, 49 different varieties have been identified, including four varieties of white grapes and one unknown red grape variety, that is, one that has not yet been matched.
A vine of one hundred years in a plot like Vinha Maria Teresa will have an extremely low productive capacity and will never be able to produce the same yields as a new vine. The roots in the Vinha María Teresa extend to dozens of meters deep where the shale soils penetrate in search of water and nutrients. This increases the competition between the different vines and helps to improve the productive capacity of each plant. However, the average annual production of each vine in the Vinha Maria Teresa is around 300 g.
Taking advantage of the low yield of these old vines, the Quinta do Crasto winemaking team has managed to produce a world-class wine, complex, full of character and able to age in the bottle over the next few years.
The grapes from the plot of Vinha Maria Teresa are destined to the production of the Quinta do Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas wine. However, in exceptional years, these grapes are used to produce the only vineyard wine that shares the name of the plot: Quinta do Crasto Vinha María Teresa. In these special years, between 2,000 and 8,000 bottles are produced, depending on how exceptional the year is. The record production of the Quinta do Crasto Vinha María Teresa wine took place in 2007, when 8,001 bottles of this special wine were produced.
Vineyards such as the Vinha Maria Teresa are what make Douro wines so special and so appreciated all over the world. This treasure, these unique characteristics of the Douro vineyards, make this emblematic farm an example of the cultural heritage that belongs to us all. That is why it is so important to protect and safeguard this legacy for the enjoyment of future generations.
