2015 Honore

The 2015 Honore (not to be confused with the Very Old Tawny Port) is a new Douro venture for Crasto. It was aged for 20 months in new barriques (92% French, the rest American) and comes in at 14.5% alcohol. It is made only in magnum, to which the price applies. As background, Crasto has some 42 separate plots and/or vineyards that are part of its estate. That's typically what makes up the Reserva Old Vines, with deletions for underperformers in a given year. The 2015, for instance, had 38 of the 42 plots used in the Reserva Old Vines (two deleted for poor performance, plus both Vinha da Ponte and Maria Teresa were bottled separately). Crasto, of course, is known for bottling Vinha da Ponte and Maria Teresa as single-plot offerings in appropriate years. In other years, they may be part of the Reserva Old Vines. In this new and unusual bottling, Crasto takes its very old Ponte and Maria Teresa vines and blends them together, with no other vineyard sources allowed (the opposite of the Reserva Old Vines' blending philosophy, which uses most of the 42 plots in most years). From centenarian vines, this is mostly sourced from Maria Teresa (71%) with the rest from Vinha da Ponte. It may seem curious, or it may just be a tribute to the concept of blending, but to me this is better than either the 2015 Maria Teresa or 2015 Vinha da Ponte separately. All three have wonderful structure and fine depth. The Maria Teresa has its typical sexy and lively personality, while the Ponte broods, showing off great depth and power. The difference with Honore is nuance—this is far more complex, the two vineyards creating a different flavor profile and different personality. The big sexy fruit of the Maria Teresa is cut by the Ponte and becomes more plum-like. The wine becomes a bit more stern too, while still seeming far more expressive than the Ponte by itself. In sum, this seems pretty special. From magnum, it should be a long-term wine, perhaps longer than anticipated. With double decanting for some six hours, this drank surprisingly well when I saw it, but it otherwise needs a few years in the cellar. The tannins are very well managed, but there is plenty of power here. Then, factor in the magnum format. Given the cost and rarity, I wouldn't open it before 2025, when it might show better development. (From magnum, it might also be evolving at a snail's pace.) Overall, it is pretty brilliant. It will be fascinating to see how it develops. There were only 1,615 magnums produced, which no doubt accounts for some of the hefty price. It is fair to note that the "suggested" 750-milliliter price of a Maria Teresa is $160 per bottle, which means this magnum is about triple what 1.5 liters of either component would normally cost. It's unique, great and rare, but you'll have to be price-insensitive.