2014 Vinha da Ponte

The 2014 Vinha da Ponte (there will be no Maria Teresa this year) was aged for 20 months in new French oak. This was bottled in October 2016 and tasted in late January--so, it had a chance to show well (which it did), but it should still evolve nicely. It was opened about three hours in advance of tasting. This is Crasto's best wine in this vintage, which is not to say it doesn't show some of the effects of the vintage. It lacks a bit of its normal density and richness. It replaces that, however, with a startlingly fresh and focused feel. Bright, sharp and crisp, almost to the point of showing a hint of lemon on the finish, this has very lifted fruit for this bottling, but it is neither particularly fruity nor flavorful. It's not exactly Baga, but it is a bit atypical this year. For structure, this is also the easy winner in the lineup--nothing shows more power. For all of that, it is very accessible. In the context of this vintage, this is a wonderful Ponte, a fine achievement from the winemaker in an off year. If it doesn't always seem like classic Ponte, to be sure, it does some things extremely well and it should have plenty of fans. It will certainly hold pretty decently, too. What it needs to show in the cellar, however, is some capacity to improve, some ability to become something more. There, I have some questions it will have to answer over the next decade. Let's be conservative in evaluation just now. It may be entitled to an uptick in time.