For well over a century, the grapes produced at Quinta da Roeda have constituted the backbone of Croft’s vintage ports; and, according to Mr. Wiseman, it is possible that Roeda vintage port, bottled as such, first appeared during the 1880s. Fond as I am of the Croft style, I was very much looking forward to this single quinta bottling, which I had never before tasted. In the event, it proved to be a disappointment.
The wine presented well in the glass after an eight-hour decant on 15 April 2020, where its semi-opaque burgundy hues undulated pleasingly around a brown core. The olfactory nerve was offered similarly agreeable stimulation: a rich melange of black cherry, blackberry and rose petals was coupled with a tinge of youthful earthiness. What is more, notes more common to barrel-aged ports were likewise very much in evidence, for instance, walnuts and brown sugar. Indeed, so pronounced were the tawny characteristics, particularly in the hours immediately after the bottle had been decanted, that I found myself wondering whether this bottling had not spent longer than usual in oak. Alas, the wine came to grief at the palate, rendering pointless further thoughtful pondering of this nature. More specifically, the touch of light honey which had been evident on entry was swept away quickly and without mercy by a tsunami of volatile acidity, about which the nose had been afforded no prior warning. In fairness, the acidity ultimately left room for gentle tannins at the back and made for a lengthy finish which numbed the top of the mouth in a not-disagreeable manner. However, the early promise which the wine offered to the nose, only to be ripped away at the mouth in a most cavalier fashion, made for considerable frustration. Whilst certainly better than anything produced by, say, Quinta do Castelinho, this bottle from Quinta da Roeda was suitable – like the Castelinhos – only for consumption under combat conditions on the Eastern Front. Given the long and proud Roeda tradition, one hopes that this tasting note describes nothing more than an outlier.
-87 points