Croft Vintage Port 2003

Winter is on its way out in Scotland, the weather having suddenly turned during the course of the last week. The spring equinox is already more than a week behind us, the clocks have moved forward, and the evenings are suddenly lighter and longer. This means no more wintry nights, huddled around the coal fire for light and for warmth. No more lardy cakes, to keep the energy levels topped up and the shivering at bay. And no more bottles of vintage Port, plucked from the depths of the cellar, treasured for the sweet and warming glow they bring to your very core.

Well, actually, maybe I can squeeze in just one last bottle.

Croft is not my usual destination when I head to the Douro. Perhaps reflecting the wines I drank most as a student (yes, really), which was largely driven by what my local Oddbins stocked, I have always leant towards the Symington Family Estates of Dow’s, Warre’s and Graham’s first and foremost, then occasionally dipping into the world of Taylor’s or Fonseca when the mood took me. Nevertheless, when some 2003 Vintage Port from Croft came my way a little while ago I found myself, being aware of this house’s resurgence in recent years, unable to resist.

As I suspect most seasoned Port drinkers already know, Croft is one of the very oldest Port houses, and it was for many years also one of the Port trade’s most respected names. Established in 1678, it started out under the name Phayre & Bradley, the name changing in subsequent years as old partners shuffled on, and new ones joined. The name that stuck relates to a John Croft who threw his lot in with the firm in 1736. By the 19th century Croft was one of the four largest shippers, a position which was reinforced when it acquired the Quinta da Roêda in 1875. This highly regarded vineyard remains the jewel in the Croft crown even today, and is the source of its best fruit, thereby forming the backbone of the firm’s vintage Ports, including this 2003.

The 20th century was less kind to Croft, as it was absorbed into other larger conglomerate businesses, ending up as one drop in the Diageo ocean, clinging on for dear life alongside another old name, Delaforce. Quality tumbled at this time. Croft had a history of turning out great wines during the 1950s and 1960s, but the wines made under Diageo during the decades that followed were poor in comparison, and the name of Croft was tarnished. It was in need of rescue, and help came in 2001 when both Croft and Delaforce were acquired by the Fladgate Partnership, which already owned Taylor’s and Fonseca. Since then the winemaking has been overseen by David Guimaraens, a name to be reckoned with in the trade; quality immediately began to climb.

The 2003 vintage was a successful one for the Douro’s top estates, despite extreme heat at times, particularly during mid-June, late July and early August. Thankfully the groundwater level was good, and the vines largely coped, with only the younger vines struggling in the dry conditions. The harvest was rich, dark and concentrated, and the grapes were trod with care, for a brief period of time, to limit the extraction. Here at Croft this took place within the house’s cellars, built during the 1970s, the old lagares having been restored to their former glory by Guimaraens following the takeover; it was the first vintage to be trodden by foot at Croft since 1963.

Quality was very good across the board, and two years later – in 2005 – a broad declaration for Vintage Port was made. Twenty years later and I just pulled the cork on the first of a half-case (words which reflect the fact I still remember a time when a case was twelve bottles).

In the glass the 2003 Vintage Port from Croft displays an opaque, black-violet core, surrounded by a broad and ruby-red rim. The nose seems eager to please, with seams of blackberry and currant, spiced with noes of coffee bean, dark chocolate and smoke. This is followed by a texturally confident palate, immediately spicy and peppery, before the midpalate fills out with layer upon layer of spiced black cherries and plum jam, chocolate, toast and currant, with a sweet density, persisting through to a warm, dense and peppery finish. This feels deliciously coherent and polished, with piles of energy for such a hot vintage, even if that does come through in the dark density of the fruit and the palate’s confident grip. Deliciously pure, textural and confident, this is very good for drinking now, but it should be fine for another decade or two, or maybe three, in the cellar. Drink or hold. The alcohol declared on the label is 20.5%. 93/100 (31/3/25)

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