Quinta do Crasto LBV Port 2014 Douro, Portugal 75cl

Quinta do Crasto sits on one of the Douro’s most celebrated bends of the river, an estate as respected for its Ports as for its table wines. This Late Bottled Vintage comes from the Roquette family’s steep schist terraces, farmed for the ripe, concentrated fruit that fortified wine demands and vinified in the traditional Port style.

A Late Bottled Vintage, or LBV, is drawn from a single strong year and then aged longer in barrel than a Vintage Port before bottling, typically four to six years. That extra time rounds the tannins and opens the wine, so it is ready to enjoy on release without the long cellar wait a classic Vintage Port asks for.

This is the 2014 harvest, matured in wood and bottled as a single-year Port. It offers the richness of a good Douro year in a more immediate, welcoming form, and it makes an easy introduction to the estate’s fortified wines.

Expect a deep, glossy red with ripe black fruit, cocoa and warm spice, a full sweet palate and an approachable structure that stays fresh through the finish. The fortification gives weight and warmth without heaviness, and the balance keeps it from feeling cloying.

LBV is the friendly face of Vintage Port, ideal for a midweek treat as much as a special close to a meal. Serve it lightly cool, and pour it with dark chocolate desserts, a mince pie or a wedge of Stilton. If you love Port but want something ready to drink now, this is the natural choice.