The 2006 TINTO continues a downward trend with this wine, which, until recently, was Crasto’s entry level red. The overachieving 2003 was awfully good, and an excellent value in the lineup. I also had the ’04 at the winery, which for some reason did not make it into the USA, and it was rather fine, too. The 2005 was a notable step back. That year, Crasto began using fruit from outside the Quinta proper, thus denominating this wine as just “Crasto,” indicating only the name of the winery rather than “Quinta do Crasto,” which is a vineyard/terroir indicator as well. Whether it was the new vineyard sources, or just a lesser vintage, or a combination of the two, the 2005 was not as interesting as its near predecessors. 2006 does not look to be a great Douro vintage, so, in fairness, it is no surprise that this bottling does not right itself in this year. The good news is that it is rather tasty, with easygoing, grapey fruit that is kind of fun. It is soft, a bit hollow and short, however. There is not much structure here, either. It is not a bad wine, and in fact may be a reasonably commendable effort in the vintage for a lower level wine in a questionable year, but at least at the moment, it is no longer the bargain it was in Crasto’s lineup. Drink now-2011. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, Ca.; (415) 931-1725.
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