The 2003 “Vinha Maria Teresa” is the latest version of this special bottling. The fruit here is a little closed on opening, but with air it goes from closed to simply stunning and utterly delicious. It is sweet and fragrant, chock full of beautiful fruit and full bodied. The succulent fruit has a certain raspberry note turning to black cherry in the background. The tannins keep emerging with aeration, demonstrating this wine’s ageworthy nature and providing considerable grip on the finish. As it wakes up, it becomes rather piercing, penetrating and pointed in the mid-palate, then the fruit begins to expand and the flavors become ever more exuberant. The deft hand with the tannins provides support and firmness without being overbearing. This was simply beautiful on Day 1, and it was vibrant the next day as well, although it took a long while to soften even then and become more harmonious. There were times early on when it seemed a bit disjointed and a little heady, but this ultimately resolved beautifully, so well, in fact, that it might just be the pick of the litter. Although I think that this will cellar well, I’d hate to lose that gloriously sweet fruit with age. I’d suggest drinking some early and holding some, but given the small production levels, most people won’t get much of this. Take comfort in knowing that no decision will be really wrong. It could use a couple of years to pull together. Drink 2009-2023. This old, historic estate, owned by the Roquette family, is on everyone’s short list for the designation “best dry wine producer in Portugal,” and with good reason. This is one of the estates that turbo-charged the dry red revolution in modern Portugal. As befits a standard bearer, they go from strength to strength and their wines are in high demand. Even their off-vintage wines are good, while their upper level “good vintage” wines are some of the most sought after in Portugal, and some of the most distinguished the country has to offer. The Roquettes’ exciting new joint venture with Jean-Michel Cazes (of Chateau Lynch Bages) is another feather in their caps. It is separately listed under “Roquette e Cazes.” The lineup from Quinta do Crasto was probably the most impressive that I tasted, from top to bottom, when I was in Portugal. (The wines reviewed here, as with almost everything in this report, were retasted from bottle under controlled conditions in the USA.) If there is a downside, it is the obvious one – the wines are pretty pricey, a function of prestige and, sometimes, scarcity.Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 931-1725

Dark, dense and concentrated, with power and elegance. But somehow this complex wine also shows restraint and style. It has much to do with the pure richness of the fruit (from 90-year-old vines) as the acidity which lifts and restrains the power.——R.V.(9/1/2007)—— 94