The fruit for Croft Distinction is sourced in the traditional way, from the highest-quality individual growers in the Douro Valley, where the varying altitude and aspect of the vineyards creates the potential for a complex wine of great character. In the winery, the newly developed, robotic “Port Toes” technology for treading allows the winery to maximize the quality of the fruit by imitating the traditional action of human feet and avoiding damage to the bitter grape seeds. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. This vintage-character Porto is blended from wines aged for three to four years in neutral oak barrels to achieve greater complexity than in younger wines.
This deep ruby-colored wine offers ripe, jammy aromas of raisins and black plums leading to youthful black fruit flavors on the palate. The wine is sweet and full-bodied with medium tannins. Well structured and balanced, it has excellent length.