Croft Roeda Serikos Vintage 2017

Serikos means ‘silky’ in Greek, and this is Croft’s first super-premium vintage from the oldest vines at Quinta da Roêda, planted between 1889 and 1900 in the wake of phylloxera. It's deep in hue with ripe but gentle minty fruit, a touch herbal too, with a hint of rose petal. The palate is so sweet and succulent that the tannins are almost hidden but they are most certainly there, fine-grained with lovely minty, herbal freshness mid-palate and on to the mouthwateringly fresh finish. It's not particularly big but is supremely elegant.

The maiden 2017 Serikos from Croft comes from the oldest vines located in Quinta da Roêda. The name refers to the quinta's involvement in silk production and the texture of the wine. It was picked from August 31 and was notable for the density of its musts from the thick-skinned grapes. Almost opaque in colour, it has a spellbinding bouquet of intense blackcurrant, crushed violet petals and later, star anis and camphor. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannin, a silver bead of acidity that slices through the multi-layered, intense black fruit laced with white pepper and sage. This is endowed with unerring symmetry, predictably a silky texture and outstanding crispiness towards the never-ending finish. Regal. Total production is 2,425 bottles.