Croft 1982
I have a strange soft spot for the 1982 vintage. It was the summer that I was properly introduced to the Douro, spending a month in the region researching my undergraduate dissertation on vineyard micro-climate. I also recall reading Brideshead Revisted among the vines with a glass of chilled tawny so I associate it with a certain about of youthful decadence! Although a handful of shippers declared 1982, the year never had the makings of a great vintage and in general the wines are soft, sweet and raisiny reflecting the heat of August and early September.