Chryseia 2017 was made with the finest grapes from Prats & Symington’s own Douro Valley vineyards, Quinta de Roriz and Quinta da Perdiz. As with all previous Chryseia wines, Quinta da Vila Velha, owned by James and Rupert Symington and which neighbours Quinta de Roriz, also contributed for the blend.
2017 was the second driest year in the Douro and easily the hottest of the last four decades. The dry, mild winter was followed by the three crucial spring months – March, April and May – that were warmer than average. The precocity of the year’s vegetative cycle resulted in the earliest vintage ever recorded; picking starting on the 28th of August, and finished on the 20th. Fortunately, the heat abated a little during September, especially nocturnal temperatures, which created a beneficial situation reflected in the high quality of the grapes received in the winery. The outcome of the vintage surpassed all expectations.
Reviews
CELLAR SELECTION
Produced for 20 years, this wine has become an iconic example of the power of great Douro red wines. The latest vintage is, as always, densely impressive, powered by dark tannins and black-plum fruits. Its dry core marks it out as a wine for long-term aging.
Dark cherries, spiced plums, dried flowers, sweet tobacco, cedar, mocha and slate. It's full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Plush, velvety texture and a deep core of ripe, dark fruit. Chewy, polished and generous. 75% touriga nacional and 25% touriga franca.
This shows intense fruit, but the calling card here will be its finesse and focus. It is a beautifully crafted wine. Very precise, this has a long and tight finish. The aromatic fruit is in need of some development, and this really needs cellaring for a couple of years. With aeration, it does become more expressive
Powerful and refined, with polished tannins enveloping the red plum reduction and kirsch flavors, interwoven with vanilla, baking spice and dried floral details. Brooding undertones of vivid mineral, espresso and toast round out the lengthy finish. Needs a little time to unwind.
This is a lithe and elegant vintage of Chryseia, a blend of touriga nacional and touriga franca from three estates—Quinta de Roriz and Perdiz, owned by the Prats & Symington partnership, and Vila Vela, owned by Rupert Symington and his mother, Penny. It’s firmly structured, the heat of the vintage channeled into scents of dried currants and cranberries, lasting on the spicy floral notes of grape-skin tannins.