PRATS & SYMINGTON CHRYSEIA
DOURO, PORTUGAL 2020
When Bruno Prats, owner of the famed Château Cos-d’Estournel in Bordeaux, partnered with the legendary Symington family in Portugal's Douro Valley, it was instant magic. As Wine Spectator wrote, the joining of forces modulates "the power of the Douro's fruit with a Bordelaise finesse."
The duo's powerhouse red, Chryseia Douro, has had quite a run of it of late. And the 2020 vintage — which we are fortunate to have obtained a small allocation of -- may well be the best of a recent stellar stretch.
Wine Enthusiast again awarded it 96 points and wrote "the wine is a stylish projection of rich black fruits and still youthful tannins. It has great potential.” This, on the heels of the 2019 vintage landing in Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2022 and the 2018 vintage landing 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
In short, collectors, this is a wine to invest in, with many handsome dividends awaiting you down the road.
What impressed us, most of all, in our recent tasting was how foundationally solid it is. When we talk about houses, we speak of good bones — a house built the right way, that is, with a proper base, and using the best materials. Well, this is a wine with good bones, starting, as all great wines must, with the vines.
The Symington family vineyards are sustainably managed with minimum intervention, and they maintain the largest area of organic vineyard in northern Portugal. The sites that contributed to this wine are Quinta de Roriz & and Quinta da Perdiz — unique patches of earth with growing conditions that are ideal for the production of high-quality wine. No herbicides are used (or needed), and the dryness of the micro-climate limits competing (and potentially damaging) vegetation.
That terroir is not simply present in their wines — it’s honored.
A blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, the 2020 aged for 15 months in French oak, and — true to the winery's mission – low yields resulted in a high quality harvest.
Wines of the Douro often lead with their size, but here again we see the influence of Prats: for all its heft, it seduces with its freshness, silkiness, and soft tannins.
We can extend special Concierge Family pricing for the next week, so take advantage of this prime opportunity to stock your cellar with a powerful, crowd-pleasing red that is only going to get better and better over time.
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Winter 2023 (Dec. 21st - Mar. 20th, 2024). All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in KS, MI, NY, or TN. This offer is for ONE WEEK, or until sold out, and will expire on Sunday, November 5th, 2023.
