Prats & Symington 'Post Scriptum de Chryseia' 2021
The Symington’s are a family of British and Portuguese origin that has lived and worked in Portugal since the 19th century. Their family business - now run by the 4th and 5th generation - is founded on a deep commitment to Portugal's people, its lands and its wines. Today there are 10 family members working across the business, committed to producing the finest ports and wines and building on the achievements of the previous generations.
They own and run four of the leading port houses, Graham's, Dow's, Warre's, and Cockburn's, as well as a portfolio of Douro wines consisting of Quinta do Vesuvio, Quinta do Ataíde, Altano, and Prats & Symington. Additionally, they have recently launched a new project, Quinta da Fonte Souto, in the Alto Alentejo sub-region of Portalegre.
The Douro is the world’s largest area of mountain vineyard and a Unesco World Heritage site. The vines are planted on steeply terraced hillsides and much vineyard work continues to be done by hand - an increasing rarity in the world’s great wine regions. These indigenous vines provide low yields of very high quality grapes, due to their natural adaptation to the climate and the well-draining schistous soils.
In 1999 the Symington family formed a partnership with the Prats family of Bordeaux to unite their skills to reimagine the style of Douro DOC wines. Their vision was to demonstrate that the Douro Valley can produce not just great ports, but great dry red wines too. Prats & Symington wines are made at one of the Douro’s greatest estates, the beautiful Quinta de Roriz. This historic vineyard dates from 1565 and has long been famous for the quality of its wines. The 42-hectare Roriz vineyard is complemented by the 23-ha Quinta da Perdiz in the neighboring Rio Torto valley.
Made from a second selection of the vines which produces their famed ‘Chryseia’ (the first Portuguese non-fortified wine to make the Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 Wines), ‘Post Scriptum de Chryseia’ is characterized by upfront fruit and soft tannins with finesse and balance. It is lightly oaked and more approachable than ‘Chryseia’ at a younger age.
Suitable for Vegans. Certified B Corp.
The grapes are sorted by hand before undergoing destemming and an automated berry selection process. They are then gently crushed before being transferred to the fermentation vats where they are inoculated with a specially selected yeast culture and fermented at 77F. During fermentation, the wines are gently macerated in order to produce an earlier drinking wine but with the ability to mature in bottle.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Varietal Composition | 45% Touriga Nacional, 33% Touriga Franca, 8% Tinta Barroca, 8% Tinta Roriz, 3% Sousão, 3% Tinto Cão |
| Acid | 5.6 g/L |
| Alcohol | 14.00% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Country of Origin | PORTUGAL |
| State of Origin | N/A |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
Post Scriptum is a luscious beauty in 2021. The cool, zesty concentration of fruit and tannins builds this wine’s depth of flavor: Meaty, savory, then bright, with the sunniness of a ripe Douro fig. There’s sweetness to the mineral frame, melding the tannins into the fruit so the sensation is mouthwatering. A generous young Douro, it keeps giving for more than a minute after each taste. - Wine & Spirits, 94 pts
A twist of oyster sauce, stones, violet extract and tar to the blackberries, black cherries and grilled pepper spices. Medium to full body with firm, nicely chewy tannins that lead to a sleek, medium-long finish. Ripe but also fresh. - James Suckling, 92 pts
From Quinta de Roriz in the Douro, this wine is the second wine of Chryseia. Made by the partnership between the Prats and Symington families, the wine has elegance to balance its richness. It is full of black currant fruits, ripe tannins and with a fine future. - Wine Enthusiast, 92 pts
