Review: Prats + Symington 2024 Post Scriptum and 2023 Chryseia

Prats + Symington has been making dry table wines in the Duoro Valley for decades — unique because this region is known mostly for producing Port grapes. While we’ve seen its Post Scriptum release on many occasions (the Quinta de Roriz branding is no longer present), this is our first look at Chryseia, the winery’s flagship release (and a frequent award-winner for the brand). Wines are aged in larger barrels and feature Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz grapes in proportions that change every year.

We tasted both of the most recent vintages of these wines in a rare online tasting that featured the quartet of Florent Prats, Bruno Prats, Anthony Symington, and Rupert Symington.

2024 Prats + Symington Post Scriptum Duoro DOC Review

52% Touriga Nacional, 38% Touriga Franca, 7% Tinta Roriz, 3% Tinta Barroca. Surprisingly rich and a bit raisiny on the nose, this sets itself up to showcase a dense drinking experience that would serve as a clever companion to Port. Turns out that’s not quite the case. On the palate, the wine shows a tighter grain that’s quite youthful and still developing. Notes of anise and gingerbread are heavy against a backdrop of very tart cherry and tea leaf notes, with touches of aromatic menthol developing with time in glass. Nevertheless, the 2024 is more balanced than I’ve seen from previous vintages, and a bit of air time helps it open up nicely. B+ / $26

2023 Prats + Symington Chryseia Douro DOC Review

72% Touriga Nacional, 28% Touriga Franca. A considerably more elegant experience than Post Scriptum, this wine is supple from start to finish, light-handed with both its tannins and fruit, plumped up with cherry and plum notes that eschew any sense of pruny density. Gentle oak, a sprinkle of cloves, and a burst of chocolate sauce give the wine a bracing quality — and far more complexity than I thought possible. An hour after popping the cork, I was still picking out new flavors — brambly blackberries, coconut husk, a light slick of ashy blackstrap molasses — en route to a soothing and refined finish. Delightfully structured with just the right amount of grit, it’s wholly deserving of its reputation as one of the best table wines the Duoro has produced to date. A / $125

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