Vintage Port

The Quinta de la Rosa Estate Tinto is made with traditional Port varieties: Touriga Nacional (60%), Touriga Franca (12%), Tinta Roriz (known in Spain as Tempranillo, 8%) with 5% Sousão and the rest a mixed field blend. The gentle extraction of tannins and careful use of oak create a well-structured, yet highly approachable style. A deep concentrated core of plum, bramble and black cherry fruit is matched with notes of wild herbs and a cooling mineral streak (think pencil shavings), representative of the Douro’s schist terraces. Despite the extreme heat of 2017, this wine maintains its refreshing acidity. Try it with anything from cheeses to vegetarian chilli or robust fish, such as tuna or monkfish. Drink now to 2024.
Lucy Bland, Buying Assistant (December 2019)

Low-yielding old vines have produced a full-bodied, finely structured wine. With scents of eucalyptus and mint overlaying the fruit, the 1997 is more powerful and assertive than the 1994 and would repay a longer cellaring. With oak notes and fruit harmoniously integrated, this has everything one could ask for from a Vintage Port of the highest quality.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

Top class. Showing well at the MW tasting and then very high marks at Fells' tasting. Interesting nose, touch of tar and liquorice, whiff of honeycomb; lean yet fleshy, very good flavour and finish.
(Michael Broadbent MW - Vintage Wine)

Plums, figs and strawberries vie for attention on the nose of this accomplished wine. Gould Campbell has made a rich, opulent Port to celebrate their bicentenary. With plenty of power and hints of spice and pepper, this beautifully-textured wine is sweet and velvety with a powerful, assertive finish. Drink now to 2025.

We have again worked with the Symingtons to craft our Vintage Port. The 2016 vintage was de¬ned by freshness and elegance. Our example has an intense nose full of red and black fruit, coupled with fresh blood orange zest. The palate is lively and bright with both blackberry and blueberry fruit coming to the fore, and a hint of sweet raspberries behind. The typical herbal notes of the Douro are in evidence with touches of sweet spice. The palate culminates in a long, lingering ¬finish. The tannins are very clearly present, yet are smooth and exceptionally fi¬ne. This is a highly attractive, elegant Vintage Port with depth and character. Drink 2026-2048.
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer

A medium to light style. Well structured, elegant, displaying ample fruit and tannins. Not one of the powerhouses but a delicious port for drinking in the medium term.

The reclaimed, albeit not in the sense of being rescued from the River Douro, Quinta dos Canias, is now in the expert hands of the Symington team. One of the great properties of the last century (I missed last year’s vertical where, apparently, the 1908 triumphed as primes inter pares) Cockburn now has its second declared outing under the new ownership, and leaves the taster with little to declare, other than high praise for the genius of Mr Charles Symington.
 
For a family who make so many wines, the points of difference, the nuances of excellence, are key. Cockburn is a good example, as it is dominated by forward primary fruit, most of it red rather than black. There is a joyful almost tropical mouthfeel, but no shortage of definition and finesse. It is the most feminine member of the family and therefore one of the most teasingly complex. 
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer


In Cockburn, Symington Family Estates have awakened a sleeping giant. Up until the 60s, Cockburn’s Vintage Ports were considered amongst the very finest, a wonderful Port house, blessed with some of the best vineyards in the Douro. Now into the second year of Symington ownership, the focus upon quality has been re-kindled.

The fruit is supremely attractive; concentrated but cool, pure cherry and dark red fruit sits alongside spicy notes of cinnamon and clove. A generous structure fills the mouth but the freshness and precision is the talking point here. There is impeccable balance and integration and the finish is very, very long. This is one of the most refined wines within this Declaration.
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager

This 2004 is, in our opinion, Quinta de la Rosa’s finest vintage Port of that decade. It is elegant and exquisitely fresh, laden with crunchy yet succulent dark berry fruits allied to a complex savoury character. Some Ports of this style are too rich to enjoy more than one glass; this, however, has impressive balance and just the perfect structure to complement, rather than conflict with a moreish morsel of cheese.

The 2016 Vintage Ports have finally hit the market. Cockburn is one of the great historic properties in the Douro Valley, which is now part of the Symington portfolio (along with Graham’s, Dow’s and Warre’s and more). The 2016 Cockburn is 62 percent Touriga Nacional, 21 percent Touriga Franca, nine percent Sousão and eight percent Alicante Bouschet, predominately hillside grapes from the family’s Quinta dos Canais vineyard, which has been the backbone of Cockburn Vintage Port for over 100 years. The nose on the 2016 shows fragrant red and black fruit, wild flowers, clove, ginger and spice. The palate offers extracted red fruits with layers of spice and a lovely acidity throughout. Very dry and complex with incredible length, hide this away somewhere dark and look at it again in at least 10 years. Drink 2028-50.
Mike Jordan, Private Account Manager

Dirk Niepoort's 1997 is a triumph. Vinified traditionally at their showpiece estate, Quinta do Passadouro, and including unusual varieties such as Tinta Amarela, the wine is intense and beautifully concentrated. Copious levels of sweet black fruits on the nose lead to a fruit-basket of flavours on the palate, supported by silky-soft tannins and an opulently sweet finish.

Most of the wines made under this name are enjoyed by the French as an apéritif – France is, after all, Port’s biggest market. The Symingtons own the brand and it is when vintages are declared that it comes into its own, as these are tight, sturdy wines that love to age. Vintage Port of this quality and at these prices is in fact among the best-value wines in the world. It really is sound advice to squirrel away stocks of their Vintage Ports for eventual pleasure.

The opaque colour of this grand-looking Port heralds a fabulous wine with an evolved oaky nose, and lashings of black fruit and chocolate, all supported by a luxurious sweetness and firm structure.

It’s well known that the Symington stable was in fine form for the 1980 Vintage, a declaration overshadowed by 1977 but one that has provided well balanced, charming and very enjoyable wines.  Quarles Harris is one of the Symington’s second string, but along with Smith Woodhouse and Gould Campbell, should never be overlooked.    Drinking at its best now-2015.
(Tom Cave - Cellar Plan Manager - 28-Nov-2012)

Owned by French conglomerate AXA, there’s always a dash of Gallic flair in Noval’s exceptional Vintage Ports, and the 2017 looks to be another sensational wine. Unflustered, no elements leap out on tasting; it takes its own time to reveal a superb array of firm fruits with hints of herbs and tobacco, before reaching its zenith. Beautifully balanced, suave, chic and classy, this is a triumph for this wonderful estate which continues to thrive under the management of that most urbane Englishman, Christian Seely. Drink 2032-2052.
Tom Cave, Customer Private Reserves Manager

With dark, spicy, rich and intriguing fruit on the nose, there is so much there, and it’s so complex. Fabulous on the palate, it’s expansive and fascinating – fine, elegant and intricate, with rich and spicy black and red fruit. Crisp acidity keeps the fruit in check and very fine tannins bring it all together. A very impressive Fonseca. Drink 2030-2050+.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

Quinta dos Malvedos is, as usual, the principle shareholder of the five Quintas that make up this outstanding Graham. The extraordinary selection process has only allowed 9% of potential production from these exemplary properties to make the cut, explaining both the reduced production of 131 pipes (8,000 cases) and the incredible quality of the result.

Touriga Nacional makes up 40% of the blend and lends characteristic pot pourri aromas and ripe dark fruit definition. The later ripening Touriga Franca has performed especially well this year, ensuring mid-palate definition and real precision on the finish. The 2011 is particularly successful for me as it maintains all the hall-mark Graham generosity and fleshy richness, yet seems to have even more depth and more cerebral intent than usual.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer


A soaring nose of blackberry, ripe cherry, prune, plum, violet, charcoal, blueberry, cassis, flint and crushed rock (the list goes on) sweeps through the palate with elegance and power in equal measure. A fruit-filled finish with very fine tannins completes the whole. This is charming.
Hamish Orr-Ewing, Private Account Manager

There is an inviting freshness on the nose of 2016 Taylor’s which bodes for an elegant style of Vintage Port. There is no lack of fruit, however, on the palate, which brims with sweet, ripe blackberries and a gentle hint of lavender. There are herbal notes here too, mixing with the floral, all balanced beautifully with a very fine, bright citrussy acidity and a lovely touch of pink grapefruit. The sophistication of this wine is underpinned by earthy, grainy tannins and a harmonious finish that just goes on and on. Very impressive indeed. Drink 2030-2050+. Catriona Felstead MW, Buyer

Taylor's is one of the most well known of all Port brands. The first Taylor joined in 1816, followed later by a Fladgate and a Yeatman. Taylor’s is the only Port shipper to remain completely independent throughout its history. British ownership continues to this day. The wines are typically closed and austere when young; it is only with adequate ageing that they loosen up and offer their subliminal qualities. They are worth waiting for, though.

With a beautiful, rich and complex nose, on the palate this is quite dry. There is a serious juxtaposition of the ripe and dried fruits with expansive tannins. This has challenging, layered flavours and the promise of longevity. Very expressive and powerful Port.

The 2016 is by no means a shrinking violet, yet shows a reassured and restrained class – and, above all, finesse and elegance. The wine has a luxurious texture, a light sweetness, an array of delicious fruit flavours which finishes with a savoury touch. This is a keeper, and a tour de force from one of Vintage Port’s greatest houses. Drink 2028-60. Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager

This has a superb nose of rich, ripe berry fruit with the typical slightly austere and firm reserve of Dow. Analytically drier than usual, it is still blessed with dense fruit on the palate, a magnificent structure, weight and impressively long finish. On this showing, Dow is a strong candidate for wine of the vintage.

Taylors have triumphed with their 1997. Even by their standards, this is an exceptional effort. The nose is extraordinarily elegant; a taut tapestry of the sweet and the savoury. Finesse on the palate ensures a completely harmonious integration of sweetness, alcohol and fruit with tight-knit tannins and a real intensity on the finish that emphasises the quality of this Port with measured authority. For many this is the wine of the vintage.