Vintage Port

Fonseca is always the fleshier, more exuberant of the main Houses and nowhere is this more clearly seen than in 2016. Rich and sweet, overflowing with pure blackberry fruit, it is quite something to taste. There is a sumptuousness about this Port which marries well with the evident yet supple tannins of the vintage. This is a noholds-barred, fruit-forward powerhouse which will retain its punch for many years to come. Drink 2028-45+. Catriona Felstead MW, Buyer

When tasting the 2003s for the first time, we kept going back to this wine, as we so often do with Taylor which is surely the most cerebral and complex of all the Vintage Ports. Effortlessly eschewing the excesses of the vintage, 2003 Taylor's Vintage is superb. Dense and inky, with a nose of woodsmoke, cassis, leather and meat, it is richly textured, firmly tannic, with peppery grip and a long, rewarding finish. This is, without doubt, a Vintage Port of the highest quality.

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 2003 Fonseca has a rich, well-defined bouquet of black cherries, aniseed, kirsch and dark chocolate that is heady and seductive. The palate is full-bodied with sweet ripe fig and mulberry notes forming the entry. There is fatness here, a viscosity that coats the mouth, although fortunately there is acidity to keep everything in balance. Warm on the finish, a hint of eau-de-vie lingers after the Port has departed. This is a harlot of a Port, but there is nothing wrong with that once in a while – just not every year! Anticipated maturity: 2035-2060. Tasted May 2013.
Neal Martin -  eRobertParker.com #207 Jun 2013

Sporting an opaque, black-colored robe with dark purple trim, the 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port exhibits a nose of profound depth. Its sweet black mass of dark fruit and spice aromas leads to a character of immense depth, richness, and weight. Full-bodied, viscous, and almost impenetrable, this dense, backward port is powerful and exceptionally long in the finish. Possibly the most masculine Fonseca I’ve ever encountered, it coats the taster’s palate with licorice, jammy black fruits, and notes of chocolate that last for over a minute. This blockbuster will require at least three decades to fully blossom.
Pierre Rovani - Wine Advocate #161 Oct 2005

Fonseca is the Dark Lady to Taylor’s Master and Commander, its feminine charm, courtesy of the Panascal vineyard, evidenced throughout its long life and its tannins characteristically silky and rounded.

Violets, black tea and cassis dominate the aromas, followed by trademark sweetness and tannic elegance on the palate. There are notes of graphite and herbs mid-palate, just to reassure that one is not to be overwhelmed by the sheer generosity of fruit content. The clean, pure finish provides further reassurance, unnecessarily because by this stage of the tasting one is more than satisfied that this is a top class Fonseca, sui generis and built to last.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer


With a lifted, multi-faceted nose of damsons, black cherries, cassis and violet, this is pure and majestically structured, and oozes aristocratic class. The seamless tannins are beautifully integrated and frame the ripe black fruit perfectly. It is superb, and one for the long haul.
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

As always, Taylor's 1985 is among the very best wines of the vintage, with a complex, dense palate which is still evolving and will continue to develop for a further 5 to 20 years. This house must certainly be the Latour of Portugal. Their ports are remarkably backward yet still impressive when young. Of all the vintage ports, those of Taylor need the longest time to mature and even when fully mature seem to have an inner strength and firmness that keep them going for decades.

Seductive an powerful nose with fruit characters of damsons, cherries, and blackcurrants leading on to a lusciously sweet palate displaying creamy black fruits with hints of caramel. Very ripe tannins, marvellous grip and a long powerful and harmonious finish one of the finest Fonsecas of the last 25 years.

Closed and austere when young, it is only with adequate ageing that Taylors sublime qualities come to the fore. This rich, structured Port shows that they are well worth waiting for.

A triptych of vintages underwrite this outstanding wine, each embellishing the ensemble with its own personality, the deep colour and firm acidity of the 1935 complementing the richly honied and hedonistic 1924 and the extraordinary intensity of the 1912 crowning the edifice and ensuring that the whole is far far greater than the sum of its parts.

Poised behind its deep mahogany sheen, with aromatics of the Coffee House in St James's and the post prandial dining rooms of Pall Mall, the wine descants a rich rolling hymn to longevity and extraordinary complexity. Cloves, raisins, dates and elusive spices inform a palate which is a labyrinthine web of effortless contradiction; rich and restrained, intense and ethereal, venerable and yet incredibly fresh. To be celebrated and appreciated in equal measure, with quiet stentorian gratitude.
Simon Field MW - Port Buyer

Three exceptional and rare wines were chosen for the final Graham’s 90 blend described by the Symington family thus: Harvest 1935
The 1935 Tawny Port is a wine of remarkable elegance and beauty with fine acidity which is key to the balance of a wine of this age. This was a year of low yields in the Douro but of great quality, and classic Vintage Ports were made under perfect harvest conditions. Some Port companies declared the 1934 and some the 1935. Both years have proved to have aged superbly well.

The 1935 Vintage is considered by some to be amongst the greatest Ports of the first half of the 20th century. Andrew James Symington wrote at Quinta do Bomfim in the Alto Douro on 14th October 1935: “I am inclined to think that the quality and good colour inspires hope that the 1935 may prove good enough to make a Jubilee vintage – quantity is less than last year – but quality appears to be better.”

The three Symington brothers then working in the family business; Maurice, John and Ronald and their father Andrew James, did not declare this year, but they set aside a small quantity of 1935 Port to age in cask in view of the excellent quality of the best wines and to mark the Jubilee of King George V.

Charles has selected a small parcel of this extraordinary wine for the Graham’s 90.

Harvest 1924
The 1924 Vintage was widely declared by the leading Port houses and the wines have aged exceptionally well over the decades. An unusually cool summer resulted in wines with very good acidity, a hallmark of the year.

Gordon Cosens wrote at Quinta do Bomfim in the Alto Douro on the 10th October 1924: “Weather being fine throughout the gathering. The mostos showed good colour and life. That the '24s will turn out to be better than an ordinary vintage seems to be the general opinion.”

This 1924 Tawny Port originates from Quinta do Bom Retiro Pequeno, a very fine vineyard in the Rio Torto valley that is owned by the Symington family. Matured in cask at the estate until the mid-1960s, this Port was transported down to the Lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia where it has been kept for the last 50 years.

This wine has all the characteristics of Douro ageing, the result of very cold winters and intensely hot summers, with a powerful concentration of richness, honey and toasted coffee and is a perfect foil for the elegant 1935
Harvest 1912
A great classic year in the Douro that followed two legendary vintages, the 1904 and the immortal 1908. Widely declared by the best Port houses, the 1912 vintage Ports were bottled in the spring of 1914, just a few months before the outbreak of hostilities in August of that year. Although it’s early life was marked by the devastation of The Great War, this wine reached maturity in the late 1920s when it came to be recognised as one of the greatest ever Vintage Ports and was often served at fine dinners in the exuberant Roaring Twenties.

Amyas Warre (son of George Warre) wrote at Quinta do Bomfim in the Alto Douro on 23rd September 1912: “The grapes in all the fine vineyards were uniformly ripe and had all been gradually brought to this state of perfection.” This was an historic year for the Symington family as George Warre, whose family had been Port producers since 1729, decided to retire to England in 1912 and proposed a merger of Dow’s with the smaller Port company of Warre’s, the latter being then owned by Andrew James Symington.

Andrew accepted the proposal, initiating a partnership between the two families that was to last until the 1950s when the Warre family sold their remaining shares to the Symingtons. To mark the start of the partnership a small parcel of the 1912 Port was set aside in cask and it is a little of this wine that has been used by Charles in the Graham’s 90 Port.

The 1912 Tawny has extraordinary intensity having passed its centenary a few years ago and Charles  Symington felt that this essence of well-aged Port would complement the elegant freshness of the 1935 Tawny.

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.

Taylor is made from a blend of Quintas Vargellas and Terra Feita with a little addition from Quinta do Junco. It is often the most intellectually satisfying of all of the Vintage Ports and one with the greatest ageing potential. Winemaker David Guimaraens underlines the significance in the rainfall from the previous winter which helped to ensure even ripening, the lack of sunburnt fruit and the inherent integrity of the wine. It has inner strength and stamina, says Managing Director Adrian Bridge, qualities which he particularly values.
 
Seldom, indeed, has the youthful Taylor declaimed so eloquently at such a young age. Forest floor scents, with notes of peat and herbs provide a worthy overture to the symphonic structure to come. The palate is complete and powerful, with taut acidity, youthful energy and layered complexity all confirming the quality of wine and vintage alike.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer


Dark, inky in colour it is immediately obvious that this is a serious glass of Port. On the nose the dark fruits and cassis intermingle with floral notes, particularly violets – something that I normally associate with Fonseca, but it is very welcome here. The palate is rich and full, mouth-coating with blackcurrant, liquorice and spice. It has a big backbone to it and is taut with a real freshness. This is a stunning Vintage Port and one which will, I suspect, age for a very long time indeed.
Matt Tipping, Fine Wine Sales Manager

1966 was a great success in the Douro and, almost, universally declared. Some of the quality of that vintage is suggested in the strength of colour in this very lovely, sensually flavoured wine full of notes of dried figs, raisins and spices, all seamlessly integrated. Many tawny / colheita wines of this age would expect to be paler but the strong colour is mirrored in the wine’s strength and luscious persistence giving it a wholesome attitude. Now fully ready to drink, this would make the centrepiece of any imminent 50th anniversary or, simply, revel in the pleasure of drinking a very fine glass of port.
Tom Cave - Cellar Plan Manager

Quite a delicate yet complex nose of Muscavado sugar, caramel, honeyed walnuts, pine kernels and a twist of citrus all supporting a high-toned raciness. The gentle spice and zesty thread at the core really keeps this 50 year old wine bright and invigorating and perfectly contrasts the mouth-coating viscosity. Evolving as it goes, I picked up hints of coffee, gingerbread and burnt orange along with brown sugar. There was also a gentle bitterness to the finish that reminded me of fresh homemade lemonade and left me reaching for a top up.
Peter Newton - Private Account Manager

Single Harvest Ports are blended wines from a single year which have been judiciously aged in oak casks.
 
The 1966 offers a laudable opportunity to drink and enjoy a fully aged and wonderfully mature Port wine of the aged Tawny / Colheita style.  Having been aged in wood, decanting is not necessary and once the bottle is open the wine will not deteriorate for at least a week.
 
Taylor’s is the most aristocratic of Port shippers and is respected as one of the leading holders of mature Tawny Port.

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.

When we asked Charles Symington, Head Winemaker at Dow, Graham and Warre, to send in samples for our Own Selection from the superb 2011 vintage, he was happy to oblige. After extensive tasting, we concluded the wine made in the style of Graham best captured the essence of this extraordinary year with its precision, purity and power.

The blend is mainly Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz, with a small percentage of Souzão sourced from some of the best vineyards of the Douro Superior. The nose glories in notes of gum cistus and violet, and the palate is beautifully rounded, yet with finely etched tannins on the finish – making this vintage, to my mind, the best since 1994.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Dirk Niepoort's 1994 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. Raspberries and raisins on the nose lead to a fruit-basket of flavours on the palate, supported by silky tannins and a strong sweet finish. Drink 2004-2025

Since the early 1990s, the supremely tranquil Quinta do Noval has been under the careful ownership of AXA (the French Insurance conglomerate with a propensity for owning wine estates, Ch. Pichon Baron and Ch. Suduiraut among them) and the assiduous management of the ever-dapper Englishman, Christian Seely.
Any release from Quinta do Noval is worthy of high respect, and all the more as 2015 was within a whisker of being a generally ‘declared’ vintage.  They have here always followed a path of releasing a Vintage if the quality is there, which it undoubtedly is, regardless of the general trend among the other Port shippers. 

"This is a very fine Vintage Port from Noval; they have crafted themselves an enviable position as one of the finest makers of beautifully finessed, stylish wines that will grace any cellar and make very rewarding drinking over the decades to come.
The quality in the 2015 vintage is undeniably very high and immediately apparent on tasting. Typically dense, yet with elegance as only to be expected from a fine Noval. Dense, dark fruits, nicely concentrated with a whiff of cinnamon that keeps it nimble; the finish is long and reassuringly elegant. Noval always has a touch of French élan about it. Drinking perhaps 2028 and well into the late 2030s."
Tom Cave - Cellar Plan Manager

Still amazingly youthful, and crimsom in colour, leading on to a fresh, rich and cassis laden nose. Medium-full bodied on the palate and still surprisingly tannic. Very ripe and complete with a long and powerful finish. Approachable now but would benefit from further keeping. Definitely one of the best wines of the vintage.

The 2011 Noval displays the hall-mark purity of this House, challenged teasingly by an incredible blue fruit ripeness and rich, peppery finish. Notes of eucalypt, forest floor and violets provide a perfect counterpoint to the sweetness and the tannins, which are firm and resolute, if not yet completely resolved. They will be by, say, 2024 and the wine will continue to evolve gracefully until 2040 and beyond.

The blend is 60% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Francesa and 10% Tinto Cão and, as always, comes from a homogenous plot around the Quinta. Uniform brilliance is the livery here; this is a spectacular Vintage Port.
Simon Field MW, Port Wine Buyer You arrive at the Quinta do Noval by means of a long, sweeping, white-walled, vine-trellised drive that finishes atop the hill where the handsome villa and farm buildings sit very much in the middle of the estate with wonderful views all around.   Here, unlike most Port houses, the wines are from a single 145 hectare ‘Quinta’ and this helps impart a consistency of style to the wines each vintage. Noval’s Vintage Ports, certainly in recent declarations, have a purity and almost lithe-like feel to them, and a polished and cultured charm prevails.  The 2011 starts dense and cool with a plump ripeness preceding firm, discreet tannins – there is some real power here, with aromatic hints joining in to add lift and intrigue.   This is a very refined 2011 that will age gracefully for decades.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager

The 2004 Quinta do Noval Nacional has a show-stopping bouquet that is cut from a completely different cloth than the 2004 Vintage. This is far more extravagant and decadent, with kirsch, camphor, incense and crushed violets exploding from the glass. You might think it was some super Barossa Syrah if you nosed it blind. The palate is intense with penetrating, citrus-fresh black currant and dark-plum fruit. It is has lovely caressing, slightly grainy textured, well-judged acidity and a composed, elegant finish. This is pure class, a hedonistic Nacional surfeit with swagger and style. Drink 2020-2050.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Apr 2014

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)