2011 Vintage Port
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2011 Vintage Port - “Almost Unprecedented”
It really was the worst kept secret in the history of Vintage Port Declarations and, as it turned out, several of the Houses could not contain their excitement and launched their wines before the traditional St George’s Day release. At the time of writing the Declaration has been virtually universal with one or two laggards expected to make it a ‘full house’ when they have achieved the necessary authorisations from the relevant vinous authorities in Portugal.
The reason for the enthusiasm was clear from the late summer conditions of the 2011 harvest, all the way through the ensuing months as the wines have been patiently maturing in Gaia, and the plethora of blend (and blind!) tastings over the last couple of months to ensure that those early favourable impressions were not misplaced. Unsurprisingly, they were not, and we have on our hands one of the greatest years, the like of which we only see, if we are really honest, every twenty or twenty-five years. Charles Symington is not, as a rule, given to hyperbole, so I think we can believe him when he writes, “the conditions for ripening and harvesting wines were as good as perfect and almost unprecedented…”
The demarcation line between a good vintage and a great vintage is sometimes hard to identify and often, recalling Thomas Hardy, requires a touch of imperfection to coax its full enigmatic complexity. Too many days of uninterrupted sunshine are unlikely to disappoint, as with 2003, but they may not engender the complexity that marked out 1963 and 1994, for example. 2011 has been lauded from the very beginning because the inherent meteorological tension throughout the growing season proved perfect for a very happy ripening and ideal sugar levels, achieved, as is so often not the case, with a backdrop of phenological ripeness.
The beginning and end of the process are always vital; it was the combination of a high water table bequeathed from the late autumn of 2010 and an uninterrupted Indian summer from 3rd September eight-and-a-half months later that have underwritten the process, and top and tailed 2011 with such aplomb. The tension manifested itself with dramatic hail in early June, a mini heat-wave at the end of that month, then a pleasingly (at least relatively) mild August.
Finally, after near drought conditions, extremely welcome rain arrived in the third week of August and on the first two days of September, all in all a timely temperate sequence and one that has ensured that the musts were highly coloured and beautifully perfumed. The precocity of the early season resulted in minor mildew (oidium) problems, to be ironed out later but significant in that they resulted in a smaller crop than usual: 15% below average across the piece. Add to that the minute selection processes currently practiced by the best Houses and it becomes clear just how much some of the volumes have been reduced.
After the mild summer and perfect autumn there were, however, very few instances of raisined grapes or the antithetical phenomenon of stalkiness. Good concentration and, what Paul Symington describes as a “marked minerality from the schistous Douro soils”, is matched by impressive levels of acidity. David Guimaraens the Winemaker at Taylor Fladgate concurs, “the 2011s stand out for the purity of the fruit and the quality of the tannins, which are silky and well integrated but provide plenty of structure.” In short, all is balanced and harmonious and the prospects are very good indeed, or even better… “almost unprecedented”, one may say.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Prices:
Bottle
£16.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 320cs
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
Magnum
£110.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 12cs
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Magnum 3 x 150cl 1cs
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
Bottle 6 x 75cl 4cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Destemming was not deemed necessary; such was the quality of the vintage. The wine has an incredible dense colour and a pronounced nose of graphite, black tea and spice. Black pepper and dark fruit inform the palate, which is fresh, pure and powerful.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
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
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Jeroboam 1 x 300cl 1cs
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
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
The night temperature at Vesuvio did not drop below 20 degrees for all of September 2011, entitling it to an official description of ‘tropical’. After the mild mid-summer and rain on 21st August and 1st September, this balmy hinter-season was ideal and the sugar levels and phenols matured harmoniously. The late-ripeneing Touriga Franca, which makes up 45% of the blend, had an especially happy time of it and ensures that the famous Vesuvio aromatic gum cistus aromas are present and correct. This is a fabulous wine, one of my favourites this year, reminding me of the 1994 at a similar age. It manages to combine a seductive fin de siècle plush with a very firm and disciplined mid-palate, with ripe and harmonious tannins providing counterpoint.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Displaying a vivid nose with complex floral aromas, spices and lifted, pure fruits, this is rich and ripe on the palate, with layers of spices, blackberry and damson. The finish comes packed with cigar box, gunpowder and spicy fruits. All in all, this is layered and very fresh with great elegance; it is outstanding.
Hamish Orr-Ewing, Private Account Manager
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
A joint venture between Symington Family Estates and the Prats family, the 2011 Roriz is a fuller-styled successor to the finely tuned 2007, showing similar earthy notes under a mint-fresh purity of elegantly refined fruit. The overall high quality of conditions through 2011 will ensure this lasts as long as many of the sturdier examples, being noteworthy for grace rather than brawn.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager
The vines, predominately Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, are located at the Madalena Vineyard, in the Rio Torto region, where maturation is traditionally a little later than that for properties located further to the north and east. The style is typically generous and forward, the concentrated sweet fruit and notes of licorice, mocha and chocolate supported by finely-etched tannins and a savoury grip.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
One of the most expressive Ports at this very early stage of evolution, this exudes generous, sweet and rich fruit. It is very luscious with floral hints delicately intertwined; it is an uncomplicated, fruit forward Port, and is all the more attractive for it. It may be less heady and serious than some but the admirable accessibility is the character to which Smith Woodhouse enthusiasts always return. Like welcoming an old friend, this is an easy and eminently enjoyable experience.
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Again the production is small, with only 5,000 cases made. The nose is reserved, dignified and informed by dark fruit, woodsmoke and hints of bay and fig. The palate is effortlessly contradictory; sweet yet dry, expressive yet reticent, grainy yet plush, in short all that a youthful Dow, Prime Minister material to be sure, should be, when setting off for the first day at Prep School.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Dow’s slightly drier style, due to a briefly longer fermentation, makes it the most easily identifiable of all the Symington Family Estates’ fine range of Vintage Ports. My tasting note for the 2011 opens with a reassuring ‘very Dow on the nose’ and the 2011 displays all the length, freshness, dried fruit, nutty finish of a classic deep, dry, dense, dark Dow. As someone coined the phrase (I imagine in the early 20th century, and most likely said across a large, candle-lit dining-room table post-dinner) “Lay down Dow and never sell Shell”. The 2011 is a wonderful wine, and one I would tip as being among the medals for the vintage. This is a keeper.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 1cs
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 1cs
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
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
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Magnum 3 x 150cl 1cs
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
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
There is a potential risk that Warre, the middle sibling, may be overlooked, as all attention is focused on the Cavalier Graham and the Roundhead Dow, on Carnival and Lent…but time and time again it excels. The 2011 has classic ethereal aromas of violet and rock rose, the fruits of ancient mixed vines and traditional foot-treading. Gentle and silky in so far as Vintage Port can be thus, the wine has elegiac grace and great purity.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
With a lovely rich fruit cake nose with scents of violets, this is classically Warre, warm and welcoming. Perhaps the fruitiest of the classic Symington trio, it is mouth-filling with spicy, cinnamon notes. The black fruit really shines through the crisp acidity and chewy tannins whilst the superb structure (almost, but not quite, hidden by the luscious fruit) means it has the capacity to live for decades. The lion’s share of the fruit for this wine comes from old vine, mixed planting blocks, helping to add a beguiling complexity to the finished wine. It is another superb Warre for the cellar.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Early indications are good, with the famous Croft opulence evidenced beyond the scents of blossom and forest floor. The wine has more structural integrity than its immediate forebears, with a mid-palate honesty and harmony that is very promising indeed.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
The 2011 Croft does not disappoint. Afresh and vibrant nose of black raspberry and blueberry sits alongside a beautifully alluring perfume of violets. The palate is full, yet elegant and refined, with great balance and just the right amount of sweet pepper spice on the long length.
Stuart Rae, Private Account Manager
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Magnum 6 x 150cl 1cs
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
This is a rich, dark Port with ripe aromas of cherries and blackberries. Vibrant, concentrated fruit is backed up by silky tannins. The complex structure will enable considerable ageing but its luscious ripe fruit can be enjoyed today. The wine is unfiltered and, as it ages, may throw a sediment and need decanting.