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Symington Family Estates,
For laying down,
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
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
Quinta do Noval,
For laying down,
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 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
Quinta De La Rosa,
For laying down,
Quinta de la Rosa has beautiful terraced A–graded vineyards just behind Pinhão in the heart of the Cima Corgo. Over the last few years the wining team of owner Sophia Bergqvist and winemaker Jorge Moreira have maintained the Quinta’s reputation for elegance of style, whilst adding another dimension of gravitas, nowhere better illustrated than by the 2011 vintage. Indeed Sophia is convinced that it will be their best ever and the evidence from the glass is persuasive. The blend is dominated by equal shares of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca with a little Souzão (as they spell it here it seems) added for good measure. Crushed blueberry, dark cherry, cloves and spice all presage a wine of extraordinary quality and unprecedented capacity to age.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Fonseca,
For laying down,
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
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
Quinta do Vesuvio,
For laying down,
The eponymous chapel is surrounded by old vines which have been selected for the second outing of this micro-cuvée, with a total of 2,400 bottles to be shared around the world. This is the Symington’s wild card because the blend includes two more unusual grape varieties, the dark and saturnine Alicante Bouschet and the high-acid Sousão, which has divided opinion in the valley for centuries.
Be that as it may, this is an astonishing achievement, with aromas of bay, green tea, mint and incense allowing us to rest the more usual descriptors for once. The palate has cathedral-like dimensions, gothic grandeur with spicy rococo decoration; pepper and spice season its black fruit soul and the tannins buttress the sweet core with great skill. Vive la différence!
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
This is a Vesuvio with the volume turned up! The wine comes from specific vineyard blocks with significant quantities of the rare Sousão grape variety lending an unusual, delicious twist to the wine. Foot-trodden, like its larger volume sibling, the Capela is trodden in a small lagar to accentuate its individuality.
The nose hit me straight away with a huge bouquet of blooming violets. The palate is like diving into a giant pool of dark fruit, wave upon wave of rich berry fruit is kept in check by an immense structure. Big, firm tannins and mouth-watering acidity provide the foil for this sweet-fruited beast. The finish is very long and very fine; it is an exceptional Port.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager
Be that as it may, this is an astonishing achievement, with aromas of bay, green tea, mint and incense allowing us to rest the more usual descriptors for once. The palate has cathedral-like dimensions, gothic grandeur with spicy rococo decoration; pepper and spice season its black fruit soul and the tannins buttress the sweet core with great skill. Vive la différence!
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
This is a Vesuvio with the volume turned up! The wine comes from specific vineyard blocks with significant quantities of the rare Sousão grape variety lending an unusual, delicious twist to the wine. Foot-trodden, like its larger volume sibling, the Capela is trodden in a small lagar to accentuate its individuality.
The nose hit me straight away with a huge bouquet of blooming violets. The palate is like diving into a giant pool of dark fruit, wave upon wave of rich berry fruit is kept in check by an immense structure. Big, firm tannins and mouth-watering acidity provide the foil for this sweet-fruited beast. The finish is very long and very fine; it is an exceptional Port.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager
Smith Woodhouse,
For laying down,
Smith Woodhouse has been a long-standing Berry Bros. & Rudd favourite, always reliable, always very keenly priced and always cellaring well. You will not be surprised to hear that the 2011 does not break with this tradition.
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
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
Dow,
For laying down,
Dow was probably our favourite in 2007; we were lucky enough to have identified its sheer greatness from the outset and to have secured a healthy allocation before the extraordinary reviews started to appear. And at the risk of hubris, I venture to suggest that the 2011 is in the same league. This is the archetypical ‘English’ Vintage Port, its personality capturing all that is complex and beguiling in our national psyche; therefore restrained and reticent on the one hand yet, with familiarity and a little patience, generous, rounded and wonderfully complicated. I suspect that this happy symmetry is down in part to the fact that the fruit is sourced half from Bomfim and half from Senhora da Ribeira, the former lending tannic structure and power, the latter silky complexity and body.
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 Man
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 Man
Graham,
For laying down,
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
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
Quinta do Vesuvio,
For laying down,
Quinta do Vesuvio is the most magisterial of all the Quintas, the near-baroque grandeur of the building dominating the river high in the Douro Superior. As the show-case property, its lagares are often trodden by the international wine trade when they visit, usually after dinner, so with a degree more abandon than the professional teams, whose march is tighter in a rather different sense.
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
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
Cockburn,
For laying down,
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
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
Warre,
For laying down,
There is no shortage of competition but Cavadinha, high in the Cima Corgo, is one of the most photogenic of all the Quintas. Whence the famous Warre floral elegance, complemented by the tiny yields from the other key property, Quinta do Retiro, which is located in the warmer Rio Torto Valley.
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
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
Sandeman,
For laying down,
The 2011 Sandeman Vintage Porto has a very precise nose that is imbued with far more clarity than previous vintages: pure black cherries, minerals, creme de cassis and violets, like a super-charged Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, the black cherries intermingling with marmalade, fig and raisin. It is seductive toward the finish, confirming its impressive showing out-of-barrel last year. This is without doubt the finest Sandeman of the modern age. Drink 2018-2040.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Jun 2014
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Jun 2014
Niepoort,
For laying down,
Low yielding ancient vines in some very privileged locations (Mendiz, Soutelo and Pisca inter alia) have combined to make what Dirk describes as a ‘perfect year for Vintage Port’, and, tasting the evidence, we are disinclined to demur.
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
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
Taylor Fladgate,
For laying down,
The Old Vine Vargellas wine was the first and many would argue the best of the now modish deluxe Vintage Ports, 312 cases having been produced in 2011. The World Heritage vineyards of Polverinho and Renova do Armazém plus three other equally scenic old vineyards must take responsibility for this wine. We will be able to provide a full analysis of their efforts half a century down the line.
Suffice it to say now that this is one of the greats; layered and beautifully scented. Gum cistus and blackberry notes dominate the nose, while the palate is hitherto closed, a dense tapestry of potential and poise.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Deep and dark in the glass with a breadth of brooding plum, juicy cassis and ripe blueberry notes, this has a weight of aromatics but surprisingly refreshing charm, thanks to the acidity. The palate has a mouth-filling sweetness with ever-changing complexity of dense flavours. This will last more than a lifetime.
Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager
Suffice it to say now that this is one of the greats; layered and beautifully scented. Gum cistus and blackberry notes dominate the nose, while the palate is hitherto closed, a dense tapestry of potential and poise.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer
Deep and dark in the glass with a breadth of brooding plum, juicy cassis and ripe blueberry notes, this has a weight of aromatics but surprisingly refreshing charm, thanks to the acidity. The palate has a mouth-filling sweetness with ever-changing complexity of dense flavours. This will last more than a lifetime.
Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager
Showing 1-16 out of 16 items
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