Quinta do Vesúvio Bicentennial Tasting
The Symington Family’s Quinta do Vesúvio is celebrating its two hundredth anniversary in 2023. In October father and son, Johnny and Tom Symington, presented a selection of the property’s wines (both Port and Douro) at the St James’s Hotel in London. A full write-up with the history of the estate with feature in a forthcoming issue of the World of Fine Wine magazine.
Comboio de Vesúvio 2020, Douro DOC ***/****
This is effectively the third wine of Vesúvio, first produced in 2018. This is a roughly equal blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz bottled without recourse to ageing in oak: deep crimson in hue with fresh, aromatic floral – hedgerow aromas; firm and quite tight knit with fresh, sappy- herbal berry fruit and an expressive finish. Enjoy this in its first bloom of youth. 16.5
Pombal do Vesúvio 2020, Douro DOC ****
The second wine of Vesúvio, named after the dovecote on the quinta. Mostly Touriga Franca from two vineyard plots along with Touriga Nacional (30%) and Tinta Amarela (5%), aged for 10 months in 400 litre and 225 litre French oak: very deep opaque colour; lovely perfumed rock rose and violet aromas with underlying depth, little or no oak evident on the nose, the fruit takes the lead; ripe, supple berry fruit backed by fine grained tannins with a finish that is firm but not astringent, nothing aggressive here and already very approachable. 18
Quinta do Vesúvio 2012, Douro DOC ****
A blend of 70% Touriga Nacional, 25% Touriga Franca and 5% Tinta Amarela from an unusually dry but relatively cool year, 15 months in oak: still deep and youthful after nearly a decade in bottle; ripe leathery cedary fruit aromas with well-integrated oak; deep, dense bitter-sweet herbal black cherry fruit, bold gravelly tannic structure, long and lovely with a vibrant finish. This will keep and develop for another decade or more. 18
Quinta do Vesúvio, 2009 Douro DOC ****
A blend of 70% Touriga Nacional, 20% Touriga Franca and 10% Tinta Amarela with 13 months in new oak, from the second vintage at Vesúvio for Douro wine, a hot year and it still shows; still deep and dark at the centre but showing its age on the rim; rich and rather pruney on the nose, similarly ripe, heady fruit on the palate, dense with supple tannins, kept alive by a streak of acidity on the finish. Lacks the finesse of more recent vintages. 17
Quinta do Vesúvio 2019, Vintage Port ****/*****
From a dry year, fortunately without any extreme heat, a blend of 35% Touriga Nacional, 33% Touriga Franca, 18% Alicante Bouschet, 8% Vinha Velha (field blend) and 6% Tinta Amarela: very deep inky colour; lovely, open aromatic plummy aromas, opulent and exotic with a hint of lavender; soft, rich and voluptuous initially with tannins building on the palate leading on to a big, broad spicy finish retaining characteristic opulence. This will be ready to drink relatively early: 2030 onwards and will give pleasure for many years ahead. 18.5
Quinta do Vesúvio 1995 Vintage Port ***/****
Hot weather in August shaped these wines which came along in the shadow of the widely declared 1994 vintage: deep and opaque at the centre, browning on the rim; rich and a bit soupy on the nose with rather hot, pruney fruit, rich and heady but lacks freshness and definition, powerful liquorice-like concentration mid-palate, muscular tannins, impressive but rather lacking in finesse. Drink now – 2035 16.5
