The Symington Vintage Port Day
I was invited to attend this educational day for the wine trade which was held in London in May this year. This is intended to be something of an annual roadshow which will be staged in other cities around the world in future. Led by cousins Charles, Anthony and Harry Symington, the day included a varietal tasting of the main grapes that go into making Port, a tasting of the 2022 vintage (written up elsewhere https://www.richardmayson.com/vintage-port-notes/2022-vintage-and-single-quinta-vintage-ports ), a vertical tasting of Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio and a tasting of vintage Ports spanning five decades from 2003 back to 1963. The day concluded with a panel discussion on presenting Vintage Port in the on- and off-trade.
The following tasting notes come with relevant observations made during the day.
1. Indigenous Douro Grapes x Sustainability
The first line up of wines was designed to focus on the Douro’s unique grape varieties and included varietal samples from 2023, an early and promising harvest, interrupted by rain. The tasting prompted a discussion of the alterations in the varietal mix brought about by climate change and concluded with three bottled wines from three recent hot years.
Touriga Nacional
Widely considered to be the finest of the Port grapes, Touriga Nacional is increasingly challenged by heat and drought in the Douro. This sample shows its natural minty, floral opulence and showy character backed by the tight-knit tannins inherent in these small, dark berries and the natural acidity that gives TN-based wines the ageing potential without any loss of structure or balance.
Touriga Franca
Now the most widely planted Port grape due to its high and consistent yields. It is also adapting well to climate change and favours warmer slopes with good exposure to sunlight. Its thick skins make it resistant to heat. This sample shows its soft, fleshy qualities at an early age with underlying gritty tannic structure. Not as expressive as Touriga Nacional but showing great elegance.
Alicante Bouschet
Not indigenous to the Douro, this hardy grape planted widely in the Alentejo has made a comeback in recent years and is championed by Charles Symington. It contributes colour and structure with ample tannins but usually makes up no more than 10 – 15 percent of Vintage Port blend. This sample was characterised by its deep, inky hue and dense, spicy tannins with slightly rustic, earthy overtones.
Sousão
Like Alicante, Sousão is also prized for its colour but also for its natural acidity and astringency (often found in excess as Vinhão in the Vinho Verde region). In the Douro Sousão is a beneficiary of climate change and is an increasingly important constituent in Vintage Ports, adding spicy ‘seasoning’ to a blend. Deep, inky black with heady aromas yet sappy freshness and wonderful acidity.
The following wines are examples where one or both of Alicante Bouschet and Sousão make an important contribution to the overall blend:
Graham, 2020 Bicentenary Edition Vintage Port ****/*****
In 2020 Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca both ripened, unusually, at the same time. As a result this wine is drawn mostly from high altitude and north west facing vines is a blend of co-fermented TN and TF, co-fermented TN and Sousão, some old mixed vines and Alicante Bouschet. It was a small harvest which was over by 15th September (when in the past the harvest was just starting), just 1,600 cases produced: deep and minty on the nose, still quite restrained and closed, rich and dense on the palate with lovely ripe, soft but structured tannins leading to a spicy yet broad opulent finish. Very ripe in style reflecting the naturally low yields. 18.5
Dow, Quinta do Bomfim 2018 ****
From a challenging year with winter drought, a deluge in spring followed by heatwaves through the final ripening period. This is a blend of co-fermented Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional (70%) Sousão (20%) and old mixed vines: deep and dense, still closed with underlying ripe, hot country fruit on the nose; firm, gripping fruit with dark chocolate concentration and a muscular tannic finish. Impressive, very much in the Dow style but not showing much in the way of elegance or finesse as yet. 17
Cockburn 2017 Vintage Port ****
From a very dry year with low yields, a blend based on Cockburn’s Canais vineyard with 52% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 10% Sousão and 8% Alicante Bouschet. Still deep and youthful in appearance with glorious tropical richness now evident on the nose yet showing more restraint on the palate with dense, rich, seamless fruit backed by firm, gravelly tannins. Still a bit raw on the finish, this needs another decade in bottle. 18
Quinta do Vesúvio
2. A vertical tasting of Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio:
Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio 2022 ****
From three plots on the Vesúvio estate including, Vinha da Capela which is a field blend from 100-year old vines as well as a portion of 50-year old Touriga Franca, just 460 cases in total. Deep, opaque; a bit sullen on the nose (not showing as well as the SQVP at this stage), quite dense, perhaps closing in on itself, a touch of graphite and herbal (mint), hedgerow character underlying; fresh and vibrant on the palate with good purity of fruit, firm, dusty tannic structure (reflecting the graphite character on the nose) leading to a long seamless, linear finish. Very elegant. Drink from 2032 - 2050 plus. 17.5
Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio 2017 *****
Mid-deep and still youthful in hue; open and gloriously ripe with scented (lavender and esteva[gums-cistus]) berry fruit – this wine is singling from the glass; sweet, opulent minty fruit with ripe tannins rising in the mouth, multi-layered, rich and complete on the finish. This wine can be enjoyed now but will keep and develop like a classic vintage Port for another forty years or more. 19
Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio 2016 ****
A successful year with well-timed rain: still very deep and youthful in colour; more retrained than the previous wine but still showing minty ripeness with a hint of esteva and eucalypt, holding back; ripe and dusty with fine grained tannins leading to a very precise, firm finish. Leaner than the 2017 and refined in style. This needs another five years or so in bottle to open up. 18
Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio 2011 *****
Still looking youthful after more than a decade in bottle, withdrawn on the nose with underlying delicate floral fruit fragrance just starting to emerge; showing similar restraint on the palate with firm, integrated tannins, fresh berry fruit on the finish with minty ripeness and stony tannic length, this still needs more time in bottle and will be magnificent in another five years or so. 19
Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio 2007 ****
The first vintage for this so-called ‘micro-terroir’ wine, from a huge vintage that produced high quality wines and was generally declared: still deep in colour but throwing off lots of sediment; an open, opulent rich melange of ripe plum and berry fruit on the nose; similarly deep, dense and seemingly very sweet in style, overwhelmingly ripe berry fruit supported by similarly ripe tannins and a full, fresh expansive finish. Ready to drink and will keep for another thirty years or more. 18
3. Dow’s, Graham’s Warre’s Vintage Port DNA
A vertical and horizontal tasting of wines from the main Symington-owned houses across three classic years: 2003, 1985 and 1963.
Warre 2003 ****
This was a hot year in the Douro (and much of Europe) which shows through in this wine: still deep and youthful with a hot, heady character on the nose which is dense but rather withdrawn at this stage; fresher on the palate but showing the heat of the vintage with dark chocolate and a touch of mocha, not showing much definition at the moment but backed by a good tannic grip on the finish. Still needs time in bottle in my opinion: 2028 – 2060 plus. 17
Graham 2003 ****
Not quite as deep in colour as the Warre but with similarly hot aromas, rather jammy at this stage with a hint of Bovril too; gloriously rich and chocolatey, minty ripeness too with better definition on the palate than on the nose, fleshy fruit with lovely ripe, firm spicy lenghth of flavour. Good now but better in five years: 2029 – 2060 plus. 18.
Dow 2003 *****
Deep, ripe and minty (but not overripe) yet still restrained on the nose; tight-knit with bitter-sweet dark chocolate intensity on the palate backed by beautifully structured firm tannins. Spot on for a wine from a hot, ripe year and the best of the three 2003s here.. This can be enjoyed now but give it another decade in bottle for everything to emerge. It has the balance and poise to last a lifetime. 19
Warre 1985 ****/*****
From a classic vintage declaration that threw up a few nasty surprises, though fortunately none here: still youthful in hue though not as deep in colour as the other ‘85s; wonderfully aromatic with dark chocolate concentration and wild mint fragrance and ripeness on the nose; still firm and foursquare after 40 nearly years with very pure, well-defined berry fruit underlying, structured yet supremely elegant just as a mature Vintage Port should be. Drink now and over the next thirty years. 18.5
Graham 1985 ****
Good, deep youthful colour; not very attractive on the nose initially with a sour character gradually replaced by characteristic opulence reflecting both the year and the shipper; sweet and fleshy with lovely richness backed by firm yet broad tannins, the fruit it a little stewed in character but the wine finishes well with spicy definition. Now – 2050. 17
Dow 1985 ***/****
Still deep in colour but not very expressive on the nose with a rather lumpen character but with liquourice, chocolate and a slightly smoky-woody character underlying; firm and focused, quite tight-knit with rather dry, dusty tannins, well-structured but not showing much in the way of elegance or finesse as yet. Drink now to 2050. 16.5
Warre 1963 *****
This was my stylistic preference from the trio of Symington ‘63s, all of which showed the munificence of this classic vintage: still deep and youthful with gentle yet supremely fresh floral-berry fruit on the nose, reflected on the palate with its sweet, minty ripeness, good grip and perfect definition, retaining depth and elegance in equal measure. A ‘wow’ of a wine, hard to think of one more perfect. 19.5
Graham 1963 ****
Not a Symington family house at the time the wine was made: mid-deep brick red with a rosey-pink hue; soft, savoury and slightly roasted on the nose with similarly savoury toasted fruit, still fleshy in style with creamy textural, almost syrupy richness, soft and opulent, long and elegant. 18
Dow 1963 ****/*****
Mid-amber with a tawny hue; lifted on the nose with delicate, high toned berry fruit; similarly delicate on the palate with a filigree of flavours, fruit driven yet dry in the Dow style showing its depth on the linear finish which goes on and on. Great finesse here. 18.5
Cockburn’s 1963 *****
Not a part of the Symington stable at the time, Cockburn only joined fully in 2010: mid-deep with a brick red and rosy-pink hue; lifted and floral on the nose, so pretty; soft, delicate in some ways yet surprisingly sweet with tropical fruit and marmalade richness mid-palate backed by soft yet broad tannins which just grip on a finish which shows this wine’s power and supreme finesse. Magnificent. 19
