Port Harvest Vintage Report's

A very good Vintage Port year producing Vintage Ports with intense aromas of concentrated fruit and firm tannins. Michael Symington of the Symington Port Group, "Never can the grapes have been gathered under better weather conditions than this 1985 vintage now in its last stages. 1985 Vintage will surely prove outstanding. What a pity that only 95,000 pipes were "authorised" this year. All in all, we have every reason to be extremely pleased with the 1985 vintage which has undoubtedly produced well above average quality wines throughout the region."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced although in tiny quantities. A note from Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "Concerning the likely quality of the 1986 Port Wine vintage, it can safely be said that the upper Douro has produced good sound wines of above average quality and yields everywhere were surprisingly high."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced although in tiny quantities. A note from Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "While it would appear that the early made wines picked before 21st September will need careful watching owing to the dried up state of the grapes and high fermenting temperatures, the vast bulk of the 1987 Douro Port Wine vintage looks extremely promising, and certainly well above average quality wines have been made throughout the region."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced although in tiny quantities. A note from James Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The quinta [Malvedos] produced only 54 pipes when we had hoped for 130 or so. Throughout the Douro production is tiny compared to normal years. For instance in the Vale de Vilariça Cockburn’s had only 20 pipes when they usually have about 300."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from Michael Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The main crop of Upper Douro grapes has produced wines of excellent quality, dark, full-bodied yet with attractive freshness. And the always more backward quintas lying at higher altitudes, and the whole of the lower Douro and Altos have undoubtedly produced wines this vintage of outstanding quality for their districts."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The Douro 1990 Vintage can be summed up in just four words production, enormous quality, excellent. The 1990 Vintage has probably favoured not so much the very early starting quintas, but those whose grapes were picked from the third week of September onwards; however, overall quality promises to be good to excellent."

A very good Vintage Port year producing richly coloured and aromatic Vintage Ports. James Symington of the Symington Port Group, "It was apparent during the vintage that the 1991 wines will be excellent and may well prove to be exceptional. The grapes were in good condition and free from disease; colour and aroma during fermentation were both very good indeed. Tannin levels are also good and it seems that overall the wines will be very well balanced."

A very good Vintage Port year with Taylor Fladgate producing their 100 Parker point vintage Port on their 300th anniversary. A General declaration from Taylor Fladgate but single quintas from the Symington Group. Peter Symington of the Symington Port Group, "in general the fermentations have shown excellent colour and nose. The grapes have been in good condition although yields were 20% below those achieved in '91. This is not surprising considering the dry winter. There has been some uneven ripening due to the winter drought, but in general it can be said that some very good wines have been made."

A disasterous vintage not declared by any shippers. A note from Michael Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "Without a doubt, the worst Vintage weather-wise in living memory mine anyway, and this is my 46th consecutive one! "

An outstanding Vintage Port year with monumental Vintage Ports with fabulous rich fruit character and fantastic structure. An outstanding Vintage, probably one of the best of the 20th century. General declaration James Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns such great names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, wrote, " This year will be specially remembered for the excellent floral bouquet of the fermenting musts in all the wineries. This together with their deep purple colour has set up great expectations for a fine vintage."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from James Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "All our finest Quintas, Vesuvio, Graham’s Malvedos, Warre’s Cavadinha and Dow’s Bomfim, have produced excellent wines. Sugar readings were exceptionally high throughout the Douro and thus remarkably rich wines have been made. Bouquet and flavour are outstanding and colour is magnificent in all but the wines made earliest."

A good vintage not declared by most shippers but some excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from Peter Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "What is particularly noticeable about the wines is that they are very aromatic and well balanced, although the colour and structure is not as impressive as in the last two years. This was partly due to the large yields achieved in the Douro this year, provoked by the very wet winter."

A very good vintage yielding extremely elegant Vintage Ports. Tannic and balanced Vintage Ports suitable for long ageing. A note from Charles Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "From a winemaking point of view this year was extremely straightforward. The quality of the grapes was good with generally high graduations and little or no rot to be seen. The temperature of the grapes on arrival in the winery was between 18-20° C and therefore little cooling or heating was required in most cases.This was a year of low yields in the vineyards and it would seem, although it is early to say, that it was also a year of low juice extraction in the presses. What was particularly striking this year was the amount of colour produced during fermentation."

A good vintage yielding high quality, highly concentrated Vintage Ports of excellent quality. A few Vintage Port houses declared and excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from Charles Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "Although still very early to assess quality, wines produced are aromatic and of good colour and should develop well. 1998 will undoubtedly be remembered for producing one of the smallest harvests in the Douro this century."

A good vintage yielding some strongly aromatic and intensely coloured Vintage Ports of excellent quality.There was no general declaration, but excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from Charles Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The overall quality is looking extremely encouraging with strongly aromatic and dark wines produced - an excellent sign at this stage."

An outstanding Vintage Port year. A wet '99 harvest was followed by a cold and dry Winter with almost no rain. April and May were very wet, June and July very dry and the first half of August very hot.The resulting wines were big and full bodied with intense colour and very attractive aromas. The turn of the century was heralded by the production of exceptional Vintage Port wines, notably so in the Douro Valley. Peter Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns such great names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, wrote, " I think 2000 will produce very good wines in spite of the earlier weather (spring) conditions not being ideal. The small crop with the wonderful weather conditions during summer resulted in very ripe and perfect fruit."

A good vintage yielding dark and well structured Vintage Ports. There was no general declaration, but excellent single quinta Vintage Ports were produced. A note from Charles Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The 2001 wines are looking extremely promising, with the best wines showing excellent colour and structure"

Challenging weather conditions during the year and during the harvest period resulted in relatively few declarations or bottlings of vintage ports. A note from Charles Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The early made wines, which thankfully are from the best vineyards, escaped the damage done by the rain. However towards the end of the month it was clear that the weather was taking the edge off what could have been a really excellent vintage. There are undoubtedly some very good wines made in the first phase of the harvest."

An outstanding Vintage Port year with all the major port houses declaring. Winemaker Charles Symington (Maker of their main brands, including Graham Vintage Port , Dow Vintage Port , Warre Vintage Port , Cockburn Vintage Port , Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage Port and Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port) stated "Yields were very low as is the norm for the Douro. Barroca made well-structured wines, particularly from the meia-encosta vineyards. The Nacional and Touriga Franca performed particularly well, giving wines with lifted aromas, powerful colour and ripe tannins."

A single Quinta Vintage Port year. Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The 2004 Vintage Ports show intense deep purple-red colour, a factor that was strongly influenced by the August rains that softened the skins and allowed for better colour extraction. The nose is lifted and fresh, again thanks to the cooler August weather. The taste is rich, firm and with good acidity and fine peppery tannins."

A single Quinta Vintage Port year. A note from Charles and Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "While there are still grapes coming into the wineries, it is already clear that some very good wines have been made at the 2005 harvest in the Douro. The sugar graduations dipped for a few days after the rain before climbing steadily back to very satisfactory levels. The grapes filled out and the skins softened. The musts have very good deep purple-black colours and are giving very attractive aromas. In summary, and with picking still taking place at our higher vineyards such as Quinta de Cavadinha, 2005 has proved once again the amazing ability of the vine to overcome very tough conditions."

A single Quinta Vintage Port year. A note from Charles and Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "The Barroca, Touriga Naçional and Roriz all gave good colour and aromas in the fermenting tanks. While the last fermentations are ending at the time of writing, it is clear that there are some very fine tanks and casks of Port and Douro DOC wines from the 2006 harvest amongst the total wine made this year. Overall it can be said that the average quality of wine made is reasonably good throughout the valley."

An outstanding Vintage Port year with 50 houses declaring. Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership (producers of Taylors Vintage Port, Fonseca Vintage Port and Croft Vintage Port commented "These are great wines and it is always difficult to compare them to previous years as we believe that each year has its own character, for us, the wines have the noses of the '92s and are probably in the style of the '66." Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns such illustrious names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, added, "The 2007s have some of '94's voluptuous fruit, but there is a more fine acidity and less sweetness than the '94s. I particularly like their racy tannins."

A single Quinta Vintage Port year. A note from Charles and Paul Symington of the Symington Port Group, which owns the well known names as W&J Graham Vintage Port, Dow Vintage Port and Warre Vintage Port, stated "What has been produced looks extremely good, even grapes coming in at this stage from high lying areas are producing some impressive wines."

A very good Vintage Port year with 38 houses declaring. Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership (producers of Taylors Vintage Port, Fonseca Vintage Port and Croft Vintage Port commented "Such colour intensity and tannic structure have not been seen for over twenty years. However, the wines also display crisp acidity and wonderfully pure, vibrant fruit. Although they are built for long term ageing, like the great landmark vintages of the past, the 2009s are capable of delivering hedonistic pleasure even at this early stage in their development." His winemaker David Guimaraens stated "We haven’t seen colour intensity and tannic grip like this in over 20 years. The quality of the fruit is impressive and the wines have excellent acidity.’

An outstanding Vintage Port year with all the major port houses declaring. Winemaker Charles Symington (Maker of their main brands, including Graham Vintage Port , Dow Vintage Port , Warre Vintage Port , Cockburn Vintage Port , Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage Port and Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port) described the 2011 Vintage Ports as "characterized by an unusual combination of elegance with power and structure." Paul Symington, CEO, emphasized their marked minerality with schist-edged tannins, and Charles Symington cited an attractive "fragrant wet-earth scent," which could be credited to the success of the Touriga Franca grape. The winemaker David Guimaraens stated "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,"