Warre’s Vintage Port 2017

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The Importance of Blending

At Yarra Yering we made a VP style, the Port Sorts, renamed Pot Sorts for export after naming rights for the use of Port were granted solely to the Portuguese.

Made from the traditional Port varieties, Touriga Nacional provides structural tannin backbone, earthiness, and a core of fruit. Tinta Cão fruit richness. Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and Tinta Amarela the acid component.

In addition to the above the best known red varieties for Port production include the Touriga Francesa, and, Tinta Barroca but in total there are around thirty types of Port grape. Most of these varieties have relatively small thick-skinned berries which produce the dense concentrated must (grape juice) needed to make Port.

Although they may be planted separately, the varieties are normally harvested and fermented together. Each grape variety contributes its own particular character – such as the intense flavours of woodland fruit, delicate floral scents, exotic spicy notes or the wild resiny aromas of gumcistus – to the nose of the wine. The grape varieties work together like instruments in an orchestra to create a subtle, complex and multi-dimensional harmony.

Making Port

Port is a fortified wine. Fortified wines are made by adding a proportion of grape spirit, or brandy, to the wine at some point during the production process. Port is arguably the greatest of all fortified wines and its paramount expression, Vintage Port, ranks alongside the finest produce of Bordeaux or Burgundy as one of the great iconic wines of the world.

In the case of Port, the addition of the brandy takes place before the wine has finished fermenting. This means that the wine retains some of the natural sweetness of the grape, making it rich, round and smooth on the palate.

One of the fascinating aspects of Port wine is its variety of different styles, each with its own characteristic flavours, from the intense berry fruit flavours of a Reserve or a Late Bottled Vintage to the rich mellowness of an Aged Tawny or the sublime complexity of a Vintage Port.

About Warre’s

The oldest British-owned Port house, Warre’s was founded by two young entrepreneurs Clarke and Thornton, in 1670 and is considered one of the pioneering houses of the Port trade, today owned by the famous Symington family.. Warre’s Warrior Reserve Port is the first and oldest Port brand in the world, having been shipped continuously since 1750. The Symington’s’ unmatched experience acquired over the centuries affords a special understanding of the Douro vineyards as well as an unrivaled expertise, which they apply to the production of consistently outstanding wines from the estates Ruby and Tawny through to the Warrior, Colheitas and Vintage Port. In the words of James Suckling “ Warre’s remains one of the gems of Vintage Port and the Symington’s are continuously polishing it”

Where in the World is the Duoro Valley?

The 2017 Vintage

Warre’s Cavadinha and Retiro vineyards have old mixed-variety vines (one-fifth and one-third of the respective vineyards) which really came into their own in what was one of the hottest and driest years on record. We only had half the rainfall that we would expect in an average year; at Cavadinha just 332 mm fell compared to the 30-year annual average of 681 mm, and most of that was concentrated in the winter.

The warm and dry spring conditions precipitated a precocious growing and ripening season, with budbreak, flowering and veraison all happening two to three weeks earlier than usual. The Douro’s hardy grape varieties showed characteristic resilience, adapting early to the dry conditions by reducing their water intake to conserve what little soil water reserves there were for later — when they would be most needed. It is quite remarkable that in July, soil moisture levels — although low — were not as depleted as expected and this, combined with summer temperatures that were close to the seasonal average, was critical in sustaining the vines through the final ripening stages in August.

The decision to pick when we did was vindicated by the exceptional quality of the Touriga Nacional that came into the Cavadinha winery from the higher lying Quintas do Alvito and Netas (neighbouring Cavadinha) during the first week of September; two to three weeks earlier than usual. Temperatures gradually became more moderate from September 10th, allowing us to wait for the Touriga Franca to ripen to perfection, conserving the excellent levels of acidity that has brought such exquisite freshness to Warre’s 2017. Yields were unbelievably low, the old field blend at Retiro produced just 470 g/vine and the Cavadinha field blend 860 g/vine. At Telhada, Warre’s vineyard in the remote Douro Superior, the average yield was also well down with just 590 g/vine. These tiny yields were mirrored in the incredible concentration and intensity of the fermenting wine in our lagares.

The Warre’s 2017 Vintage Port is made up of the finest parcels from Warre’s three Douro vineyards, Cavadinha, Retiro and Telhada, and the privately (family) owned Alvito & Netas properties. The field blends from Cavadinha and Retiro provide the principal structure with a combined contribution of 63%. The combination of old field blend vines and very low yields gives the Warre’s 2017 Vintage Port extraordinary complexity and subtlety, alongside the concentration and power which are hallmarks of the year.

Drinking Vintage Port

🍷DECANTING – Vintage Port forms a natural deposit in the bottle and should be decanted. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before decanting to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle.

🌡SERVING TEMPERATURE – Serve at 16ºC to 18ºC. Vintage Port is best drunk one to two days after opening.

🍑🧀PAIRING SUGGESTIONS – Walnuts, blue veined and other richly flavoured cheeses are excellent accompaniments to Vintage Port; so too are dried fruits such as apricots or figs.

Where in the World does Vintage Port Come From!