The Symington Family Release 2018 Vintage Ports
The Symingtons have produced small quantities of Vintage Port from six of their principal properties in 2018, which will be launched in a world-first for the Port trade via a live video presentation on Thursday 14th May. Buyers, journalists and Port lovers can register for the launch via: www.bit.ly/symington-2018-vintage.
The 2018 Single Quinta Vintage Ports are the result of a rollercoaster growing season – with a prolonged winter drought, a deluge in spring, and heatwaves through the final ripening period. Despite the challenges, the 2018 wines are characterised by a well-defined acidity and marked freshness, reflecting the characteristics of specific parcels of vineyard within each estate. The star of the year was the late-maturing Touriga Franca, which excelled in the warm harvest. Yields were extremely low with just 950g per vine – 11% below the 10-year average from the Symington vineyards – resulting in wines with stunning concentration.
The Symingtons have selected two wines to release en primeur in 2020 – Quinta do Vesuvio and Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira. Both are situated in the Douro Superior on opposite sides of the river, one north-facing, the other south-facing. These estates delivered unique expressions of the lifted aromas that characterise the year. The other Quinta Vintage Ports produced in 2018 – Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta do Bomfim, Quinta da Cavadinha and Quinta dos Canais – will age in the Symington cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia for future release.
Following last year’s first ever back-to-back Vintage Port declaration (2016 and 2017 were both ‘general declarations’), Charles Symington, fourth generation winemaker, commented, “each spring we taste the best young Ports from each of our top Quintas from the harvest of 18 months before. This is the starting point from which we review each year’s Vintage Port potential and, from there, decide what to release, be it a super-blend from each of our Port houses’ principal estates – which we call a “general declaration” – or, as was the case in 2018, as the ultimate expression of Douro terroir as individual Single Quinta Vintage Ports. These exciting young Vintage Ports represent the absolute pinnacle of the year’s production – vinified on-site in small batches in our specialist wineries – and I believe they will provide fantastic drinking for many decades to come.”
Bottling now for immediate release en primeur:
• Quinta do Vesuvio 2018 Vintage Port – 965 cases (3% of the estate’s production)
• Dow’s – Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2018 Vintage Port – 510 cases (8% of the estate’s production)
Bottling now for ageing and future release:
• Graham’s – Quinta dos Malvedos 2018 Vintage Port
• Dow’s – Quinta do Bomfim 2018 Vintage Port
• Warre’s – Quinta da Cavadinha 2018 Vintage Port
• Cockburn’s – Quinta dos Canais 2018 Vintage Port
For further information about the 2018 release: https://vintageportsite.com/campaign/2018-vintage-port
