All good things come in threes. The Musketeers, Stooges, Blind Mice, wheels on a Harley Trike, Amigos (Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short – a legendary film!) and Scaramanga’s nipples! And, of course, there are three declarations of vintage port every decade. So far in the naughties, we have had 2000 and 2003, but, as is the case at every port declaration, the 2007 is heralded as the greatest of the decade and the best since whatever year the port house can get away with!
I was invited by Wine Importers to a tasting in Edinburgh’s New Club of the latest releases from three of the Symington group’s portfolio of port houses. On show was the 2007 vintage of Graham, Warre and Quinta do Vesuvio, and also a selection of older vintages.
The 2007 Warre’s was quite sweet, with lots of toffee and chocolate mixed with leather on the nose, but remarkably fresh. There was more leather on the palate, with some nice damson elements and plum skin. Very well balanced, and the alcohol was superbly integrated. Finishing, it was long, with dark elements, but just a hint of spice. An excellent wine, drinking well now, if you like younger Vintage Ports, but this will last a very long time. 8/10
Skipping one vintage, 2003, and going back to the 2000 Warre’s was a revolation. When I tasted it last in 2005, I said “Dark purple with violets, green hints and a light cherry aroma. The palate is big. A lot of alcohol smacks you in the face, a lot of stalky, bark and dark berries. A long haul port, and very tight.”, and it still hasn’t changed with a gentle nose and a bigger palate. The only difference is that everything is much more muted. The nose was quite dumb with cherry and cassis struggling to come out of the glass, and the palate was still quite vibrant, with lots of cassis, dark chocolate, and then alcohol kicking in. Fresh berries dusted in cocoa on the finish with some nice cherries. 8.5/10, but still way too young and sleeping.
Then it was back to the 1994 vintage, and again, when I tried it last in 2005, I wrote “Ruby red with a slight orange rim. Toffee and caramel aromas with berries coming through. Very closed - soft spicy fruit, quite hot and a slight tannin. Pretty dull. I think that this is fast asleep.”. Totally different now! The wine has lovely fresh fruit, covered in dust with some minty elements coming through. Sweet fruit compote mixing with fresh raspberries and chocolate. Very well balanced, with dark chocolate and a little coffee. Really opening up and drinking nicely, though I’d still give it a decade! 8.5/10
Then it was onto a port house that, until that day, I’d only ever tried one vintage. Quinta do Vesuvio is a port produced from the grapes from this quinta only, and therefore is a much better expression of a place than other, non single quinta, vintage ports. The 2007 vintage was quite savoury, with a lot of meaty aromas and green vegetable elements mingling with fresh mint and violets. Lots of aniseed on the palate, with dark berries – brambles and cassis – with some tayberry freshness. A really interesting, and very drinkable, vintage port. 8.5/10
As an example of an older vintage of this highly prized wine, there was a bottle of the 1999 vintage on show. It was quite closed and savoury, with not much fruit coming off the nose. The palate is all about sweet fruit, with some leather, rosemary and a little spice coming along. I think this was just in a closed patch of it’s evolution and, if the 1990 is anything to go by, it will open up beautifully.
Finally Graham’s. To make things clear from the off, this is my favourite port house, and please forgive me if I gush a bit, but I’ve never claimed to be a great wine critic, I just say what I like and what I don’t, so the chances are that I’m going to like these!
The 2007 Graham’s was very fresh, with some lovely light, sweet jam aromas, with lots of caramel and chocolate mixed in and just a glimpse of honey. The palate was quite alcoholic, with a tar and twiggy element coming through the fresh berries and cocoa. Leather on the finish, but so closed. This is going to be a sleeper, needing upwards of 25 years to mature. 9/10
Then, like the Warre’s, there was a selection of older vintages. First up, the 2000. In 2006, my notes were “Oaky and smoky. Dry roasted peanuts, simple and jammy and very juicy! It is like drinking cassis with bucket loads of tannin and a very dry finish.” Now, there is lots of cassis, aniseed, cloves and nutmeg. The palate is all about berry fruit, some alcohol and a lot of violent spice. There is a bitter element mixed in with some woody tannin. A bit unbalanced, and needs time. 8/10 with the potential to be outstanding.
Then, moving onto the 1997 which was the first time tasting this wine for me, and it amazed me how drinkable it was. A light nose, very approachable with perfume aromas and a lot of dried fruit. The palate had more of this fruit, but with some bonfire toffee, menthol and lots of peppery spice. There is a decent amount of cocoa powder on the finish with squashed berries on the finish. What astonished me was that there was no noticeable alcohol, it was so well integrated. This is one you can drink now. 8.5/10
Finally, the 1994 vintage, and thankfully, this wine that I have been hoping would be wonderful, is starting to show evidence of that. Once tight and closed, it is showing no signs of changing on the nose, which was a struggle to get any aroma off. The palate however was a revelation. It is quite dry, subtle at first and then gob fulls of spice and powerful fruit. There is sweet cherry compote mixed with chocolate and mint, and then a drier, long, leathery finish. Again though, no noticeable booze, which, means that this wine is a bit too drinkable! The problem is that the aroma, which is such a crucial part of the enjoyment of port, is not there. Still, it is a stunning bottle of port. 9/10 with time.
But going back to the point of this, the 2007 vintage. They are gorgeous wines, and will, of course, only improve with a decade or three in the cellar, but I can’t help thinking that some of these ports may not last as long as their predecessors.
Having extensively tried older ports, I know that after the initial big gutsy leather and tannin fest, older vintages go to sleep and mature. The 1994 Grahams is just starting to wake up at 15 years old, and, to me at least, older vintages such as 1963 are only now becoming perfect. But the 2007 Warre's and Vesuvio ports are a bit too drinkable before their release, with a lot of up front fruit and semi integrated secondary aromas and flavours, which, in older vintages, would be grating your tastebuds and giving you the conclusion that this needed cellared. But with these two wines, you think they are going to be ready in a couple of years, not a couple of decades. Is this a move by the port houses to make vintage port peak early, or is it just me being paranoid? I think I need to investigate further. One thing is for sure, Graham's is still a long haul port house!
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