Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage 2019 Port
€ 91.85
| Producer | Quinta do Vesuvio |
| Region | Douro |
| Grapes | Touriga Nacional (35%), Touriga Franca (33%), Alicante Bouschet (18%), Vinhas Velhas, oude stokken (8%), Tinta Amarela (6%) |
| Ageing | About 2 years in wood, bottled unfiltered |
| Alcohol | 20%vol |
| Serving | 16-18°C, decant 6 to 24 hours ahead Drink within 2 days of opening |
| Drinking window | 2029-2066 |
| Scores | 96/100 Wine Spectator 94/100 Wine Enthusiast |
Vintage 2019: blackcurrant, lavender and fennel, with 96 points from Wine Spectator.
Tasting note
Typical aromas of blackcurrant and lavender, with hints of fennel, whose scent often drifts through Vesuvio’s vineyards on the breeze. Mouth-filling ripe black fruit, lush and velvety, with great volume and a firm structure. Highly polished tannins give a long, silky finish.
The story
In 2019 the Symingtons did not declare a classic Vintage. According to winemaker Charles Symington, the year’s best expression came from their six main quintas, which yielded small volumes of wine of exceptional depth. So they bottled six Quinta Vintage Ports instead of a blend.
After a very dry winter and spring there was almost no rain from May to late August, but the summer was cooler than usual. A shower on 25 August got ripening back on track. At Vesuvio harvest began on 9 September, and the Touriga Franca was picked from late September into early October. The grapes come mostly from the west-facing Vale da Teja vineyard.
Like all Vesuvio Port, the grapes were foot-trodden in the quinta’s granite lagares. The wine ages for about two years in wood and is bottled unfiltered, so it needs decanting.
Food pairing
Delicious with foie gras and blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola and Roquefort, or simply after the meal as a dessert wine.
The producer
Quinta do Vesuvio lies in a remote corner of the Douro Superior, on the south bank of the river. António Bernardo Ferreira bought the estate in 1823 and built hundreds of terraces and an impressive adega in just thirteen years. His daughter-in-law, the legendary Dona Antónia Ferreira, made it one of the most famous quintas in the Douro. The estate stayed with the Ferreira family until the Symington family bought it in 1989.
The Symingtons chose to keep Vesuvio as a stand-alone estate, making only single quinta Vintage Ports. All the Port is still foot-trodden in the quinta’s eight granite lagares. Since the 2007 harvest Vesuvio has also made red Douro wines.
Critics & Awards
96/100 Wine Spectator | Tasted: Dec 2021
Very vivid, with cassis, cherry, boysenberry and plum, plus liquorice, fruitcake and red and black tea notes. A long, refined finish with plenty in reserve: one of the stars of the vintage. Best from 2040 to 2060.
Very vivid, with cassis, cherry, boysenberry and plum, plus liquorice, fruitcake and red and black tea notes. A long, refined finish with plenty in reserve: one of the stars of the vintage. Best from 2040 to 2060.
94/100 Wine Enthusiast | Tasted: Dec 2021
A powerful, structured Port from one of the Douro’s grandest quintas, with concentration and density. The dark fruit speaks of Touriga Nacional: a Port for long ageing, drink from 2030 (Roger Voss).
A powerful, structured Port from one of the Douro’s grandest quintas, with concentration and density. The dark fruit speaks of Touriga Nacional: a Port for long ageing, drink from 2030 (Roger Voss).
4,6/5 Vivino (29 ratings)
