OUT NOW: Symington's Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage 2016

The Symington family has declared 2016 as a vintage of exceptional quality.

The Quinta do Vesúvio vintages are always great either in classic years or not, because it’s a single estate vintage port from one of the best estates in Douro.

So it’s no surprise that the 2015 was so well received in the market by the wine critics and the wine enthusiasts and it’s also not a surprise that both, the Vesúvio and the Capela do Vesúvio will be the first to run out of stock in the market and also get the best reviews by the wine critics. The Vesúvio vintage represents 1.220 cases and less than 2,5% of the production of the estate and the Capela do Vesúvio represents 3.000 bottles and less than 1% of the production of the estate so we are talking about very rare wines.

One of the Vesúvio fans, Marc Squires described well this unique vintage ports:

“It has a seductive feel, but it is also muscular and intense. It is one of the most muscular in the Symington stable this year, with the concentration to soak up the power.” – 96 points Robert Parker.

“If the regular Vesuvio was pretty terrific, this is even better. Not quite as lush and sexy, it is tighter, better textured and more intense. Bursting with flavor too, this has rich chocolate-cherry nuances and a long, long finish. This is pretty super, one of my favorite wines in this vintage.” – 97+ points in Robert Parker.

Copyright THEWINEMOJO: A spokesman for the company said the 2015/ 16 winter was wetter than average, which provided a “vital counterbalance” to the hot Douro summer. It noted that some started picking during the hot September but it said “it was clear to those who were properly monitoring their vines that the grapes were not ready”. The Symington family delayed harvesting until September 19 and noted that “invaluable rain” fell on 12th and 13th of the month. The best Touriga Nacional from the company was not harvested until the 26th and the late-ripening Touriga Franca only during the first ten days of October.

All the 2016 Symington Vintage Ports were made from the estate’s r own Quinta vineyards where head winemaker Charles Symington and his viticulture team could be seen every day tasting and analysing grapes throughout August and September. All the Vintage Ports were made in the company’s five small lagar wineries, using the classic foot treading method, a staple for the creation of great Port.