Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage 2018 Port

€ 90.00

Typical aromas of blackcurrant and rosemary with notes of fennel, the scent of which is often carried by the breeze in the vineyards of Vesuvius. On the palate, the wine offers rich, luscious and silky flavors of black fruit, albeit with considerable volume and a powerful structure. The polished tannins provide a long and luxurious finish.

2018 was a “rollercoaster growing season” with a prolonged period of drought (lasting 20 months) the weather broke in the Spring bringing several months of wet changeable weather. Fortunately the good weather arrived in July and this continued through to harvest allowing the grapes to reach full maturity. Despite the challenges, the 2018 wines are characterised by well-defined acidity and marked freshness, reflecting the characteristics of specific parcels of vineyard within each estate. Total production of only 965 cases, 1,200 cases were made of 2017

Food-Pairing

This port is delicious with foie gras, certain cheeses (Gorgonzola, Roquefort), as an aperitif or as dessert wine

Grapes: Touriga Nacional 35%, Touriga Franca 33%, Alicante Bouschet 18%, Vinhas Velhas 8% & Tinta Amarela 6% Grapes are mostly from the west-facing vineyard Vale da Teja (30 years is the average age of these plantings)

Alcohol content

19,5 %vol

Store & Serve

Serve at 16 °C. Must be opened 6 to 24h in advance

Vintage port wine can not remain open for a long time, because it oxidizes faster. After opening, maximum 2 days shelf life

Drink 2028-2065

Critics & Awards

97/100 - Wine Spectator Tasted: Feb 2021

94/100 - Wine Enthusiast Tasted: Dec 2020

The magnificent Vesuvio estate has produced a densely rich Port. Its tannins and big black fruit are just the starting point for a long journey. It is sumptuous and structured at the same time. Drink this wine from 2027. Roger Voss

18/20 - Grandes Escolhas Tasted: Jul 2020

96/100 - Decanter

A blend of 54% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca and Alicante Bouschet (co-fermented) and 6% Sousão (for freshness), predominantly from cooler north or northwest facing vineyards: beautifully lifted, scented floral aromas (rose petals), vinous and overt; sweet and suave initially, ripe but gentle blackberry fruit backed by velvety tannins leading to a finish that is both powerful and elegant at the same time. Wonderful freshness and vitality. A magnificent wine for drinking over the medium to long term. Just 965 cases produced, representing 3% of the quinta’s total production.

94/100 - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate

The 2018 Vintage Port is a blend of 54% Touriga Nacional and 40% Touriga Franca and Alicante Bouschet combined, with miscellaneous others filling out the blend. It comes in with 112 grams of residual sugar. This is one of the two Ports being released en primeur now by the Symingtons in this issue. If you are judging the group on concentration and power, this is easily the winner, the one with the biggest upside. There are some other points to make, though. You may like the style of some others more. Inky black, it is also probably the most concentrated Port in the group, although it doesn't seem to quite scale the heights of, say, the 2017. The signature features here will be the pungent aromatics and the big, ripe fruit. Actually, it is not only big in flavor, it's a little flamboyant. There is a nuance on the finish that makes it seem especially ripe; it will be interesting to see if that folds into the whole in time. The baked plums up front suggest very ripe Touriga Nacional, in particular. Then, the hammer falls, and this shows off a fair bit of power too, especially the next day. It was by far, also, the 2018 in this article that was most on top of its game when tasted a couple of days later. It will be interesting to see where this goes. It certainly has potential. There were 965 cases produced.

Port Vintage Years

The 2018 Vintage is aptly described by wine makers as a "rollercoaster of a vintage". A drought throughout winter gave way to exceptionally high rainfall and hale in spring. This was followed by sporadic heatwaves throughout summer. Fortunately the spring rains had replenished the water table and the grapes were healthy when it came to selection. In an unusual year such as 2018, the winemakers skills and experience are critical in producing a good wine. Those winemakers who carefully selected grapes prospered. As a result, there is no defining characteristic of the vintage as a whole, such as would be found in a long hot summer. Instead there are some very interesting ports that are more representative of the terroir.

After a run of declared vintages 2016/17 it was highly unlikely that 2018 would be universally declared. Sandeman who did not declare their outstanding 2017 were the fist to declare a classic vintage. This was followed by Sogevinous (Calem, Kopke, Burmester, Barros), Quevedo and regular declarations from Vesuvio and Noval. Surprisingly Taylors declared their 2018 (following 16/17) but will not sell it until 2021. QUANTITIES ARE TINY. Whether it's due to careful selection, Corona virus or just a desire not to overload the market, producers have only produced a fraction of normal volumes (roughly 1/3 of normal production).

The harvest in 2017 followed a growing season of drought and high temperatures, the resultant wines being very concentrated with good structure. 2016 has been a tricky vintage for the growers but ultimately they have been rewarded with super wines with elegance and freshness, good enough to make some growers think twice about a general declaration in 2015 whose wines look very good in their own right. In 2013 the single quintas are fresh with lively fruit character. 2012 is a great single quinta vintage which produced elegant wines with balance and poise. 2011 has produced fabulous wines with freshness and a fruit style which will make them great drinking throughout their evolution. 2009, by contrast, is about power, density and longevity. The 2007 vintage was more elegant with great concentration, length and purity. The very hot summer of 2003 delivered super ripe, intense wines. The Millennium vintage of 2000 was wonderfully rich and ripe, approachable in style but worth keeping. 1997 was widely declared and rightly praised but still a little backward. Wines from the 1994 vintage remain backward due to their intensity. 1992 is also for the long-term, currently quite closed. The concentrated wines of 1991 are still for keeping, though Ports from the lighter houses are just beginning to emerge. The wines of the bountiful 1985 vintage have a great balance of power with sweetness and are drinking now. The appealing style of the 1983s makes them perfect for current drinking. The wines of the 1980 vintage too are much under-rated and very pure. The 1977s, undoubtedly one of the great vintages, have matured well and are firmly in their drinking window, whilst the initially structured wines of 1970 have proved themselves worth the wait and are now at their peak. Lucky indeed are those still fortunate enough to have some 1966s, 1963s, 1960s and 1955s!

Tags: Quinta do Vesuvio - 2018