Is Vintage Port really worth as much as ten times the price of Ruby Port? Yes, and here's why. Vintage Port is made in a different way from other styles of Port and is only made in the best years. A Port vintage must be “declared.” A single producer can declare a vintage based on superior fruit in his estate vineyard that may outperform the quality of other estates. Great years are declared by all major producers the second Spring following harvest. Typically, Vintage Port accounts for around 2% of Portugal’s Port production. Vintages are declared about three times in a decade.
What Is Vintage Port?
Vintage Port is treated differently from all other styles. They are aged in casks for two and a half years, then bottled. Tawny Ports, in contrast, are aged in casks for 10—20—30 or more years before bottling. Vintage Port matures in the bottle and, while delicious upon release, should be cellared for a very long time. Vintage Port is one of the world’s longest-lived wines and rarely shows its potential before twenty or thirty years.
Vintage Ports are not equal, although there is a strong resemblance across the board for the major Port producers. A single vintage will typically show minor stylistic differences between producers. The vintages themselves, however, mature in different ways, making some vintages more highly prized than others.
The 2007 Vintage
The 2007 vintage was declared by all major producers. Wine writer Anthony Dias Blue remarked that the 2007 vintage was the finest in his quite considerable memory. Its release was scheduled for late May 2009. These wines show exciting potential and will be in relatively short supply. In the U. S. they will be priced around $100 a 750ml bottle, but there are a few exceptional values to be found.
Recommendations
The Quinta da Romaneira 2007 Vintage Port is expected to hit American shelves around $55-60. It displays bright lemon zest which offsets the rich sweetness nicely. Highly Recommended.
Smith Woodhouse 2007 Vintage Port may be the steal of the vintage. At around $50 it is typical of this very distinctive vintage and also highly recommended. It features full, rich, powerful cassis flavors and spice and floral aromas.
Not for the faint of heart or pocketbook is the astounding Vargellas Vinha Velha 2007 Vintage Port. It displays a deep, inky color and a pungent nose of black fruits, dark chocolate and licorice. Layers of rich, dark berry, ripe plum and blueberry overwhelm the palate. It’s enormous structure will require significant aging. $240 and Very Highly Recommended.
