Vintage Port – A Declaration of Faith
byAnne Martin

At a recent tasting billed as "Declaring the 2007 Vintage" with David Guimaraens, head winemaker for the Fladgate Partnership (which includes Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca and Croft) and member of the Fonseca family, a group of wine writers and other trade professionals were invited to taste four vintage ports, all 2007s, from each of Fladgate’s three houses. The port industry only declares a vintage in the best years, when conditions are right to produce great fruit from all the best sites in the Douro Valley. 2007 is the third declaration in the 2000s, and it is touted as being a great vintage with wines that are stylish and very pure. In-the-know consumers seek these wines out for their great ageing potential. Each port house has a specific style that is expressed in the blend of a "classic vintage"; however, as Guimaraens pointed out, "above all else it is the year that makes the difference." He explained that there are two different types of vintages – hot, concentrated years with ripe, bold fruit and cooler, slower-ripening years like 2007, where the grapes develop more slowly. In these "ripening" years a certain freshness of fruit is preserved and the tannins are able to fully ripen. Often these wines are very approachable at a relatively young age; however, they are capable of developing just as long as the more blockbuster examples from the hot years that are almost untouchable in their youth.

And when should one drink a vintage port? The truth is that there is no replacement for time. These are wines that are bottled after two years in wood, and they need a minimum of 15–20 years in a cool, dark place before they even begin to show their beguiling character. "A mature vintage port is an extraordinary experience, and a young vintage port is like an explosion of fruit," Guimaraens said. I feel that young vintage port is interesting to taste because one gets an idea of how well it’s going to age, but it’s hard work to drink it, with its hard, ripping tannins and dark, brooding fruit. As it matures, the wine begins to harmonize - it loses its raw fruit profile, the tannins soften, the texture mellows, the bouquet sweetens and it becomes wonderfully multi-layered.

Port is not a varietal wine — its best wines are made from a blend of complementary grapes. There are many legally sanctioned grapes allowed, but four of the best are Touriga Nacional (rich and muscular), Touriga Franca (fragrant and refined), Tinta Roriz (fresh with cherry-like fruit) and Tinta Barroca (often high in sugar). Most port is red and it is fortified, which means that grape spirit is added to the sweet, fermenting must before the fermentation is complete. This stops the fermentation process and results in a sweet and strong (almost 20 percent alcohol) wine. Much vintage port is still made the old-fashioned way, by foot-trodding in large granite lagares, but the bulk of it is fermented in sealed autovinifiers. There are other port styles to drink while waiting for your vintage port to mature, and there’s lots of it available, since vintage port accounts for only two to three percent of all port production.
Some other ports to look out for are:

Ruby - the youngest "wood" port, it is straightforward and lively. It is ready to drink when bottled and doesn’t "throw" a deposit. The Fonseca Bin 27 Reserve Vintage Character is a premium ruby port, and it is a blend of the best ports - outside of those used in the vintage port.

Aged Tawny - a more subtle and gentle style of wood port that is aged in cask for extended periods. These wines take on a tawny hue and are usually labelled 10, 20, 30 or Over 40 year old. They come from the same vineyards that produce vintage port and are bottled when they are a minimum of six years old. The long barrel ageing gives them smooth, polished and concentrated flavours. Taylor Fladgate makes fine examples of both 10 and 20-Year-Old Tawny (and delicious 30 and 40-Year-Old as well, if you're lucky enough to find some when they're brought into Vintages).

Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) - single vintage wines that are of a quality just below that of an undeclared vintage which are blended and bottled between four and six years after the vintage. They don’t develop much extra flavour in the bottle, and they often don’t throw sediment, unless they’re unfiltered. They are a good, inexpensive alternative to vintage port for less auspicious occasions.

Single Quinta Vintage - these are exciting wines made from grapes grown on a single quinta (farm), usually, but not always, in years not quite good enough to be declared a vintage. They have lots of character and should be cellared (though for less time than a vintage port) and decanted.

Of the four vintage ports that I tried at the recent tasting it was difficult to choose a winner. The all-important house styles were expressed and these are my notes:

1. Croft Vintage Port 2007 - blackcurrant and mulberry fruit with some spice on the nose. The palate is round, soft and silky. Quite approachable.

2. Fonseca Vintage Port 2007 - menthol, green, stalky and blackcurrant fruit on the nose. The palate is more tannic with tight black fruit, mineral notes and a slightly oily texture. A very good finish with medicinal notes. It has a more taut and restrained style.

3. Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2007 - minty and graphite notes with subdued fruit on the nose. On the palate it has opulent fruit, dark chocolate and coffee notes with liquorice on the finish. Rich fruit and less complex.

4. Taylor Fladgate Single Quinta Vargellas Vintage Port 2007 - floral notes on the nose. On the palate the acidity is almost breathtaking with tarry notes, ripe opulent fruit and velvety tannins. Shows great potential.

Anne Martin is a Toronto-based sommelier, writer and wine consultant. Learn more about Anne, including her cellar and tasting services at www.annemartinwine.com.