Introducing our 2023 Quinta Vintage Ports
We are delighted to announce the release of our 'beautifully poised' 2023 Quinta Vintage Ports.
2023 produced well-balanced wines with vibrant colour and freshness, and, following our annual review, we have decided to produce Quinta Vintage Ports from our top six Douro estates.
Four of these will be released en primeur in 2025 – Quinta do Vesúvio, Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira, Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos, and Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim. The remaining two will age in our cellars for future release – Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha and Cockburn’s Quinta dos Canais.
Following a succession of challenging years in the Douro with prolonged heatwaves and low rainfall, 2023 brought renewed optimism as moderate conditions allowed for balanced ripening. Abundant winter and spring rainfall revitalised the soil, and a mild summer supported steady maturations. Despite a dry July and August, the vines thrived, with early September rain enhancing fruit quality. Key Touriga Nacional and Franca plots were picked just before further rain, yielding beautifully fresh, balanced wines. Following careful tastings over the last year, we will produce Quinta Vintage Ports from six estates, with four set for en primeur release in 2025 and two reserved for future release.
“Our ability to maximise the potential of the 2023 conditions depended on a well-planned picking schedule, agile teams, and favourable weather. Our reward is these beautifully balanced 2023 Quinta Vintage Ports, which represent the finest expression of the year. These wines are made from the best-performing plots of vineyard at each estate, which we’ve brought together to create excellent, terroir-driven Quinta Vintage Ports with great ageing potential.” – Charles Symington, Head Winemaker
It has been six years since our family last declared a classic Vintage Port, with the 2017 vintage. Given our quintas are spread across the mountainous Douro Valley, producing a classic Vintage Port requires a rare alignment of conditions across all estates. We are always guided by what each year delivers, and, when quality is more localised to specific vineyard parcels, we bottle small quantities of Quinta Vintage Port. In years when conditions are consistently favourable across the entire region, we seize the rare opportunity to produce classic Vintage Port.
With excellent balance, colour, and freshness, the 2023 Quinta Vintage Ports represent the pinnacle of what we produced from the 2023 harvest. While the Vesúvio and Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Ports will be available in all bottle sizes, the Malvedos and Bomfim wines will be available in magnums and 3L bottles only.
