Report from Berry Brothers & Rudd on 2011 vintage port:
Amidst the buzz of 2012 En Primeur, something rather special happened last week as most of the major port houses unanimously declared 2011 a vintage year for port. Representing only a tiny part of the production, vintage port is the pinnacle of port production representing both the quality and style of each house. On average three times a decade the Port shippers declare a vintage. A vintage year for port is only declared in outstanding years and the different shippers are not obliged to declare a vintage in the same year, but for 2011 the Port houses are unanimous in their verdict. Though rumours of a possible declaration have been circulating in the wine trade for months, most shippers held firm to tradition and waited for St. George's day to declare the vintage.
Amidst the buzz of 2012 En Primeur, something rather special happened last week as most of the major port houses unanimously declared 2011 a vintage year for port. Representing only a tiny part of the production, vintage port is the pinnacle of port production representing both the quality and style of each house. On average three times a decade the Port shippers declare a vintage. A vintage year for port is only declared in outstanding years and the different shippers are not obliged to declare a vintage in the same year, but for 2011 the Port houses are unanimous in their verdict. Though rumours of a possible declaration have been circulating in the wine trade for months, most shippers held firm to tradition and waited for St. George's day to declare the vintage.
A quick note on the vintage. 2011 is an exceptional vintage for port, following in the footsteps of 1927, 1945, 1966 and 1994. Similar to 2009 for Bordeaux, in 2011 the conditions in the Douro were perfect for making vintage port. Rainfall at the end of 2010 had topped up the water-reserves, critical to the vine's sustenance during the hot summer months. The summer months were extremely hot and dry culminating in small thick skinned berries with high sugar levels. An extra-ordinary blessing came in the form of rain on the 21st August and 1st September, which softened the skins (important due to the short maceration and fermentation of port) and allowed the phenolic (flavour) ripeness to catch up. The 2011s are characterized by deep dark fruit, real precision and a continues length. Due to the size of the small berries and oidium in early spring affecting final yields, production for the 2011s is low. The Symington's estimate that their production is down on average by 25-30% on that of the 2007s (and about 45% down on the 1994s) and as a result are expected to sell their full production en primeur (and are not intending to hold stock back (apart for personal use) at the estates).
In anticipation of a possible declaration, a Berry Bros. & Rudd team went out to taste the port a few weeks ago and more information can be read on http://bbrblog.com/.
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