Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

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Paul_B
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Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Paul_B »

Hi all,
well April 23rd, is St. George's Day and I was wondering if there is a list of 2008 VP declarations posted somewhere, if not we can add below those that are known.
Kind of strange since I only recently took delivery of my 2007 VP order.

Thanks
Paul
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Derek T.
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Re: Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Derek T. »

I'm not sure whether or not there have been any official declarations yet but so far I have heard that the following 2008 VPs will be produced...

Dow Bomfim
Graham Malvedos
Vesuvio
Dow Sra Ribeira
Niepoort Pisca
Crasto
Cockburn Canais
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Re: Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Derek T. »

Taylor Fladgate wrote:Taylor releases two 2008 single quinta vintage ports

Taylor is to release 2008 single quinta Vintage Ports from its flagship estates of Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta de Terra Feita. Announcing the release, Managing Director Adrian Bridge commented: “These exceptional Vargellas and Terra Feita single estate Vintage Ports are a superb showcase of what these two historic properties are able to achieve. The 2008 harvest has produced wines with impressive density and concentration but this has not masked the distinctive character of each estate. As usual with single quinta vintages, these wines promise to deliver remarkable value both to consumer and collector.” Technical Director and Wine Maker David Guimaraens added: “The weather at harvest time was critical to the success of the 2008 wines. I cannot recall such perfect picking conditions for many years. The grapes coming into the winery just kept getting better and better.” The 2008 Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta de Terra Feita vintage ports will be available in selected markets in the Autumn of this year.

Quinta de Vargellas Vintage 2008

Inky black with a vivid purple rim. Compact and stylish nose, with intense aromas of blackcurrant and wild berries tightly wrapped around a dark nucleus of liquorice and treacle. This dense backdrop is overlaid with subtle notes of tea, rose petal, thyme and exotic wood with an attractive grapey freshness emerging as the nose develops. As usual with Vargellas the nose shows exceptional purity and resolution but is seductive in its complexity. On the palate the tannins are beautifully integrated and deceptively subtle but their firm sinews become apparent on the long finish which is packed with intense black berry fruit flavour.

Quinta de Terra Feita Vintage 2008

Inky purple black centre with a narrow violet rim. From the first moment the nose is drawn into a complex and powerful vortex of dense creamy blackberry, raspberry and cassis aromas fused with subtle notes of gumcistus and mint. This is classic Vintage Port in its extraordinary quality of fruit, combining power with refinement and complexity. The thickly textured tannins provide body and structure and the palate is brimming with fine concentrated black fruit flavour which flows over into the long finish. An outstanding Terra Feita displaying the character of the estate with great purity.
Last edited by Derek T. on Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Derek T. »

Fonseca wrote:Fonseca releases 2008 vintage ports

Fonseca is to release a 2008 Vintage Port from Quinta do Panascal. Adrian Bridge, Managing Director, commented: “The 2008 harvest has produced some excellent Vintage Ports. The 2008 Quinta de Panascal displays the concentration and the intense fruit associated with the vintage but also clearly expresses the character of this unique terroir.” He added: “The investments made at Panascal, as well as in our Pinhão Valley estates, mean that we are now consistently able to release top flight vintage Ports even in years which are not declared. This translates into great value for the consumer and the collector.” David Guimaraens, Technical Director and Wine Maker, noted: “I believe this is one of the finest Quinta do Panascal Vintages we have made so far. There is great purity in the way in which it expresses the style of the estate.” He added: “The 2008 was a harvest of relatively low yields and produced wines with a lot of depth and structure. Virtually perfect picking conditions meant that great wines were made right up to the end of the harvest.” As well as the Panascal, Fonseca will also bottle a small amount of Guimaraens 2008 Vintage Port which will be available on limited release as a collector’s item. Both wines will be available in selected markets in the Autumn of this year.

Quinta do Panascal Vintage 2008

Opaque purple colour with narrow violet rim. The nose opens with an unrestrained surge of dense concentrated cassis and black cherry laced with a sumptuous confection of molasses and dark chocolate. As it develops, notes of damson and plum emerge from the seemingly impenetrable layer of dark berry fruit followed by heady scents of aromatic herbs and exotic notes of black pepper and sandalwood. On the palate the wine’s rich luscious fruitiness combines with the close grained and wonderfully integrated tannins to produce an unrestrained eruption of texture and flavour. The opulent black fruit flavours are seemingly endless and are lifted by a zesty freshness on the finish.

Guimaraens Vintage 2008

Very deep purple black with violet highlights. As would be expected of a Guimaraens Vintage Port, the first impression on the nose is of a powerful detonation of blackberry, cassis, strawberry and woodland fruit. These exuberant berry aromas are seasoned with notes of coffee, treacle and spice and surrounded by a fragrant balsamic aura of gumcistus and mint. The intense fruit flows through the palate like a thick blackcurrant coulis. The palate is supported by a taut fabric of closely-woven tannins and the long finish resounds with a final blast of sumptuous ripe berry flavour.
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Re: Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Derek T. »

Croft Roeda 2008 can be added to the list :wink:
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Re: Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Derek T. »

Here is the list of 2008 VPs that I have shipper confirmation of so far:

Cockburn Quinta dos Canais
Croft Quinta do Roeda [Factsheet]
Dow Quinta do Bomfim
Dow Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira
Fonseca Guimaraens [Factsheet]
Fonseca Quinta do Panascal [Factsheet]
Graham Quinta dos Malvedos
Niepoort Pisca
Quinta do Crasto
Quinta do Vesuvio
Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita [Factsheet]
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas [Factsheet]

Please post away as and when you find confirmation that a particular wine has been produced.

Note 1: The Factsheets relating to the Croft, Fonseca and Taylor wines linked to above were kindly supplied to me by Adrian Bridge, Managing Director of the Taylor Fladgate Partnership, whose Copyright © is hereby acknowledged.
Note 2: I have posted links to the UK version of the Taylor factsheets - no doubt a US-compliant Taylor Fladgate version of these will appear soon :wink:
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Re: Happy St. George's Day (Vintage 2008 Declarations?)

Post by Roy Hersh »

The Symington's wrote:

The Symington Family offer Quinta do Vesúvio 2008 and Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da
Ribeira 2008 Vintage Ports
It is rare in the Douro to have two excellent years that follow each other. This happened in 2007
and 2008. There was even some talk in late 2008 that some producers might opt for declaring the
08’s rather than the 07’s. It became clear as our tastings progressed that the 2007’s had the clear
edge in our view, but this shows how good the 08’s are.
We have therefore decided to bottle 2008 wines from Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos, Dow’s
Quinta do Bomfim and from Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha, but these wines will not be offered for
sale now and will be bottled and cellared. All three wines will only be released when they have
had several years of bottle-age.
We have also decided to bottle 600 cases of Quinta do Vesuvio and 300 cases of Dow’s Quinta da
Senhora da Ribeira and these wines will be offered for sale now and will be available for tasting
at the LWTF 18th to 20th May.

The 2008 Year
Although it rained more than in 2007 and 2006, this was another dry year in the Douro, with just
542 mm (average 751 mm). April was unseasonably wet and caused quite severe ‘desavinho’
(coulure). Bur rather like in 2007, we then had a mild summer with August temperatures a full
degree centigrade below the average. This resulted in late and gentle ripening. Rain on the 4th and
6th September followed by good weather performed a small miracle in the vineyard.
Late picking was important in 2008, the vines needed time to mature and they really enjoyed the
early September rain. We only finished picking at Senhora da Ribeira on the 13th October and at
Vesuvio on the 15th. One of our wine makers wrote ‘without a doubt this serene autumn saved
the harvest’.

Quinta de Vesuvio 2008
This was a year for Touriga Nacional at Vesuvio, it only yielded 0,86 kgs per vine, but it gave a
superb 13.6 Baumé. Three riverside plots of this variety were used (those just behind the orange
orchard) and they make up 70% of the wine. We used Touriga Franca (20%) from the higher Teja
valley vineyard on the Quinta. Finally Barroca from plot 60, just below the tractor shed, adds
structure and body to the wine. All were 100% trodden in the stone lagares at Vesuvio.
The 2008 Vesuvio has a brilliant dark purple colour with profound and lifted aromas of violets, it
has tremendous mid-palate weight and luscious complexity, a firm grip and fine acidity with the
characteristic velvet like finish of all wines from this great property.

Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira
Once again the beautiful ‘Lady of the River’ produced stunning wines. The selection was as
rigorous as we have ever made at this Quinta, much of which was originally planted by our greatgrandfather
between 1912 and 1925. We are literally harvesting what our forefathers planted.
We are bottling just 300 cases of this lovely wine. We have used Touriga Nacional from the high
vineyard called ‘Vinha Grande’ by the big old water tank, and this has contributed 40% of the
wine. We have then used Touriga Franca from plots 19 and 36 on the lower vineyard by the house
(a further 40%). The final 20% comes from the ancient vineyard of mixed plantings (0.46 kgs per
vine) to the left of the dust road into the Quinta.
The 2008 Senhora da Ribeira has brilliant flavours of spice and bitter chocolate, with the classic
Dow’s slightly drier finish. This wine is tight and austere at the moment, like all great Dow’s
Vintage Ports, but the underlying richness and complexity is clearly evident and will emerge as
the wine ages. This is a real collectors wine for those who truly love great Vintage Port.

The Symington family
Portugal
27 April 2010
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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