What 2010 and 2012 vintage ports have best potential

[Esben J]

Hi,

I'm still quite new to drinking vintage port and have a question regarding the aging potential of two ports I consider buying for my to sons born in 2010 and 2012. My hope is to buy port that will keep well into their adulthood. I know 2011 is a much better vintage and will consider buying from that year instead if the aging potential is too poor in 2010 and 2012 it just would be more fun if I could find something from those two years.

The best choices I have found would be to buy

2010 Quinta Do Vesuvio vintage
2012 Quinta Do Noval vintage

If cellared under the right conditions should these ports improve over the next 30+ years or would they peak earlier and start to fade?

Are there other ports from those two years with better potential?

Would it be a far far better option to buy a 2011 vintage in the same price range (50-60£) (in which case I would just have to lie about my sons birth years )?

I look very much forward to hearing your take on it!

Best

Esben

[Thomas V]

Those are 2 very very solid houses when it comes to vintage port.

Noval is known for having a very long ageing potential and early on the can be brash and very tannic. But that is what keeps them alive for decades.

Vesuvio matures perhaps a tad quicker than the Noval but I have tasted both 1994 and 1996 this year where the 1994 is still very very potent and have a long life ahead where as the 1996 was starting to become mature. But alas they are both already 20 and 22 years old at this point. Vesuvio also happens to be my favourite port house

So to sum up. Both are excellent choices and should age well for your two sons to enjoy in 25 - 40 years time and I think you should stick to these 2 vintages as those are the years in which your children was born. Probably 2011 is a better but for most people the nuances between a 92 point port and a 95 point is not detectable.

[Andy Velebil]

These are both from non-classic years so while they will age quite well for some time they may not last quite as long as something from a classic declaration. However, they are both very nice Ports and for drinking over the next few decades I don't think you'd go wrong with either.

That said, between them and if I was going to buy for myself, I'd pick the Noval. I've recently tasted it and thought it was a superb VP.