FTLOP's OFFICIAL 2017 Vintage Port thread

[Roy Hersh]

April is almost here, isn't it going to be exciting? No, not the first full month of Major League Baseball, April Fool's Day, Easter or Passover, no something far better than that. St. George's Day?

Yep, us Port geeks are going to learn which Port producers have decided to declare 2017 as the next "latest and greatest" for Vintage Port. We already know how good 2015 & 2016 are. Both are very different and it is nice that there are no wrong answers there. It is a similar wealth of riches situation, like the 1991/1992 split declaration. Friendly rivals chose either side of that split. And you know what? More than a quarter of a century later, I am happy to say the correct decision was made by the leaders of BOTH companies. The 1991's released by the SFE stable of Ports was a fine decision for a declaration and absolutely spot on in my opinion. And who can argue about 1992 Taylor & Fonseca both turning out to be great at this point? I think it is very fair to impart basic judgment on VPs at 28 and 27 years of age, respectively, don't you?

It stands to reason that those like Dirk Niepoort who chose to skip 2016, and was decidedly very optimistic about his 2015 regular bottling and Bioma, will certainly declare 2017 too. I was given a 375 cask sample to evaluate last summer of his 2017 and was left scratching my head. With only about 9 months in wood, the time it takes for a woman to give birth, his newborn was better than a handful or two of the more than five dozen 2016's I tasted blind, early on. You ask, "how can that be?" I have a very simple response. I have not a clue, nor does it make any sense, even with empirical evidence to back it up.

So please do feel free to speculate, obviate and share your opinions here. Also, if you can provide any facts learned, so we can maintain a list of as many producers that are declaring, it will be fun to compare this list to both 2015 and 2016 entries. Imagine doing a fun diagonal or as others prefer to call it, a "matrix tasting"; when these 3 vintages hit 20 or even 30 years of age? Splendid. We will all meet at Glenn's house. Or Derek's! Or maybe Frederic in Canada will open his home to us Port nerds from around the globe ... What do you say Fred? I'd suggest Andy, but he's vacationing at the moment, so Luc? Nah, he'd just serve us peanut butter for dinner. Alex? Eric(s)? David(?) come on, we can pick a date to descend on your home sometime during cooler weather months in 2044. I might be a bit wrinkled by then, but for Port, I'd be willing to show up at 87, sure ... why not?!?!?!

While everyone is likely aware, 2017 Vintage Ports have the possibility of changing the traditional declarations as we know them today. What next, Vintage Ports being declared 7 or 8 years out of ten? The potential of the thin red line being erased forever looms large. Do you feel it?

It is my prediction that the major companies are going to "go for it" this year and we will see back-to-back (2016/2017) declarations for the first time, in any of our lives ... from the major league Port players, and I'm not talking about SQVP's either. And by this hanging on to a very long and thin limb ... somebody has to ... as there are good reasons for this. I don't mind being alone because if another one of you inches way out here, this tree branch will surely snap. I've been hinting at this for quite a while now. Likely some Port shippers are not thrilled, even if a lot of this is tongue in cheek. Come on guys, we just want to have some fun here. We love the product you produce and just want to talk about it and buy it, and drink it and collect it and cellar it and hold tastings of it and create Port clubs with it and make friends because of it and share info together on The Port Forum and FTLOP in support of it, globally!

So, many of you reading this know that The Fladgate Partnership will or won't declare their 2017 Vintage Ports on St. George's Day in England, which falls on APRIL 23rd and remembers St. George, England's patron saint. It is a perfect and memorable day to release that information to us, patiently awaiting the news to drop, kind of like Brexit. Oops, sorry, no politics here!!

But here is something you likely didn't know: another major company will beat them to the punch. I even know the exact date, but am sworn to secrecy. It matters not, several weeks from now all of my conjecture here, will be nothing more than that. Maybe even as soon as Monday. Wouldn't it be cool if someone like George Sandeman came forward and declared 2017 on April Fool's Day, with intent? He has always had a great sense of humor!

Last summer, one of the sweetest Port journalists and I spent a day into evening together in the Douro, then Gaia. We had great talks about all the fun that could happen if 2017 were to be declared by the masses as a Classic Port year, otherwise known as a General Declaration. Yes, the brilliant woman I am speaking of is Sarah Ahmed. She is a far better writer than I am, with a greater vocabulary and far more concise, but that's a low bar. I have enjoyed reading Sarah's work from the day she started writing about Port. But as impressive as her work is, that is how nice she is in person. Although we had been in touch for years, we finally met a few years ago during the dinner party after the Port Wine Confraria dinner. So it was very nice to catch up with her again and go from Porto up to the Douro, spend a nice day at a famous quinta like the cool kids and then come back for a new Port release party and dinner that evening. That being said, by reading her extraordinary article that is linked here, you can read all of her excellent thoughts on why 2017 just may be the vintage to take the trade from very Traditional to Modern, in one fell swoop. Here you go and thanks Sarah. You make poignant points and prove why living in London is so much cooler than Sammamish for a Port lover!

https://thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/201 ... a-do-noval

After the read, or anytime in the next year or so, when this thread has slowed down to the point that it makes no sense to keep it as a "sticky" velcro'd to the top of our Port Forum, we'd love to here you pontificate on this wide-open topic. If I am not careful Stewart or Mario might even show up. Ok, bye for now!

ONGOING EDIT TO ADD PRODUCERS WHO HAVE DECLARED:

Alves de Sousa
Bulas
Borges Quinta da Soalheira
Burmester
Capela da Quinta do Vesuvio (472 cases)
Churchill
Churchill's Quinta da Gricha
Cockburn (2,500 cases)
Croft
Croft Quinta da Roeda "Serikos"
Dalva
Dow (5,250 cases; includes 240 Magnums and 200 Tappit Hens)
DR / Agri-Roncão
Fonseca
Graham (5,250 cases)
Graham's The Stone Terrace (600 cases; 6360 individually numbered bottles, 180 Magnums, 120 Tappit Hens)
JH Andresen
Kopke
Martha
Maynard
Maynard Organic
Niepoort
Noble & Murat
Pintas
Pocas
Portal
Portal Muros
Porto Sequeira
Quevedo
Quinta Casa Amarela
Quinta do Crasto
Quinta Dona Matilde
Quinta de Gaivosa
Quinta do Javali
Quinta de la Rosa
Quinta das Lamelas
Quinta do Noval
Quinta do Noval Nacional
Quinta da Pacheca
Quinta da Prelada
Quinta da Romaneira (1,100 cases)
Quinta da Sequeira
Quinta do Tedo
Quinta do Tedo Savedra
Quinta de Vale Meao
Quinta do Vallado
Quinta do Vesuvio (1,200 cases)
Ramos Pinto
Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira
Pintas (Wine & Soul)
Real Companhia Velha (Quinta das Carvalhas?)
Skeffington
Taylor
Taylor's Vargellas Vinha Velha
Vasques de Carvalho
Vieira de Sousa
Warre (3,600 cases)
Wiese & Krohn

[current through 07/16/2019]

Let us know when you hear of more to add.

[Glenn E.]

Several people came away from ProWein this year with information that the Symington's were going to declare. It's not official yet, but given how many separate people came away from the show with the exact same information it seems like a pretty safe bet.

Now I just have to wait (im)patiently to see whether or not that declaration includes another Graham's The Stone Terraces!

[Roy Hersh]

SQVP's or Classic top brands ... from what you've read?

[Glenn E.]

SQVP's or Classic top brands ... from what you've read?

Full declarations according to the people who talked to them at ProWein. From what I've read they weren't really hiding it, either... they were telling pretty much anyone who asked.

[Thomas V]

I asked Mariana Botto from Symington, per mail, this past week about it and she confirmed that they are doing their first back to back VPs since 1934 & 1935.

[Roy Hersh]

I can't imagine it is helpful to throw anybody under the bus, by outing their names on a public Forum. While the people who worked at Prowein may be looking for a new career around now, maybe they mis-understood what, "this info is not to be released to the public" and thought they were told: "this information has got to be released to the public" instead.

Of course I am just kidding. But telling hundreds of people what and when their company will be declaring at the largest wine show of the year, seems like more than career suicide. Maybe this no longer is meant to be kept a secret, but I know that is NOT the case actually.

Very interesting. So what did you all think of the reasons given by Sarah Ahmed?

Did you like the quote she gave of Adrian Bridge's comment? It was surprising in its transparency. But it was really great to hear that it is more than just Colheitas and wood-aged specialty bottlings that are raising the bar for Port wine!

[Jasper A.]

I had a Dow's Masterclass today, and it was again confirmed that Dow's and Graham's will be declaring a classic vintage port.

[Roy Hersh]

Incredible. If it is being mentioned so openly, I am surprised they've just not come out and said so in a official declaration statement.

[Derek T.]

Posted on Instagram today...

Screen Shot 2019-04-03 at 23.59.59.png (93.17 KiB) Viewed 9121 times

[Roy Hersh]

Yes, some of us knew that, but glad it is now official. Fun to see them step out ahead and make the first salvo.

Derek,

Do you believe we will see a declaration of Classic VP, or a split declaration with 2017? Any other thoughts?

[Derek T.]

I honestly do not know, Roy. All I have seen or heard is the reports and speculation here plus that post on Instagram yesterday.

We will know soon enough

[Roy Hersh]

Yep, we only have to wait until Tuesday, but in reality we already know that outcome, due to all the leaks. The other shoe will drop on April 23rd.

[Derek T.]

Whatever happens, if in five decades from now the 2017's turn out to be anywhere near as good as the Warre 1970 I am drinking right now then the producers of today will have done a good job.

Unfortunately, I will probably have been dead for at least two of those decades before that part of the outcome is known

[Roy Hersh]

Who knows Derek, they say that the person who will live to be 150 years of age, has already been born. Maybe you will get lucky and drink the 2045 Vintage Port some day.

It is now 12:01 here, where is the Symington Family Estates declaration?

[Claus P]

It is now 12:01 here, where is the Symington Family Estates declaration? [/quote]

And, it's official!!!

[Derek T.]

https://vintageportsite.com/campaign/20 ... t-declared

[Roy Hersh]

I've waited up past 2 a.m. to get this, but Derek beat me to the punch, as I was posting this on FB. DOH.

[Thomas V]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVkKFrcHw30

[Roy Hersh]

And just like that, BAM ... Quinta do Noval adds a declaration of their own, both Quinta do Noval and also the Nacional 2017 are declared.

[Derek T.]

You beat me to that one, Roy

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2019/ ... 7-vintage/