Page 99 - Wine Spectator (January 2020)

TASTING REPORT | PORT

2017 wines are more consistent than those of 2016 and on par with

benchmark years such as 2007 and 2003. Overall, I give the 2017 DOURO PORTUGAL
•
vintage a classic rating of 98 points on Wine Spectator’s 100-point The Home PORTO DOURO
scale, a step above 2016’s 96-point rating. of Port
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Murça SPAIN
Vila Flor
ince my report a year ago on the 2016s (“Quality Over •
•
Quantity,” Jan. 31 – Feb. 28, 2019), I have reviewed a total • LISBON
Vila Real Sabrosa •
Sof 36 2017 Vintage Ports, 26 of them scoring in the classic • Alijó
CIMA
range of 95 points or higher, while the remaining 10 all earn out- BAIXO CORGO Tua
Mesão CORGO • Torre de
standing ratings of 90-plus. It’s a true benchmark vintage. (A free • Frio Peso da Pinhão • Moncorvo
•
• Régua Douro
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alphabetical list of scores and prices for all of the nearly 100 Ports • São João da Douro
• Tabuaço Pesqueira
tasted, including tawnies, colheitas and more, is available at Wine- Lamego Freixo de Espada •
a Cinta
Spectator.com/PortAlpha022920.) DOURO
SUPERIOR
Leading the group is Quinta do Noval’s stunningly dense yet de-
fined Vintage Port Nacional 2017 (99 points, $1,125), with black N
0 miles 10
currant, fig and plum paste flavors that flow slowly but steadily
while warm earth, baker’s chocolate, tar and mesquite accents
course underneath. The finish is riveted by a bolt of graphite as Along with old vines and cooler exposures, a mix of grapes also
the fruit builds and fans out, with the structure working in unison helped producers in 2017. Touriga Nacional, the Douro’s lead grape,

all the way. This Nacional will last two generations in the cellar. relishes warm, dry seasons and provides the bulk of the dense, pow-
The Douro is typically warm and dry, conditions that tilt the erful fruit and tannins the 2017 Vintage Ports are built upon. But
playing field to old vines with deep root systems that can find the Touriga Franca, Sousão and Alicante Bouschet were also impor-

water needed to ripen their fruit steadily through the growing sea- tant, adding acidity, freshness and brightness to the wines. One top
son. Vineyards with cooler exposures were also favored in 2017, as example is the Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port Capelas 2017 (97,

they provided another balancing point against the valley’s heat. $185), which co-fermented Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and
Consequently, the list of top-scoring wines in 2017 is peppered Sousão for the first time, in part because the harvest window was
with bottlings that come from such sites. They include the Croft shortened and the three varieties ripened concurrently. The result

Vintage Port Quinta da Roeda Serikos 2017 (98, $225), Graham is a wine with an intense beam of blueberry, açaí berry and black-
Vintage Port The Terraces 2017 (98, $245), Quinta do Noval Vin- berry puree flavors, flanked by graphite and baker’s chocolate notes

tage Port 2017 (98, $125) and Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port Vargel- and scored by streaks of licorice snap on the finish, all while a vio-
las Vinha Velha 2017 (98, $275). let accent weaves in the background, providing lift and contrast.

Tastings of Graham’s highly rated Ports are conducted at the historic estate’s 19th-century lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, which completed a major renovation in 2013.

JAN. 31 - FEB. 29, 2020 • WINE SPECTATOR 93