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If Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage Port is one of the Douro’s great wines, then the Capela is something else entirely. This is a super limited production from four terroirs within the estate, accounting for just 1% of total production. It is only released in the most exceptional of years. The 2024 is just the sixth declaration in 20 years and could be the most concentrated and structured yet.
From Symington Family Estates, “The 2024 resonates with Douro schist, herbal garrigue and hallmark Vesúvio lavender. The palate is expansive and powerful; its scope provided by the estate’s old vine components. Multi-dimensional and complex, with monumental structure perfectly balanced by fine acidity, sculpted tannins and layers of fruit and spice. A formidable wine that will fascinate and linger in the memory.”
This is an “En Primeur” offer or pre-order from Fareham Wine Cellar. The price includes UK Duty and VAT. The 2024 Vintage Ports will be shipped in Autumn 2026.
The four vineyards at the heart of the Chapel are the Vinha da Capela itself, replanted post-phylloxera in the late 19th century and consisting of a field blend of 100-year-old mixed vines from just four original terraces.
The second plot is the sheltered Escola vineyard in the estate’s central valley, which sits in welcome afternoon shade at the height of the summer. The third plot is Vale da Teja, planted with half-a-century-old Touriga Franca, with very deep roots which can access water far down and are well-suited to the hot, dry summers.
The fourth plot is not always used in Capela, but the Alicante Bouschet from the Vinha de Castelo was particularly good in this harvest
The wine is a blend of Douro Old Vines Field Blend, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Alicante Bouschet from these four remarkable parcels, all foot-trodden in Vesúvio’s granite lagares, actually a large lagar, divided into two smaller “lagaretes”.
Winemaker Charles Symington favours co-fermentations for the Capela: the different grape varieties are fermented together in the same lagar, a technique that creates the extraordinary complexity and powerful structure.
Provenance: Estate vineyards, Vinha de Capela, Vinha da Escolha, Vale da Teja and Vinha de Castelo
Grape Varieties: Douro Old Vines Field Blend, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet
The Symington family have declared 2024 as a classic Vintage Port year, their first in seven years, and one that wine lovers have been quietly hoping for.
After a run of harvests defined by heat and unpredictability, the Douro returned in 2024 to something closer to its traditional self. Gradual ripening, cool nights and a well-timed harvest gave fourth-generation Head Winemaker Charles Symington and his team the raw material they needed to produce wines of real elegance and restraint, the kind that reward patience in the cellar as much as excitement at the table.
Seven Vintage Ports have been bottled from this exceptional year. The core declarations – Warre’s, Dow’s, Graham’s and Cockburn’s – are joined by the magnificent Quinta do Vesúvio, one of the Douro’s most celebrated single-quinta estates. Two rare micro-terroir expressions complete the collection: Graham’s The Stone Terraces and the ultra-limited Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio, both produced in tiny quantities from some of the Valley’s most remarkable vineyard sites. In addition to the family’s principal Vintage Ports, they have also released a small quantity of Smith Woodhouse and Quinta de Roriz 2024 Vintage Port.
Charles Symington, Head Winemaker and Joint Managing Director, commented, “The 2024 Vintage Ports whisper rather than shout. After years of heat-driven power, these wines are characterised by their precision: taut structures wrapped in pure, crystalline fruit. This is Douro elegance with backbone, and refinement with staying power. It was worth the wait.”
Appearance: Visual density at its peak—an opaque, inky purple-black core with a brilliant, tightly wound violet rim.
Nose: Deeply complex, absorbing, and intensely aromatic. It opens with the signature Vesúvio calling card of wild lavender, rockrose, and fresh pine needles, quickly layered with darker elements of graphite, Douro schist dust, and crushed blackberries. As it sits in the glass, it reveals deep-seated notes of dark chocolate, eucalyptus, and savory wild herbs.
Palate: Explosive, dense, and full-bodied, yet defined by the striking precision and “chiselled” freshness of the 2024 vintage. Rich, concentrated layers of cassis, damson plum, and wild woodland berries completely envelop the mouth. This immense core of fruit is masterfully framed by massive, well-armed, yet fine-grained tannins that lend an engaging, sophisticated austerity.
Finish: Monumental, linear, and remarkably long. It finishes on a beautifully dry note, echoing with lingering nuances of liquorice, cocoa, and an intriguing, sharp mineral edge that reverberates for minutes.
2024 Vintage
95-97/100 – Luis Gutiérrez
96/100 – James Suckling
19.5/20 – Richard Mayson
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