Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela da Quinta do Vesuvio 2022 Vintage Port

Description

Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela da Quinta do Vesuvio 2022 Vintage Port was released for only the fifth time in this vintage. Previous vintages were 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2017. The Quinta’s main vintage Port, Quinta do Vesuvio 2022 was also released.

“The 2022 harvest will be remembered as the year the conditions tested the resilience of our vines to the limit and our ability to adapt to a new reality. It showed us that our vines can still perform well with much less water and higher temperatures than we ever imagined.” Charles Symington, October 2022

Quinta do Vesuvio is the flagship Single Quinta of Symington Family Estates (owners of Dow, Warre, Grahams et al.) In 1823 Quinta do Vesuvio was purchased by the well-known Port grower António Bernard Ferreira who massively renovated and improved the estate. It passed through family hands until it was acquired by the Symington family in 1989 who immediately set about restoring and renovating the estate to modern standards. The main house and winery were restored and a large planting and re-planting of the existing vineyard was undertaken taking the vineyard area to 136 hectares. All grapes are trodden by foot and only Vintage Port is made at Quinta de Vesuvio. Between the extraordinary variety of microclimates and the range of grape varieties grown on the estate, the Quinta is capable of making a great Vintage Port in all but the most challenging years.  The entire property is A-rated, the highest possible quality designation.

Vintage Ports are only made in exceptional years (usually three or four times in a decade). After the harvest, wines of Vintage potential are put into oak barrels called ‘pipes’. Some eighteen months later a careful and painstaking series of tastings is held to judge exactly which wines of different vineyards merit inclusion in the final blend. If the ideal blend is achieved, the wine is then bottled without any filtration whatsoever approximately 24 months after the original harvest. Vintage Port must then be matured for some ten to twenty years in cool dark cellars as it gradually achieves the outstanding style of a great wine. The bottles should always be stored lying down. Vintage Ports deposit a heavy sediment or ‘crust’ in the bottle while maturing and must be decanted before serving.

What Makes Up Capela do Vesuvio?

Capela do Vesúvio is named after the property’s beautiful chapel and neighbouring vineyard, which is the first plot that contributes to this wine. The Vinha da Capela was one of the first to be replanted post-phylloxera at Vesúvio in the late 19th century – with just four terraces left today of the original vineyard. It is a field blend of 100-year-old vines that have been successively interplanted, using original vine cuttings to preserve their unique characteristics.

The second plot is the Escola – or ‘school’ – vineyard. These vines are sheltered at the base of the estate’s central valley, which collects rainwater and is flanked by steep, terraced slopes that provide welcome shade in the height of summer.

The third component of Capela do Vesúvio Vintage Port comes from the half-a-century old plantings of Touriga Franca in the Vale da Teja. With well-developed, deep roots that can access water far down in the subsoil, these vines are ideally suited to the hot and dry conditions at Quinta do Vesúvio.

Wine Specification

Alcohol by volume: 20% vol.
Total acidity: 4.60
Baumé: 3.50°
pH: 3.64
Bottled (unfiltered): May 2024
Winemakers: Charles Symington and José Luís Cavalheiro

Grape Variety Composition

31% Tourigal Nacional
23% Old Vines Douro Field Blend
19% Touriga Franca
15% Sousao
12% Alicante Bouschet

Only 4,320 bottles (75CL), 300 Magnums (150CL) and 200 Tappit Hens (2.25L) of Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela da Quinta do Vesuvio 2022 Vintage Port were produced.