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Ramos Pinto 1997 Vintage Port presented in a 75cl bottle.
Vintage port is a wine from one single harvest, representative of the growth cycle of one single exceptional year. After two years of ageing in oak barrels, it is then bottled for a long life (which can be 40 years or more for a very good vintage).
Ramos Pinto was founded in 1880 by brothers Antonio and Adriano and has always had a pioneering spirit. In the early 20th century, it became noted for its innovative and enterprising commercial strategies, including the distinctive Art Nouveau advertising campaign. Ramos Pinto is run today by the heirs of these two energetic vintners: Jorge Rosas, Export Director and João Nicolau de Almeida, the oenologist who was responsible for officially identifying the five key grape varieties.
In 1990, Ramos Pinto became part of the Champagne Louis Roederer group, which shares a similar family-owned history and has since enjoyed significant investment and further improvements in quality.
Ramos Pinto Port wines are vinified at Quinta do Bom Retiro, one of four Quintas the company owns, along with Quinta da Urtiga, adjacent to Bom Retiro, Quinta da Ervamoira, in the far upper Douro, and Quinta dos Bons Ares, a cooler site with some of the highest vineyards in the Douro.
Ramos Pinto enjoys the distinction of holding the largest proportion of vineyards in relation to its production, giving it a high degree of control over viticultural methods at harvest time. The House tends 187 hectares (460 acres) of prime vineyards in the Alto Corgo and Douro Superior areas of the famed Douro region, the mountainous valleys formed by the Douro River and its tributaries.
Grapes for the Ramos Vintage 1983 Vintage Port are trodden by foot in traditional stone lagares and this age-old technique allows for the juice of the fruit to be extracted more efficiently and less violently. After having concluded the first steps of vinification, the wines are transported to the historical wine cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia, where they undergo a long ageing process.
Ramos Pinto 1997 Vintage Port is made from a blend of grapes: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz from old, established vineyards.
From Ramos Pinto: “A typical year. A dry winter, characterised by a hot February, with the vines bursting early and full of strength. It was followed by a rainy spring and a cold May. The lower altitudes, which registered higher temperatures, were more protected, but the higher quotas were eventually affected by this weather change. Maturation developed in a very irregular climate, until the arrival of the equinox with ideal temperatures. The long, hot and dry summer raised the sugar levels, the concentration of colour and ripening, which resulted in tannin-rich wines of excellent quality, making this a memorable harvest.”
Yes, it does. When a Vintage Port is aged, it develops a crust, or sediment, and should always be placed upright for a few hours (or a few days if possible) to allow for the sediments to settle at the bottom. Depending on the age of the Vintage Port, it can then be decanted a few hours before serving.
Read our Guide to Decanting Port.
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