Warres 2017 Vintage Port

Description

Warres 2017 Vintage Port presented in 75cl bottles.

Warres Vintage Port is characterised by complexity, elegance and balance resulting from the blending of wines from three great quintas: Quinta da Cavadinha in the Pinhão Valley which runs north of the Douro, Quinta do Retiro in the Rio Torto Valley, which runs south from the Douro just downriver from Pinhão, and since 2006 the Quinta da Telhada in the Douro Superior, just 25 km from the border with Spain. The blend is rounded out by wines from three more vineyards clustered around Cavadinha, namely Quinta do Alvito, Quinta das Andorinhas and Quinta das Netas. All three vineyards have a long history of supplying Warre’s, and are now privately owned by members of the Symington family who continue that tradition.  Cavadinha is unique in that its vineyards range from 150 metres by the Pinhão River, to as high as 400 metres.  The family’s own vineyards are near the upper end of Cavadinha and continue up to 500 metres. This variation in location and altitude produces a wonderfully balanced wine as it combines grapes from the intense heat of the lower altitude and Douro Superior vineyards with grapes from a much cooler maturity cycle higher up in the Pinhão Valley.

2017 Vintage

The 2017 Port Vintage is of exceptional quality. So much so that The Symington Family have declared the first back to back vintage declaration in the family’s 137 year history. The vintage was characterised by intense heat with record low levels of rainfall. Flowering and bud burst developed under good conditions and the high daytime temperatures and cool nights in August and September allowed for a gradual and even ripening. Harvest was exceptionally early, with some producers harvesting at the beginning of August. The harvest was around 20 to 30% down on a normal harvest, basically due to water stress. So, 2017 produced a smaller quantity of excellent fruit. Conditions were similar to 1945, an extremely highly regarded vintage.  Expect powerful, intense and complex wines with great aromas and freshness.

Warres 2017 Vintage Port

Provenance and variety make-up
· Quinta da Cavadinha: 44%
· Quinta do Retiro: 31
· Quinta da Telhada: 17%
· Quinta do Alvito & Quinta das Netas: 8%
· Touriga Nacional: 22%
· Touriga Franca: 15%
· Old mixed vines (field blend): 63%

Wine Specification
· Alcohol by volume – 20% v/v (20°C)
· Total acidity – 4.50 (g/l)
· Baumé – 3.70
· Bottled during May 2019 with no filtration
· Winemakers: Charles Symington, Mário Natário

Only 3,600 nine litre cases were bottled.