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For the Future - Port .....................................................................................................................................................................................................
As will be deduced from the recommendations of wines to lay down for differing lengths of time the choices are varied and broad depending upon the length of cellaring required. Vintage port is an ideal wine to lay down over the medium and sometimes very long term.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port, 2000 - £36.45 per bottle
It is clear that the 2000 wines show great power; the colour is immense and the tannins are strong. The wine itself displays complex layers of ripe fruit that promise well for the future. It will begin to drink from 2012 but will continue to mellow for 10 years after that.
Founded in 1784, Smith Woodhouse has consistently been judged as one of the finest of all Vintage Port producers.
Only three to four times a decade are the climatic conditions ideal in the Douro Valley to produce a sufficient quantity of exceptional wines which will allow shippers to 'declare' a Vintage. Vintage Port is aged in oak casks for two years before being transferred unfiltered to the bottle, where it has the potential to mature for decades. Smith Woodhouse stands amongst the leading producers of Vintage Port.
In 2000 picking started at the Quinta da Madalena vineyard only on the 2nd October and this was rather later than usual, but enabled maximum benefit from the good weather. The yields were extremely low, but the quality of the fruit was outstanding and the juice immensely concentrated. It was immediately apparent that the musts had great colour and had a most attractive and fresh aroma. Temperature control in the fermentation tanks was not difficult, as the nights were cool.
This young wine should be allowed to age in its own bottle for at least 15 to 20 years from the time it is bottled to achieve its optimum maturity. For those who prefer to drink their Vintage Port young, 4 to 5 years are sufficient.
Intense purple black colour. The nose is bursting with potent complex fruitiness. The fruit is rich and luscious, a harmonious blend of blackcurrant, cherry and plum. It is full-bodied on the palate with tightly-knit, chewy tannins which provide both volume and structure. the succulent jammy fruit flavours seem to last forever in an incredibly long finish. A big opulent wine in the Fonseca tradition. Drink 2015 to 2035+.
Guimaraens was founded in 1822, when Manuel Pedro Guimaraens acquired control of the Fonseca & Monteiro Company through purchase of the majority of the Fonseca holdings. As a condition of the sale of his shares to Guimaraens, the departing Fonseca stipulated that his name be retained.Not long after this purchase, Manoel Pedro Guimaraens, a supporter of the liberal cause in the 'War of the Two Brothers', was forced to flee Portugal hidden in an empty port wine cask. He settled in England, where his company remained based until 1927, when the headquarters of the firm returned to Portugal.
During this period, Fonseca grew rapidly in reputation and importance. By 1840, the firm had become the second largest shipper of Port Wine and in 1847 the first Fonseca vintage port was shipped to England.
Family has been a part of every Fonseca Vintage Port. Frank Guimaraens made all the vintages beginning with the 1896 through to the 1948. His daughter, Dorothy Guimaraens, following his death, made the 1955. Bruce Duncan Guimaraens, great-great grandson of the founder, made every Vintage from 1960 through to the 1992. As for the 1994 Vintage, Bruce Guimaraens’ son, David Guimaraens was responsible for this extraordinary award winning port wine. This remarkable continuity of winemaker is clearly evident in the wine.
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