2012 Declarations

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jdaw1
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2012 Declarations

Post by jdaw1 »

This thread is to list 2012 declarations. This post will be edited, repeatedly, to maintain a list of known declarations.
  • Barao de Vilar;
  • Bulas;
  • Bulas Seyra (silver medal in 2017 DWWA Awards)
  • Calem;
  • Dalva;
  • Duorum Vinha de Castelo Melhor;
  • Heritage Porto & Douro
  • Quinta da Gaivosa from Alves de Sousa;
  • Quinta da Gricha from Churchill - seen on the wine list of Bar Douro in Flat Iron Square in London on 3rd May 2017;
  • Quinta da Pacheca;
  • Quinta da Revolta;
  • Quinta das Lamelas;
  • Quinta de Galura (part of Sao Luiz) from Barros;
  • Quinta de la Rosa (833 cases);
  • Quinta de Sao Luiz from Kopke;
  • Quinta do Arnozelo from Burmester;
  • Quinta do Estanho;
  • Quinta do Javali;
  • Quinta do Noval (1,000 cases);
  • Quinta do Pessegueiro;
  • Quinta do Sao Jose (Joao Brito e Cunha Lda);
  • Quinta do Vale do Meão;
  • Quinta Maria Izabel;
  • Real Companhia Velha;
  • Royal Oporto Quinta das Carvalhas;
  • Sequeirinha (brand name of the Sequeira family port firm);
  • Symington Family Estates:
    • Cockburn Quinta dos Canais;
    • Dow Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira (450 cases of 12);
    • Graham Malvedos;
    • Quinta do Vesuvio (750 cases of 12);
    • Warre Quinta da Cavadinha
  • Taylor Fladgate:
  • Terras do GriFo from Rozes;
  • Van Zellers (seen in a FaceBook picture posted by FTLOP);
  • Vista Allegre.
Links to other vintages:
2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005

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jdaw1
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by jdaw1 »

BFT 2014 Catalogue wrote:11. Dow’s Senhora da Ribeira 2012

12. Quinta do Vesuvio 2012
The only 2012 declarations revealed by this release of the BFT’s catalogue.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

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A [url=http://www.taylor.pt/en/news/vintage-port-2012-announced/]Taylor press release[/url] wrote:Taylor’s to launch Quinta de Vargellas 2012 Vintage Port

St George’s Day, 23rd April, is when Taylor’s traditionally announces whether it will make a new Vintage Port release.

Revealing this year’s decision, Taylor’s Managing Director, Adrian Bridge, said: "I am delighted to say that we will be making a limited bottling of 2012 Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port. The 2012 is showing the wonderfully pure, vibrant fruit which often results from a cool ripening season and displays all the elegance and poise which we associate with Vargellas Vintage Ports.” He added: "The wine will be released in time for the year end and we already have strong expressions of interest from the trade.”

Taylor’s wine maker David Guimaraens noted: "The Vargellas 2012 has an attractive crisp acidity and expresses the Vargellas terroir with great precision.” Allocations will be made in the coming weeks.



Tasting Note

Opaque ruby black core with vivid purple rim. The nose is fine and delicate, pure woodland fruit aromas combining with notes of wild herbs and gum cistus and discreet hints of vanilla. The floral scents which are the hallmark of Vargellas are in evidence, the characteristic violet fragrances combining with delicate blossom and wild herb notes. A current of very clean, vibrant berry fruit flavour flows through the palate from start to finish. Typically lean, wiry tannins emerge on the mid-palate and provide plenty of grip and an attractive touch of austerity. A wonderfully fine and harmonious vintage port, with every element in its place.

Harvest Report for 2012

The winter preceding the 2012 harvest was much drier and colder than is customary. Budburst occurred towards the third week in March under very dry conditions, with good levels of rainfall occurring in April and early May. By the end of May, the vineyards showed low vigour, caused by the combination of an extremely dry winter and cooler than normal spring. Flowering occurred between the 14th – 30th May.

Good weather continued during June and July leading to the healthy development of the vines. The vines maintained their lower than usual vigour, resulting in smaller berries, bunches and lower yields. Véraison (colouring of the grapes) was inevitably later than usual.

In mid-August, the grapes were still very low in sugar and with high levels of acidity. The vegetation however, was remarkably healthy for the time of year. The fully performing canopies and fewer grapes resulted in a significant and continuous ripening of the crop during the duration of the harvest. As a result picking started on the 20th September at Vargellas, with a small pause on the 24th for a few hours of rain, but good weather prevailed for the rest of the harvest.
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AW77
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by AW77 »

Croft Roeda 2012

From a Croft press release:
Croft to bottle a Quinta da Roêda 2012 Vintage Port
Announcing the firm’s decision on the 2012 vintage, Croft’s Managing Director Adrian Bridge said: "I am delighted to say that we will be releasing a Quinta da Roêda 2012 Vintage Port, a superb blend including wines from the estate’s oldest vineyards. The cool conditions of 2012 have produced a Roêda that is particularly elegant and finely-constituted, an excellent Vintage Port for early drinking.” He added: "The 2012 Roêda will be released in time for the year end and we expect strong demand.”

Croft’s Head of Viticulture, António Magalhães, remarked: "The ripening season of 2012 was relatively cool but the Roêda vineyards have exceptionally good sun exposure. This means that the 2012 wines are ripe and mature but have an attractive acidity and great purity of expression.”
http://www.croftport.com/en/news/2012-v ... ort-croft/
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by jdaw1 »

Also Malvedos.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by DRT »

…and Fonseca Guimaraens…
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

jdaw1 wrote:Also Malvedos.
But only as 60 double magnums, of which only 15 will be allocated to the UK.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by flash_uk »

AHB wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:Also Malvedos.
But only as 60 double magnums, of which only 15 will be allocated to the UK.
Really? I had the part about only 60 double magnums, but just assumed they were also doing 750s.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by jdaw1 »

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flash_uk
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by flash_uk »

flash_uk wrote:
AHB wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:Also Malvedos.
But only as 60 double magnums, of which only 15 will be allocated to the UK.
Really? I had the part about only 60 double magnums, but just assumed they were also doing 750s.
And you are indeed correct: a report here.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by CaliforniaBrad »

Well, they will late release the Malvedos in standard bottles after 2020, so it's not like they don't/won't exist


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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by uncle tom »

I was a little unimpressed by the news at the BFT of 60 dmags of GM12 being offered, but not so much as a half bottle to sample - a bit too much blind faith being demanded, IMO..

However the Dow SdR and Vesuvio showed reasonably well, although I didn't rate either as a heavyweight. I was however, pleased to see Vesuvio's flirtation with Dow-like dourness brought to an end and the old opulent Vesuvio style restored. The Dow SdR meanwhile, which in recent years has become very un-Dow-like, is back to a style that is consistant with its pedigree.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

If anyone is interested in taking part in a group purchase of either Vesuvio 2012 or Senhora da Ribiera 2012 then please let me know. Both come in bottles in the usual smart 6 pack format (Vesuvio packed as 2 x 3, Ribiera as 1 x 6). Vesuvio is also available in 150cl, 300cl and 600cl.

All subject to availability, of course.

Anyone interested, please drop me a PM or an email.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

The marketing blurb that came out witht he 2012 offer said the following about the year as a whole:
SFE 2012 Vintage Marketing Material wrote:2012 was the second driest year in the Douro valley since records began in 1967. An initial hot period in late June was followed by more moderate temperatures during July & August which, tempered by the micro-climates of both Quintas, led to a gradual ripening of the fruit. But the prevailing drought conditions meant yields were around 30% lower than normal. The resulting wines, however, show excellent concentration and balanced pure fruit.
Posted previously, there is also
Paul Symington's Harvest Report wrote:The Douro vines and its vineyards have an extraordinary way of surprising even the oldtimers in the mountain villages of Sabrosa, Alijo and Provesende. In 2011, the region had a huge 40% drop in rainfall and this year 54% less has fallen than average to the end of September. When a vineyard receives just 217 mm in 9 months, which was the case of the Quintas around Pinhão, the consequences are to be feared. Many predictions of disaster were to be heard from farmers in the village squares on Saturday mornings before the harvest. But yet again the Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Barroca, Roriz and others, showed that they are the real masters of our geography. These Douro varieties can turn the little green berries of May and June into lovely dark red and ripe fruit, even when it has rained so little for the last 21 months.

The first three months of 2012 were really concerning with just 16.4 mm falling over 90 days; there was no effective winter rain from 1st January this year till April (we should have had over 200 mm). It seemed that the gods were against us, because we then had 128 mm in April and May, just when the crucial flowering and fruit set takes place. But the low budburst, in part due to conditions in the spring of 2011, was what we needed; relatively low quantities of fruit so that the vines would have fewer bunches and berries to ripen. A burst of intense heat hit the Douro over the weekend of 23rd and 24th June. Exactly the same had occurred over the same São João weekend in 2011. Maybe the Port producers and farmers have to stop going to the traditional all-night festa on the 23rd June, with consequential hangovers, and stay in their vineyards during São João and shade their vines. This sudden heat caused sunburn and raisining to some of the more exposed grapes. July and August were relatively mild with average temperatures of exactly 23.7ºC in both months. The 21 year average for July is 25.0ºC and for August 25.3ºC. So these moderate temperatures had a profound and positive impact on the quality of the fruit and the wines. Charles Symington, responsible for winemaking at our Quintas, commented that this year showed beyond doubt that excess heat before the harvest is more worrying for our vineyards than drought. The Douro grape varieties will somehow find any humidity that there is deep down in the soil. What they cannot cope with is extreme heat that will raisin their berries. In general there was very substantially less raisined fruit this year than we have had in the last two harvests.

Devastating hail, the result of a thunderstorm, hit the Pinhão valley on the afternoon of Wednesday 25th July and swept over towards São João de Pesqueira. This was one of the worst hailstorms of recent times and totally destroyed some vineyards (this storm knocked over the 83 year old mother of the writer of this report, breaking her rib). As usual neighbouring vineyards simply got a welcome drenching. A little rain fell again on the 15th August.

Picking started some 10 days later than normal this year on the 13th September at Quinta do Vesuvio and Quinta dos Canais, on the 17th at Quinta dos Malvedos and on the 20th at Quinta do Bomfim and the Rio Torto Quintas. The lead-up to picking had been complex, as Charles and his viticultural team analysed the relative ripeness of the different vineyards and grape varieties. The drought caused the ripening to follow a somewhat erratic pattern, with cooler days causing sudden increases in sugar readings, it was important to have a very clear picture of what each variety and each vineyard was doing. Heavy rain came from the Atlantic and over the Marão on the 23rd September with 20mm and again on the 25th with a further 23mm. This rain brought far cooler night and daytime temperatures. Previous to this it had been rather hot, requiring extensive cooling of the musts in the lagares. Inevitably the water was swiftly taken up by the vines and some dilution occurred in the following days, not the harbinger of great wines. Charles decided to suspend picking at the top vineyards on the 29th and 30th in order to allow the vines to recover their equilibrium and to concentrate the sugars. This was a risky thing to do as the September equinox normally brings unsettled weather and we could have had a disaster on our hands if the rainy weather had persisted. In fact the gamble paid off wonderfully and the Touriga Franca picked last week, and up until the 10th October, was harvested in perfect condition under clear skies and moderate temperatures.

Yields were remarkably low with many vineyards in the Douro Superior recording drops of up to 40%. Malvedos gave an average of just 0.65 kgs per vine, 50% less than average. This is an incredibly low yield of about 14 hectolitres per hectare (final figures need to be calculated over the coming weeks). Other great vineyards elsewhere in the world will give 40 to 50 hectos or more per hectare on a regular basis. The accountants will not be happy with 2012, but the winemakers and tasters certainly will be.

The Douro grapes this year were in lovely condition, with small berries giving excellent colour and flavours and the musts looked really first-rate. Early tastings confirm considerable acidity and freshness in the samples. Not all vineyards produced great wines as the drought caused some stress to the more exposed vines and to the drier parcels, but overall this year was a remarkable example of how our Douro vines can cope with drought, as long as it is not too hot.

This year three young members of the 5th generation of the Symington family worked with the winery teams during the harvest, getting their first experience of hands-on winemaking.

Paul Symington,
Portugal, 16th October 2012
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by idj123 »

Alex, I've sent you a PM.

I may have got my numbers the wrong way around but at the BFT I believe they said that 650 cases of the Vesuvio were being produced and 450 of the Dow. Regarding the Malvedos, of the 15 DMs heading for the UK, the majority were going to BBR but at a pricing point of about £220 it would seem to be targeted at collectors only!
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by uncle tom »

Regarding the Malvedos, of the 15 DMs heading for the UK, the majority were going to BBR but at a pricing point of about £220 it would seem to be targeted at collectors only!
Collectors, or people with more money than sense?

Ten years down the line, GM12 will probably be in Sainsbury's at around £22-£25 btl (+ whatever inflation we see in the meantime) - so four bottles will cost you £88 - £100 all-in.

However, ten years of cellaring has a value, so the release price today for four bottles should be somewhere in the region of £65 incl.

As Berry's prices are almost always quoted ex. VAT, I assume £220 equates to £264 incl.

So for the privilege of having four bottles in one big bottle, you will be paying four times over the odds..

However, the chances are that many of the people who do buy these will never find an occasion to drink them, so there's a good chance a few will pop up at auction in due course.

Although the auction prices of all large formats fluctuate more widely than for regular bottles, the average per cL is only marginally higher, so I expect in ten years time I'll be able to pick up one of these for around £100.

- I can wait!
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by jdaw1 »

There are fifteen for the whole UK. There are plenty of people with finances to spare and a 2012 child. They will go to the correct homes.

And if they do so at a premium, good for the Symingtons. Let them be rewarded for going to the trouble of a small run of large bottles.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by LGTrotter »

I am sure Julian is right about there being sufficient people (fifteen) who will for personal reasons spend the money and good luck to the Symingtons with that. It is a worry though when winemakers get the belief that their wine is worth a good deal more than consumers do. I know the systems are not comparable but I doubt that there will be many consumers rushing to buy claret 2013 this year. And when these things get out of balance it can take quite a few years to right itself. Port is heading in that direction, I would point to the super cuvees as an example of this. Thankfully port has never really attracted much in the way of speculators despite the efforts of the industry to present the 2011s in this light.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by jdaw1 »

The Symingtons have regular negotiations with UK supermarkets, as doubtless do the others. Presumably these take the form of the supermarkets telling the producers to kneel, and then kicking them. Such customers surely keep the Port producers quite humble.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by djewesbury »

jdaw1 wrote:The Symingtons have regular negotiations with UK supermarkets, as doubtless do the others. Presumably these take the form of the supermarkets telling the producers to kneel, and then kicking them. Such customers surely keep the Port producers quite humble.
Do you really think these negotiations are as open-ended and constructive as you make out?
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uncle tom
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by uncle tom »

Such customers surely keep the Port producers quite humble
Not convinced. The UK supermarkets buy almost all their port from just three companies - SFE, TFP & Noval, and when it comes to SQVP sales, Noval doesn't play, so there are just two players, who are normally on very cordial terms.

Yes, the supermarkets will play games when they can, but the port industry looks much better defended against their antics than other wine regions.
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DRT
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by DRT »

VP and very old Colheita are not commodities, they are luxury products that under certain circumstances attract premium pricing. Age and rarity are two of those circumstances.

In a world that has constant downward pressure on the pricing of commodity products that represent 90%+ of the annual turnover of a producer I for one don't grudge them a few quid for the very small quantities of high-end or extremely rare stuff they can lay their hands on or produce.

That doesn't mean I will be selling the house to buy all these rare gems, but if others can afford them and therefore generate a quick cash injection to companies operating in a country with a failing economy then good luck to them and well done for seizing the opportunity.
uncle tom wrote:Yes, the supermarkets will play games when they can, but the port industry looks much better defended against their antics than other wine regions.
Every time I have mentioned the word "supermarket" in front of a Port producer the response has included a number of uncomplimentary expletives. Good quality VP with 10 years of age flying off the shelf by the case load at the equivalent of £10-£15 a bottle at Christmas every year doesn't say to me that that particular fight is being won by the Port industry.
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by LGTrotter »

DRT wrote:In a world that has constant downward pressure on the pricing of commodity products that represent 90%+ of the annual turnover of a producer I for one don't grudge them a few quid for the very small quantities of high-end or extremely rare stuff they can lay their hands on or produce.
Bang on! I'm down with the farmers (Oh-ar, oh-ar). And I can't disagree with the point about supermarkets not being the panacea of the port industry.

But Tom has a point about 4 bottles of Malvedos for £220.

Anyhoo, I might be buying a few 2012's as a woman I know that lives there says it was a fantastic year. So there.
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DRT
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by DRT »

LGTrotter wrote:But Tom has a point about 4 bottles of Malvedos for £220.
Agreed, but those of us who don't want to pay that price won't buy it, won't miss it and probably would be best not complaining about it because this very small release was not aimed at this audience. Our chance to buy GM2012 is in eight and a half years from now at £15 + inflation. I'm happy to wait and equally happy for the 15 double mags to be bought by those who think they represent good value or just want them because they want them too much not to pay up.
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: 2012 Declarations

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

AHB wrote:If anyone is interested in taking part in a group purchase of either Vesuvio 2012 or Senhora da Ribiera 2012 then please let me know. Both come in bottles in the usual smart 6 pack format (Vesuvio packed as 2 x 3, Ribiera as 1 x 6). Vesuvio is also available in 150cl, 300cl and 600cl.

All subject to availability, of course.

Anyone interested, please drop me a PM or an email.
Just checking no-one else would like to buy any of the Symington 2012 ports. I plan to put my order in over the weekend.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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