Of course, but don't try to call a declaration if you know that others can't play.If shippers have excellent juice to ship they should ship it
2015 Harvest
- uncle tom
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
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Re: 2015 Harvest
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
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- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: 2015 Harvest
My understanding of grape physiology is poor at best, but I believe that it would take good grapes a few days to shake off the effects of heavy rain before they start to progress their ripening processes again. In addition, heavy rain is a lot less damaging to a harvest if it dries off through a combination of wind / sun that the same amount of rain falling as persistent light rain. Heavy rain tends to run off and not get absorbed by the soil and plants to the same extent as light but persistent rain.
I'm not writing off this harvest yet!
I'm not writing off this harvest yet!
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Re: 2015 Harvest
So 1966/1967 and 1991/1992 shouldn't have happened?uncle tom wrote:Of course, but don't try to call a declaration if you know that others can't play.If shippers have excellent juice to ship they should ship it
If it's good - ship it.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
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Re: 2015 Harvest
Have to say I agree with Alex. The amateur oenologists commenting here are extrapolating an awful lot of information from very little data. Speculation is all very well but the certainty with which some of you are declaiming is a little amusing. The harvest reports quoted above give good cause to believe that, as Alex has said, the rain has run off and been dried out by the winds. With good forecasts from now on, it seems premature to start worrying (and in such great detail).
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
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- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: 2015 Harvest
That is something that hasn't happened for quite some time. I must open a bottle of port to celebrate. Would Dow 1970' suffice?djewesbury wrote:Have to say I agree with Alex.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
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Re: 2015 Harvest
Nonsense, I'm always agreeing with you. It's Derek who gets my goat.AHB wrote:That is something that hasn't happened for quite some time. I must open a bottle of port to celebrate. Would Dow 1970' suffice?djewesbury wrote:Have to say I agree with Alex.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Re: 2015 Harvest
Which means you agreeing with me. So both you and Alex are correct.djewesbury wrote:Have to say I agree with Alex.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14916
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: 2015 Harvest
I don't care about you and Derek. The important question is whether I can open another bottle of Dow 1970?djewesbury wrote:Nonsense, I'm always agreeing with you. It's Derek who gets my goat.AHB wrote:That is something that hasn't happened for quite some time. I must open a bottle of port to celebrate. Would Dow 1970' suffice?djewesbury wrote:Have to say I agree with Alex.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Re: 2015 Harvest
Yes, you can, if you have one with you?AHB wrote:I don't care about you and Derek. The important question is whether I can open another bottle of Dow 1970?djewesbury wrote:Nonsense, I'm always agreeing with you. It's Derek who gets my goat.AHB wrote:That is something that hasn't happened for quite some time. I must open a bottle of port to celebrate. Would Dow 1970' suffice?djewesbury wrote:Have to say I agree with Alex.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
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Re: 2015 Harvest
So soon after the last one? Of course.AHB wrote:I don't care about you and Derek. The important question is whether I can open another bottle of Dow 1970?djewesbury wrote:Nonsense, I'm always agreeing with you. It's Derek who gets my goat.AHB wrote:That is something that hasn't happened for quite some time. I must open a bottle of port to celebrate. Would Dow 1970' suffice?djewesbury wrote:Have to say I agree with Alex.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Re: 2015 Harvest
I completely disagree with this, Derek. The Douro is Communist. That is the basis of the beneficio.DRT wrote:I completely disagree with this, Tom. The Douro is not Communist. If shippers have excellent juice to ship they should ship it, not wait for some sort of collective agreement.
Re: 2015 Harvest
{Hangs head in shame}jdaw1 wrote:I completely disagree with this, Derek. The Douro is Communist. That is the basis of the beneficio.DRT wrote:I completely disagree with this, Tom. The Douro is not Communist. If shippers have excellent juice to ship they should ship it, not wait for some sort of collective agreement.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
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- Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: 2015 Harvest
I finally make it home from a long long day at work that started way to early to this. Off to bed without your pudding, all of you.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- uncle tom
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3520
- Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Near Saffron Walden, England
Re: 2015 Harvest
So, Derek has now got a goat, courtesy of Daniel, the red flag is flying over the Douro and awaiting the first state visit of el Corbynisto (probably in search of a terraced allotment), and as I don't care for puddings, have popped a bottle of Rayoso cream sherry that I've had for yonks and hails from the 1960's (I think) and is actually quite decent (if you ignore the haze..) - and will soon be paired with a Chicken Tikka Dupiaza from the curry shop around the corner.
As for the 2015 vintage, I'll believe it when I've tasted it..
As for the 2015 vintage, I'll believe it when I've tasted it..
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
Re: 2015 Harvest
The Malvedos blog, in a post entitled [url=http://blog.grahams-port.com/2015/09/23/excellent-touriga-nacional-at-malvedos/]Excellent Touriga Nacional at Malvedos[/url], wrote:The decision to delay the picking of the Touriga Nacional vineyards at Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta do Tua in the aftermath of last week’s rain has been amply vindicated. Early on Monday morning the roga returned to hand-pick the best parcels of Touriga Nacional at Malvedos and by evening one lagar had been filled. Henry and his winery team recognised that they had some exceptional grapes in the lagar from the lovely aspect of the grapes and the amazing colour and lovely aromatics that the must was showing. The Baumé of these grapes gave a healthy and promising 14.4º.
Re: 2015 Harvest
A very bullish report, and worth reading.Paul Symington, in [url=http://blog.grahams-port.com/2015/10/07/douro-harvest-report-2015/]The Graham’s Port Blog[/url], wrote:An exceptional viticultural year is coming to a close in the Douro with farmers and winemakers pleased that a year’s work has resulted in some very good Ports and Douro wines.
…
The harvest started earlier than normal and the quality of the grapes was immediately apparent. Our sorting tables were seeing hugely reduced rejection levels to the delight of our farm managers and our winery teams. Heavy rain fell on Tuesday 15th September and on the morning of the 16th, but this was followed by a strong wind that very satisfactorily dried the grapes. After 10 weeks with no meaningful rain, the vines greedily absorbed the water and dilution in the berries inevitably followed. This was the critical moment of this year’s harvest and Charles immediately called a halt to picking in our best vineyards. This is never an easy decision given the unsettled weather that often comes towards the end of this month. Picking in our vineyards only resumed on 21st September and Charles said a few days later: ‘It is amazing how much difference 4 or 5 days can make’. Without this rain the final phase of maturation of the Touriga Nacional and especially the Touriga Franca would not have been ideal, as dehydration would certainly have occurred after such a prolonged period with no rain. In the circumstances the steady rain of 15th and morning of 16th September (77mm at Quinta da Cavadinha, 52mm at Quinta do Bomfim, 63mm at Quinta dos Malvedos and 27mm at Quinta do Vesuvio) was absolutely perfect, provided picking was suspended for a few days. The Nacional and Franca picked during the week of the 21st and that of 28th September were of simply extraordinary quality, as were some of the old mixed plantings picked during this period. The rain softened the skins, allowing the colour and flavours to merge superbly into the wine.
Re: 2015 Harvest
The full harvest report from the Symingtons can be found here.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
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Re: 2015 Harvest
At Vale de Mendiz, we tasted lotes harvested before the rain - great freshness and acidity - and those that had been picked after - predictably, much fuller and riper and bigger and bolder. (Incidentally at Mendiz, some of the lotes, coming from very small plots, are blended with others when they go in the lagar, meaning that the blender's judgement is needed right from the start of the process). This will hopefully be a blender's dream - distinctive lotes with great quality that can balance each other very well. Though of course Nick was very coy about whether Niepoort thought they might have a vintage! I'll post a fuller report of our trip soon.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
- uncle tom
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3520
- Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Near Saffron Walden, England
Re: 2015 Harvest
Dirk is always very careful not to jump the gun on declaration announcements, but from his correspondence with me, I think something has got to go very badly and unexpectedly wrong over the next two winters for there not to be a Niepoort 2015 VP.Though of course Nick was very coy about whether Niepoort thought they might have a vintage!
Overall though, I remain cautious. Rain mid harvest last year resulted in a resigned shrug - better luck next year. This year most quintas got much more rain mid harvest and suddenly there's a million and one reasons why this was a great thing..
Well, maybe, and I'm confident that there will be some excellent vintage ports made. However, I would be surprised to see the same broad sweep of excellence that we did in 2011.
The smaller producers complain bitterly that it is almost impossible to get influential wine writers to tasty VP blind now (even though they sometimes pretend to..) and that label bias is as bad as ever. Well, they would say that, but I also believe there's a lot of truth in it.
I therefore think it comes down to people like ourselves to make a concerted effort in two years time to conduct extensive blind tastings under the most rigorous of conditions, and publish the results..
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14916
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: 2015 Harvest
Which is exactly what I did, with the results reported here. Based purely on the quality of the wines in the glasses in front of me I concluded that the best 3 wines from the vintage which I had the chance to taste were:uncle tom wrote:I therefore think it comes down to people like ourselves to make a concerted effort in two years time to conduct extensive blind tastings under the most rigorous of conditions, and publish the results..
Graham
Quinta do Senhora do Convento
Quinta do Noval Nacional
Was I label biased? I find it hard to believe that I was since I had no idea what was in each glass until after all the bottles had been tasted.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Re: 2015 Harvest
Would that be private correspondence, Tom, or something the "very careful" Dirk asked you to announce?uncle tom wrote:Dirk is always very careful not to jump the gun on declaration announcements, but from his correspondence with me, I think something has got to go very badly and unexpectedly wrong over the next two winters for there not to be a Niepoort 2015 VP.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- djewesbury
- Graham’s 1970
- Posts: 8165
- Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
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Re: 2015 Harvest
Maybe just worth clarifying that this is your inference and not what Dirk has said. Nick said that they had tasted the lotes together only once (Nick has been at Mendiz at least part of every day since late August) and had not had the opportunity to discuss them properly yet. So whilst I would agree that there are some very high-quality lotes there, we should stress that no decisions have been made - at least, not by any of us!DRT wrote:Would that be private correspondence, Tom, or something the "very careful" Dirk asked you to announce?uncle tom wrote:Dirk is always very careful not to jump the gun on declaration announcements, but from his correspondence with me, I think something has got to go very badly and unexpectedly wrong over the next two winters for there not to be a Niepoort 2015 VP.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14916
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: 2015 Harvest
Another positive endorsement of the vintage!In a post on Facebook, Adrian Bridge wrote:In the Douro over the weekend where it is all now quiet after a very busy harvest. This year there were excellent conditions and we have made some very good Ports. Most exciting.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.