2018 Quinta do Vesuvio

[Alex Bridgeman]

Notes from a snapshot tasting.

The vineyards were planted early under the World Bank scheme designed to encourage and finance replanting of old vines; this has resulted in block planted of varietals which are now almost 50 years old. This wine is co-fermented Touriga Franca and Alicante Bouschet blended with 54% Touriga Nacional and 6% Sousao (TF and TN performed extremely well in the Upper Douro in 2018).

Big black fruit aromas with generous Mediterranean herbs (garrigue); sweet black fruit pastilles. Deep, dark purple colour with a very narrow rim. Delightful balance on entry, followed by powerful bramble fruit and acidity which almost overwhelms the palate. Much bigger than the traditional Vesuvio cuvee. Lots of acidity and a punchy peppercorn; black liquorice and concentrated bramble jam on the finish. This is a big but beautifully balanced Port with a tannic backbone that is just hinted at within the long and dry black liquorice finish. Deliciously big and balanced; the acidity will give a long life. Day 1: 91-93/100. Tasted 02-Jun-20 after opening for about ½ hour.

Further notes will follow as the wines evolve.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Day 2: wonderful nose of violets and plums. The fine grained and wonderfully ripe tannins show more distinctly than on day 1. There is a little more warmth on the aftertaste and a fabulous sweet but sticky blackcurrant finish. 90-92.

Day 3: Dense and sweet black cherryon a nicely pronounced nose, still with the distinct garrigue tone seen in the last two days. Lovely perfumed black cherry juice on the palate, plenty of flower petals and a big dose of acidity. The tannins continue to lurk around the edges of the palate but the main structure is the lavender perfumed acidity; very well balanced. Lavender and black liquorice aftertaste which also gives a nod to a black peppercorn bite as the aftertaste fades to the black cherry finish. Good, but not great, length. 90-92.

[Alex Bridgeman]

After a week in the bottle, going down by about 25ml per day, the Vesuvio has really hit its stride and is showing as a beautiful, elegant and perfumed wine with plenty of structure to last the years. My tasting note from this evening reads:

Day 7: Such a sweet fragrant nose, combining blackcurrant and garrigue - rather an exotic combination! Lovely fragrant fruit on entry and tannins which are now much more obvious, although very smooth. A lovely fragrance to the fruit, lots of acidity. Much more elegant then the Senhora da Ribeira, with great balance. Some pepper heat on the aftertaste settles slowly, allowing the blackcurrant fruit and black liquorice to come to the surface and linger for many minutes. Showing extremely well from this extended decant. 92-94/100.

(The Senhora da Ribeira continues to be a big, punchy powerhouse - so nice to have such a contrast in styles to offer something for all palates.)