João van Zeller and the Symington family, in an A4 enclosure in the Rr03 OWC, wrote:QUINTA DE RORIZ 2003 VINTAGE PORT
João van Zeller and the Symington family, who jointly own and manage Quinta de Roriz, are pleased to announce the declaration of the 2003 Vintage from the acclaimed vineyard, widely regarded as one of the Douro’s finest ‘river quintas.’ The property’s remarkable terroir means that most years produce wines of Vintage quality and the 2003 is the second classic ‘declaration’ (the first was the 2000) since the quinta’s co-ownership came into effect in 1999.
The winter of 2002/2003 was characterised by very wet weather, closely resembling the previous three winters, which also brought above-average winter rainfall. The abundant rain meant the prevalent temperatures were mostly quite moderate, in fact the winter was unseasonably warm with the exception of a couple of cold spells in January and February. The arrival of spring brought a continuation of the wet and mild conditions but by the end of April there was an abrupt end to the rain and May and June were very dry and unusually hot. With the exception of some heaven-sent rain at the end of June, the exceptionally dry conditions prevailed through July and August, during which some of the hottest temperatures in living memory were recorded in Portugal, and indeed throughout Europe.
Although exceptionally hot, however, such conditions are not uncommon in the Douro and the accumulated ground water reserves, combined with occasional refreshing showers, created excellent conditions during the critical ripening period through August and into September, right up until the start of the vintage which began at Roriz on the 15th. The grapes reached the winery in superb condition, registering average Baumés of 13.5°. Fortunately, all the required grapes had been picked before the weather broke, bringing generous downpours from September 30th. Charles Symington who heads the winemaking team at Roriz, wrote in his vintage report, “When the vintage finished at Roriz in early October it was deeply satisfying to have harvested such an excellent vintage before the rains began, it was also particularly pleasing to have had conditions for ripening so perfectly a vintage…”
All the wine destined for the Quinta de Roriz 2003 Vintage lot was made in the property’s 7 granite ‘lagares’, trodden by foot in the traditional manner, which continues to produce such excellent results. A sizeable team of treaders, numbering up to 45 people at times, ensured the lagares were thoroughly ‘worked’, an average of over 150 man-hours being put into each lagar.
The principal components of the Quinta de Roriz 2003 Vintage were drawn from the old mixed vines, the Touriga Nacional and the Tinta Roriz, all of these showing impressive concentration and deep purple-black colour in the lagares. Significant contributions were also made by the Tinta Barroca and the Sousão, the latter having been somewhat overshadowed in the Douro although it continues to thrive at Roriz. It offers an extra dimension to the Quinta’s Vintage Ports, contributing great complexity, concentration and tannic structure.
The equivalent of 1,500 cases of the Quinta’s finest production will be bottled as Vintage Port during the spring of 2005. The 2003 holds great promise and has all the makings of a classic.
Oporto, April 2005
