2011 Vintage Port review (Symington's - Dow's, Graham's, War

[Andy Velebil]

Symington Family 2011 Vintage Port Preview
San Francisco, California
May 09, 2013

On May 9th, I had the good fortune to attend the Symington Family Estates and their USA import company, Premium Port Wines, official presentation of their 2011 Vintage Ports. Having been in the Douro during the harvest in 2011 it was clear from the beginning this was a special year. The excitement even back then was very high. But one can’t rush things as Port changes a lot in a very short time. So as is customary the wines were constantly evaluated over the course of two winters to determine if they were worthy of a Classic Declaration, and they were.

All the usual suspects from the Symington stable were declared, the only exception being the departure of Gould Campbell. As it was not declared or produced as a Vintage Port in 2011. This declaration also saw a couple firsts. Most notably this was the very first time I am aware of that a Graham’s Single Quinta (sub-plots really) was produced along side the regular Graham’s Vintage Port in a classically declared year. That being the Graham’s Stone Terrace Vintage Port. It was also the first Declared Vintage Port from Cockburn’s the Symington’s have produced since purchasing company from Beam Global.

An important thing to point out is the Symington Family has kept wholesale pricing levels the same as from when the 2003 Vintage Ports were released. Kudo’s to them for keeping pricing at that level!! However, I have no doubt prices will climb quick at the retail level as this was a very small Declaration in terms of quantities produced. In other words, there isn’t much so buy early if you want the best prices.

Some overall thoughts on these!I really like the freshness these had. Even despite the big fruit, dark chocolate, and massive tannins, they didn’t show pruney or overtly cloying as some 2003’s did. Marked minerality, deceptively bold tannins hiding in the background, deep extracted color, and solid acidity marked these Ports. Charles Symington compared these to the 1994’s when they were young.

Before I get to my thoughts on these young Vintage Ports it’s important to note that at this young stage of their lives they change very rapidly. Even tasting them 24 hours later can bring very different results. These notes are a quick ‟snap-shot” tasting, impressions really. Based on experience, I know my notes and scores will change as time progresses this year and the young Ports start to settle down and become more cohesive. I hope to be able to spend several days with each in the near future and if/or when I do I will report back with a more detailed assessment.

That said, I’ve included scores as people love numbers. Take them with a grain of salt, as they most likely will change a little in the future for the reasons already stated.



2011 Cockburn’s Vintage Port (3,000 cases)
Nose of fresh violets, blackberries, and plums. Showing at bit soft and elegant at this point with stand out minerality, moderate tannins that were deceptive and got bigger the longer this stayed in the mouth. A long dusty finish full of blackberries and acidity. This was one of the harder ones to rate as it seemed one of the tightest at this point.
90-92(+) Points

2011 Warre’s Vintage Port (3,000 cases)
Marked by a fresh and highly floral nose, tea leaves, grass, and esteva. A sexy and elegant semi-sweet red fruit driven palate. With plenty of mocha, a touch of youthful spirit still not fully melded, and massive tannins which showed up late but made their presence very known. The minerality really came through on the finish of this, which helped balance out that young rich yet elegant fruit.
92-94 Points

2011 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port (1,250 cases)
A very crisp nose compared to the 2011 Warre’s yet the fruit was the hardest of all to get out. What the nose held back the palate gave in heaps. Absolutely massive bold dark fruit, menthol, licorice, sexy minerality, bold acidity and dusty tannins, yet so fresh at the same time. This just exploded in the mouth with amazing complexity. The massive finish was an extension of the palate. Lush and yet fresh at the same time, this lasted what seemed an eternity. My favorite of the line up on this particular day.
95-97(+) Points

2011 Dow’s Vintage Port (5,000 cases)
Again a very floral nose which was fresh and clean. Black plums, fruit, and still a touch tanky. This showed markedly drier on the palate than the previous three. Black fruit again dominates the mouth with that now telltale minerality, big tannins, searing acidity, and spearmint. While the palate was quite bold and expressive the finish was the opposite. Tight and clipped on one sip, more expressive later, this was showing how a temperamental young VP can be. Obviously a phase it’s in at this tasting but should flesh out nicely in time.
91-93(++) Points

2011 Graham’s Vintage Port (8,000 cases)
A bold sweet black plum nose chocked full of tea, fresh violets, esteva, and a touch of youthful tankyness. Difficult to stop smelling this beauty. Initally semi-sweet on the tip of the tongue, the palate was dominated by lots of chocolate, fresh acidity, and big drying tannins. This was deceptively easy drinking on the front end then wacked my in the face by the mid-palate and long chewy finish. This is a bit bashful right now but has fantastic potential once it settles down.
94-96(+) Points


2011 Capela do Vesuvio (Quinta do Vesuvio) Vintage Port (200 cases)
The nose had a prolific green steminess to it mixed with esteva, pine, and tropical fruit. It was very different than any other Port on the table. But from memory, not too far off from what the first vintage of this initially showed. The palate offered up intense green pepper throughout, herbs, then a massive wave of drying tannins kicked in. Once those tannins came out they overshadowed the big black fruit. Notes of eucalyptus popped up on a massively long rich finish. This has the makings to be a monster but right now it needs time to meld together better, which is exactly what the prior vintage of this did when it was this age.
95-97(+)

2011 Graham’s Stone Terraces Vintage Port (250 cases)
A very fresh and sweet nose of blueberries and violets. I was immediately greeted by semisweet plums, blackberries, mocha, and silky tannins which started to take over late in the game. What stood out was how fresh and clean this showed at this stage. The long finish shows a touch drier than the palate with that familiar blackberries and mint. I was pretty impressed by this new VP from Graham’s. Having never tried it before my score is a bit more conservative since I don’t have a prior reference for how it should show at this stage. But the potential to be great appears to be there.
93-95(++) Points

[jdaw1]

By request of RAYC, next three posts moved to 2011 Declarations thread.