2007 Port – Wolves in Haute Couture

The home of Taylor – Quinta de Vargellas – beside the mighty Douro

Hot on the heels of a fulsome and well-taken up 2008 Bordeaux campaign comes the declaration and release of the 2007 ports.

I must confess that I find myself in the dark as to who buys and cellars port these days. The 2000 vintage, which we offered some years ago, proved very popular and we sold a pretty healthy chunk of the stuff. Then along came the '03s - better wines, by and large - and the world showed what can only be described as indifference, leaving them, in the main, "on the shelf".

So what will become of these 2007s? As a vintage it is better yet than either 2003 or 2000; a harvest about which James Suckling of The Wine Spectator stated, "Great Vintage Port was made in 2007", going on to opine, "I was spellbound by the top Vintage Ports of my tasting".  Suckling rates 2007 as better than both 1977 and 1955…but will that help us to sell them?

I must confess to being a very occasional port drinker and I am not sure why that should be. When I do drink port, I drink mature bottles from top shippers and I very much enjoy them. Why drink cheap port? Keep it for mulled wine or cooking. For opening at the end of a fine meal only the good stuff will do. Thus a bottle of 1970 Dow, consumed recently on a visit to the Borders, was absolutely delicious and much enjoyed by all who consumed it.

The Vintage Style

2007 was a remarkably cool year. Various factors contributed to a reduction of the yield in the vineyard and the lower than normal temperature helped the fruit to retain a purity and freshness rare in these fortified wines. These are elegant wines, complex, with lovely acidity. In some cases they almost tasted like young claret. One could imagine drinking them quite soon, with roast beef on the Sunday lunch table.

These are not blackstrap blockbusters and as such, perhaps they are fine ports in something of a modern idiom. Okay, so all vintage port is tricky to evaluate at this stage. I tasted them all and then had a biscuit and a glass of water. Then I tasted them again. I had lunch; I tasted them again. Finally, I went 'round the room and retasted specific wines I thought I should if I wanted to fully understand them in the egg sacs of their youth. I think I now have. And I think them very good indeed.

The Wines

N.B. The tasting notes below are amalgams of all notes taken at the two tastings at which I sampled these wines

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2007	Smith Woodhouse, Douro, Portugal Notes: A very spicy nose, plus cool, black plum fruit. Floral notes, as well as liquid pepper. A dry nose, meaty, of dry spice. Floral notes, cassis and dried meat. This is really quite dry, but loaded with rich, chunky tannins. Compact. Lots here. Very spicy, long and intense. Very backward. I could drink this with roast beef! Meaty, rich, composed, with very fine tannins. Fresh, then grippy. Lovely wine. Medium sweetness, with rich, integrated tannins and fine, fresh grip. A touch mineral. Long, structured and earthy. Lovely lift at the end.   18-/20 - Jancis Robinson 89-92/100 - The Wine Spectator	2018-2035	6x75cl	£141.00
2007	Quinta do Vale Meao, Douro, Portugal Notes: Drily spicy, with rich, black, slightly floral plum fruit. A medicinal, menthol-like note. Broad, with very rich black plum, meaty, liquorice fruit. That hint of menthol again. Medium weight and full of peppery spice. Fine, integrated tannin. Cassis and plum fruit. Lovely freshness and focus to the finish. Mineral at the very end. Very rich and sweet. Very mineral. Rich, very full, fine tannins. Very long and structured. Mouthcoating. Warm at the back. Herby notes.   17.5-/20 - Jancis Robinson 93-96/100 - The Wine Spectator	2017-2030	6x75cl	£150.00
2007	Croft, Douro, Portugal Notes: Quite a reserved nose of blueberry and black cherry, with hints of dry spice. There's a high toned note here, too. This is very backward, with rich, tacky tannins. The fruit is all about tangy black plum skins, becoming dry and unformed at the finish. Juicy. This seems dried than some, with hints of dried fruit. This is very long and embryonic.   16.5/20 - Jancis Robinson 89-92/100 - The Wine Spectator	2019-2035	6x75cl	£156.00
2007	Warre, Douro, Portugal Notes: The sample makes a black puddle in the glass The nose here is creamy, spicy and smoky; very black fruits, as well as a note of liquid pepper. Piquant, spiced black plum and cassis fruit. Creamy/broad. Damson and cool sloe. This is very cool in the mouth. This has size, but lovely focus and juicy, fresh grip. Creamy fruit of crisp black plums. Good thrust here and lingering fruit. Velvet tannins right through this wine. Quite a burly mouthful. Impressive.   18/20 - Jancis Robinson 95-98/100 - The Wine Spectator	2020-2028	6x75cl	£171.00
2007	Quinta do Vesuvio, Douro, Portugal Notes: A broad nose, a touch animal and really quite smoky. A marriage of pure, fresh plum fruit and liquorice. Hints of dried fruit and muscovado sugar. A creamy, rich and broad entry of very ripe fruits. Thereafter, the palate becomes compact, very grippy and really quite dry. Very rich, square tannins. This is long and very mineral and really rather fabulous. Elegant and finesse-filled. Very wine-y. Integrated.   17.5+/20 - Jancis Robinson 92-95/100 - The Wine Spectator	2018-2030	6x75cl	£183.00
2007	Niepoort, Douro, Portugal Notes: Earthy cocoa notes. Rather inky, dry nose. Red and black plum fruit, very smoky. Dry spice, iodine. Black and a touch closed. Very wine-y palate on entry. Supple. Then smoky, intense, backward and incisive. Long and very mineral. Big, firm tannic framework here. Supple, black cherry and plum entry. Then backward. Very rich, fine nutty tannins. Great vivacity and drive. Fresh and mineral. Very long. Fabulous.   18/20 - Jancis Robinson 93-96/100 - The Wine Spectator	2019-2035	6x75cl	£186.00
2007	Dow, Douro, Portugal Notes: Lots of dried fruit on the nose, along with a meaty char. This is almost sweetly cedary. A lovely nose of dry spice, liquorice, smoky cassis and tar. Dry cocoa powder. The entry is all about creamy blueberries, very cool. Then a big, masculine structure clangs down. A very crisp wine of great freshness, this nails the tongue with grip, swelling slightly to the very long finish. Cool and lovely. Great thrust and intensity. Linear, cool and classy.   18/10 - Jancis Robinson 94-97/100 - The Wine Spectator	2020-2040	6x75cl	£186.00
2007	Fonseca, Douro, Portugal Notes: Quite a dry nose of plum and dried fruits. Briary, slightly inky notes of black damson fruit. Sweet and black, with nutty-rich tannins. Very backward. Great drive and intensity at the end. Very supple fruit. A grippy, long and elegant example. Lovely pure fruit and a spicy finish. Full of ripe, velvet tannin. Very grippy, with great intent at the finish. For vintage port, a subtle wine and a superb Fonseca. Fine wine.   18/20 - Jancis Robinson 92-95/100 - The Wine Spectator	2022-2040	6x75cl	£189.00
2007	Taylor, Douro, Portugal Notes: A very broad nose here, almost claret-y, with inky spice aromas. There's a hint of violet to the plum. This is the most concentrated wine, with great, rich tannins. Very backward, but there's such consistency to the palate. Mineral and very long; powerful and full of grip. This is fabulous. Very big and masculine. Chunky, edgy, dangerous (at the moment!). Sculptural.    18+/100 - Jancis Robinson 94-97/100 - The Wine Spectator	2022-2045	6x75cl	£195.00
2007	Graham, Douro, Portugal Notes: There are floral notes to the sweet black damson fruit. Spice, too. Some inkiness. A touch closed. Lovely broad, ripe nose of spicy blueberry and plum. This goes in the mouth supple, giving black cherry and plum fruit. Then a rich structure arrives. This is parallel in the mouth, long and with a nice twist of grip. A fine shape and very lovely fruit. Rich, tacky tannins. Lovely freshness. Quite surprisingly dry on the palate. Creamy, wine-y, spicy entry. Even the tannins seem spicy! Bristly, mineral finish. Great Graham!   18+/20 - Jancis Robinson 96-99/100 - The Wine Spectator	2018-2035	6x75cl	£204.00
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