Very Old Porto Wine 1920 - 2016

Very Old Porto Wine 1920 - 2016

Vintage Porto and Tawny Colheita Porto

- There are a couple of years about which we do not have a register and description of the year but have been produced Twny Colheita Porto wines.

• 2011 - Winter was rainy, mainly in December, and Spring was hot and dry. Summer was cool and dry except on two occasions at the end of August, beginning of September. Early September was cool but registered above average maximum air temperatures. These wines have the classic character of a good Vintage year with some refinement and the hallmarks of great longevity.

• 2010 - A most unusual year. An exceptionally wet winter brought challenging erosion to the Douro, but welcome restoration of ground water. A very hot July then retarded ripening (because the vines shut down in the excessive temperatures) but the weather was more agreeable later in the season with good conditions for harvest. 

• 2009 - An exceptionally hot summer led to an early vintage with great potential for Port, but extremely high alcohols in the unfortified wines, with some unripe tannins and shrivelled berries. Higher altitude sites will be crucial to making these wines work. 

• 2008 - A dry but, like 2007, cool year. Some growers picked early for fear of rain, but those that risked it were rewarded with ideal ripening conditions late in the season.

• 2007 - November and February were particularly rainy; above average rainfall was registered again in may and especially June, mainly in the Upper Douro. Between May and August, the temperatures were below average, especially in the Upper Douro. Wines with excellent quality, elegant, with fine structure and velvety tannins. The biggest Vintage declaration to date.

• 2006 - A wet year with rain inconveniently timed in September. But some grapes were also shrivelled by extreme heat. Far from a textbook year.

• 2005 - An exceptionally dry growing season in which only old vines triumphed. Very early harvest produced unusual musts - the Douro's answer to 2003?

• 2004 - The usual hot summer, then rain in early September but late September saw sugar levels zoom up. There will be some fine vintage and single quinta ports.

• 2003 - Normal rainy winter. Dry spring. Normal season temperatures except for the end of July and beginning of August (45º during the day and 30º at night). Full-bodied wines with tannins that grant them a good aging potential. Exceptional quality.

• 2002 - The usual very dry summer was followed by an unusually wet September which compromised both the health and ripeness of those grapes that were picked. A most unusual harvest and extremely unlikely to produce vintage port.

• 2001 - Some very good vintage port. Exceptionally wet winter - an unprecedented five months of rain - was followed by early budburst slowed by a cool spring. The crop was reduced by a heatwave in June but conditions were favourable throughout the rest of the summer. Useful quantity with good not great quality.

• 2000 - Dry winter, with 15/40% less rain. Hot February and March, rain in April and May. Some rain from June to August. Slow maturation: harvest delayed for two weeks. In September, temperatures around 40º. Excellent quality Wines.

• 1999 - At the end of August growers were looking forward to a distinct improvement on 1998 but hopes were washed away by continuous rain in September, although the thick-skinned port grapes suffered much less than table wine grapes elsewhere in Portugal.

• 1998 - Definitely not a year for vintage port but for some great colheita.

• 1997 - Atypical year. Dry winter with a hot February. Rainy spring and cold May. Long summer, hot and dry. Wines full of tannins, some of them of excellent quality.

• 1996 - Not a year for vintage Porto but for some fine single quinta wines were made with exceptional quality.

• 1995 - Some great vintage ports, not harmed by the hot summer and helped by newfound alternative techniques to foot treading.

• 1994 - A “monumental” vintage, even more intense than that of 1992, with tannins and fruit concentration. “Great Vintage Ports as the ones from this year come around only a few times in a lifetime “. A general declaration. Excellent weather, harvests under ideal conditions, with perfect grapes.

• 1993 - Mild and exceptionally dry winter was followed by a wet spring which delayed the growth cycle. An unusually hot September gave the grapes a late boost just before harvest in benign conditions. Particularly luscious, ripe tawny colheita Porto.

• 1992 - Exceptional vintage, with tannins and fruit concentrations.

• 1991 - Excellent vintage, harmonious and rich. Hot and dry summer, with only a few light rains at the beginning of September. Harvest under ideal conditions.

• 1990 - The rain of 1989 was crucial in this much drier year, to sustain the vines through a hot summer. There was, finally, much needed precipitation in late August and September with dry, warm conditions thereafter which were perfect for picking. Looks to be a great quality vintage and tawny colheita.

• 1989 - Very hot summer. Premature harvest, under ideal climatic conditions. Some excellent wines.

• 1988 - A dry but, like 1987, cool year. The grapes was picked early for fear of rain, but those that risked it were rewarded with ideal ripening conditions late in the season. Very good tawny colheita.

• 1987 - Very dry winter and spring. Slow maturation. Very hot and dry summer. Premature harvest, at the beginning of September. It was not a Vintage year, because of the low production. Few producers declared production, although there were several single-quinta wines. Very fine and fruity wines.

• 1986 - A flattering year: luscious and fragrant for mid-term drinking.

• 1985 - Wines with a very fine aroma. Exceptional quality. A classic Vintage, with intense aromas and a firm structure in fruit and tannins. Almost all producers declared production. Excellent weather. Cold start to winter, but warm February and March. Some rain in spring and normal temperatures until summer. A very hot June, followed by a normal summer. Harvest under perfect conditions.

• 1984 - Good year for some exceptional Tawny Colheita.

• 1983 - Dry winter and rainy weather during most of spring. Poor blooming in many vineyards. Abnormally cold year, including in August. Hot September. Late and perfect harvest. Rich in tannins, very aromatic and with a strong aging capacity.

• 1982 - Very dry year. Cold winter. Good blooming. Very hot summer. One the most premature harvests. Weak production, but with good quality. Delicate and elegant wines, with a large concentration of aroma.

• 1981 - A good year, rich in aromas and tannins, full-bodied and with much colour. A late spring and a very hot and dry summer, with some rain only in September. Late harvest in the second week of October, under ideal weather conditions. A good year in quality and quantity.

• 1980 - Dry winter. Poor blooming under rainy and cold weather, but the summer was hot and dry, with rains only at the end of September, before the harvests. Exceptional quality, but lower quantity than normal. Deep purple and fruity wines.

• 1979 - An very good year in terms of both quality and quantity.

• 1978 - After a spring with very bad weather, a long and hot summer propitiated some good wines.

• 1977 - A classic Vintage. Deep purple and fruity wines, rich in tannins, with a good aging capacity. Cold and rain in the first months of the year. Late blooming and slow maturation. Moderate summer, but very hot September.

• 1976 - A late harvest in October, under intense heat, after some torrential rainfall at the end of September. Very mature grapes, in some areas, but some of which were already raisins or even rotten. Few good wines, with much colour, body and sweetness.

• 1975 - First Vintage totally bottled in Portugal, under legal resolution. After a rainy winter, it was a hot and dry year, particularly in the summer. Some rain at the beginning of September, before the harvest. Late harvest, at the beginning of October. Scarce production.

• 1974 - Delicate, balanced, deep purple and full-bodied, very mature and with a traditional aroma of “roasted coffee”. A cold winter, a very hot spring and summer, especially at harvest time (late September), so much so that some producers experienced problems in controlling the fermentation of the must.

• 1973 - “An elegant Tawny” and a fruity one, though not deep purple. A dry year, with light rains in mid-September which were beneficial as they cooled the grapes. The harvests were carried out immediately after the rains, in good weather. Very mature grapes. Highly abundant harvest.

• 1972 - A good year in terms of quality and quantity. Delicate and harmonious wines though with less colour and body than the more famous Vintages. Late harvest, in late September and early October, with good weather after a few days of rain.

• 1971 - Notable colour and taste, according to some oenophiles better than that of 1970. The first harvests were carried out in very hot weather, producing very quick fermentation at some wine-presses. Then the weather freshened and the quality of the must improved.

• 1970 - An exceptional quality Vintage, with great fruit and tannin harmony, ensuring longevity. A lot of rain in January and February, followed by a cold and dry March. The weather started to become hot in April, favouring good blooming and grape maturity. Rain in August and at the beginning of September, but the harvest was made under dry and very hot weather, with the temperature reaching 45¨C in certain areas. Very mature wines.

• 1969 - Rather immature wines at the time of harvest, which began early, in the first half of September, with less colour and body than is usual in a great novelty. However, they developed surprisingly well when bottled.

• 1968 - Good wines, but in small quantities. Many vines were attacked by mildew. Hot and dry summer, with some rain at the end of September. Late harvests at the beginning of October, under ideal weather

• 1967 - Abnormally cold year at the beginning of winter, with temperatures under 0° C. Late and scarce blooming. Hot summer, with some thunderstorms. Late harvest, under good conditions. Some excellent wines were produced.

• 1966 - Exceptional quality. Very sweet wines and rich in tannins, some of them sublime, with large aging capacity. Normal winter, with some rain, but afterwards the weather became dry between April and September. Grapes with a high sugar level, some of them burned. It only rained slightly at the beginning of the harvest (end of September). Scarce production.

• 1965 - Some very good wines, but in small quantities. Hot and dry summer. Very mature grapes, so much so that some wine-presses experienced difficulties in controlling fermentation.

• 1964 - Very good wines, somewhat light and dry. Could have been better if the vintage had been delayed. Heat wave at the beginning of September, followed by rains during the middle of the month, but the harvests took place under perfect weather conditions. Scarce production. 

• 1963 - A classic Vintage, intense and balanced, deep-purple, fruity and with a large aging capacity. “An apotheosis of Vintage”. Normal winter and cold rainy spring, but with good weather when blooming. Hot and dry summer. It only drizzled just before the harvests. During the harvest (end of September), perfect weather, with very hot days and cool nights.

• 1962 - Hot summer, vintages took place under ideal conditions, with warm days and cool nights. Scarce production

• 1961 - A very hot July. Rain at the end of August caused a large amount of “rot”. Late harvest. The wines proved to be better than expected. Scarce production.

• 1960 - Excellent quality, with sweet and elegant wines, with a good structure and much colour and body. Very hot year and premature maturity. The harvests started in the second week of September, initially with hot weather but with drizzling rain and cold after 24 September, which harmed the later harvests.

• 1959 - Unstable weather in July and August, but the harvests, begun in mid-September, took place in excellent weather. However, at Cima Corgo, very scarce production, half that of the previous year.

• 1958 - Notwithstanding the year’s humidity, there were some excellent wines, with very fine aroma and flavour. After a cold and rainy summer, the beginning of October was very hot and the harvests were held under perfect conditions.

• 1957 - Good year, delicate and elegant, somewhat dry, but which proved to be beneath the expectations, maturing quickly. Hot and dry summer. Grapes that were almost raisins, with large sugar content. Scarce production.

• 1956 - Good year, with characteristics of sweetness. Late harvest, in ideal weather conditions.

• 1955 - Excellent quality. Harmonious wines, full-bodied, deep-purple and very fruity. Rainy winter. Hot summer.

• 1954 - Excellent year, with very delicate and rich wines that proved to be better than was initially expected.

• 1953 - A very hot year. In August the grapes appeared to be burnt and the year seemed a write-off. But a light rain that fell before the harvest saved the production.

• 1952 - Some rather good wines

• 1951 - A very hot year until the end of August

• 1950 - A delicate and sweet wine. It was called “the ladies’ vintage”. Cold summer. Late harvests, but under perfect weather conditions.

• 1949 - Some very good wines

• 1948 A classic Vintage. Hot year. Harvest under very hot weather (reaching 45° C). Many dried and very sweet grapes, at Cima Corgo, so much so that it was difficult to control fermentation in some cases. Low quantity.

• 1947 - Exceptional Vintage, elegant and very fine. Year with ideal weather conditions. Production was larger than expected.

• 1946 - A year with good wines

• 1945 - Classic Vintage, full-bodied, deep purple and sweet, with a large concentration of fruit and tannins. First post-War Vintage. Bottled in Portugal, owing to English restrictions. Low production year. Dry year, with a very hot summer, and only a few rains at the end of August. Early harvests, starting in the first half of September.

• 1944 - An early harvest, at the beginning of September.

• 1943 - Some very good wines

• 1942 - Excellent quality, elegant and fruity. First Vintage bottled exclusively in Portugal, due to the War. Scarce production.

• 1941 - Some very good wines

• 1940 - Some very good wines

• 1939 -

• 1938 -

• 1937 -

• 1936 -

• 1935 - A classic Vintage. A harmonious wine, rich in fruity aromas and rich in tannins. Dry winter, Abnormally cold spring, with some frosts. Late blooming and fructification. Irregular summer, but the harvest occurred under ideal conditions. In 1937 was bottled the entire 1935 Vintage, simultaneously celebrating the George V (1935) Jubilee and the Coronation of George VI (1937).

• 1934 - Exceptional quality, mature and fruity, despite being a year of unstable weather. Dry winter, rainy spring. Late blooming and fructification. A very hot July. Some rain in September. A late harvest at the beginning of October, with ideal weather.

• 1933 - 

• 1932 - 

• 1931 - An exceptional novelty, one of the best of the century, with wines rich in fruity aromas and tannins, with a great capacity for aging. Winter was very dry and summer was exceptionally cold and dry, including August. In September, the temperature rose and some rain fell. A late harvest, at the end of September, under ideal weather conditions. Despite the irregularity of the weather, some notable wines were produced.

• 1930 - 

• 1929 -

• 1928 - 

• 1927 - A classic, one of the best Vintages of the century, deep purple, with a great concentration and balance of aromas. It was also one of the largest harvests ever. The rain which fell at the end of September was beneficial. A late harvest, at the start of October, in very hot weather. Very mature grapes some burnt ones.

• 1926 - 

• 1925 - 

• 1924 - Excellent vintage, deep purple, with good body and aroma. Exceptionally cold summer. Some rain in September, but the harvests occurred at the end of that month in good weather. Scarce production.

• 1923 - 

• 1922 - Excellent vintage in terms of colour, body and strength, very delicate. Late harvest in early October, with good weather.

• 1921 - 

• 1920 - An excellent Vintage, very elegant, balanced, fruity. The first Vintage after the Great War. A spring with bad weather. A very cold, rainy and thundery April, with an outbreak of mildew in June. Late harvest, in early October, after a warm summer. Scarce novelty.

Source: ivdp.pt - Port and Douro Wines Institute and jancisrobinson.com - MW Jancis Robinson