The First “Declared” Port Vintage Since 2017 is Big News!
November 13 Tasting — Annual Port Tasting
Port wine remains one of the true pleasures in the world, as capable of greatness as any classic wine on the planet. The finest port is grown in Portugal's upper Douro valley extending nearly to the Spanish border on terraced hillsides that take your breath away.
After the harvest's vinification, the sweet wine is shipped down the Douro to Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia where the cool Atlantic Ocean influence provides a better environment for aging port in what are called lodges. Most wine is aged in large upright casks, tawny ports in smaller oak barrels called "pipes" where they are more likely to be influence by tiny exchanges of air for added complexity.
Quinta dos Malvedos, Graham's flagship vineyard in the Upper Douro Valley
Today, most great port is made by a handful of families dedicated to traditions that go back over 300 years. They are defenders against the pressures of modernity to conform to changing tastes, or the current fad-du-jour.
Each port house makes different styles of port—what they refer to as the range—from white to tawny to simple rubies and various grades of dark port. All are delicious to drink, with consumers favoring one style over another for personal consumption. But all agree the finest ports are referred to as "Vintage," as legendary Master of Wine Hugh Johnson has pointed out. Historically, an average of only about three vintages are "declared" per decade. When a group of port houses deem a certain vintage as exceptional enough to warrant vintage bottlings, it makes headlines.
Except for a small amount of vintage port made by Graham's to commemorate their bicentennial year in 2020, the 2017 vintage was the last year the major port houses had declared vintage port year until they did it for the 2024s. Seven years is a long time between port vintages, so this year's release is a big, big deal. The last seven year gap between Vintage Port years was 1985 to 1992 for Fonseca and Taylor.
As more and more tourists have been discovering Oporto and travelling up the Douro River, there is a new appreciation for the work, sacrifice and dedication that goes into each bottle of port wine. The terraced vineyards alone are worth adulation, knowing they were built before the advent of jack hammers.
And now, in 2026 we get to enjoy the ultimate fruits of their labor for the first time in seven years!
(For a more complete tutorial on Port wine, consult my blog from September 2024.)
Earlier this year, our port wine buyer Kevin Lepisto and I sat down with representatives from Premium Port Wines, which imports most of the houses owned by the Symington family, to sample the newly declared 2024s. They were stunning wines, some massive in scale, all quite impressive.
We're trying all of these ports (and more!) next Friday, November 13th, be sure to reserve your seats, we only do one port tasting a year. Here are my highlights from that sit-down that have now arrived:
2024 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Porto $86.99
Almost black in color—inky. The nose is not unlike a ripe modern Napa Cabernet, but there is another element. The flavor is intensely concentrated. Fresh, yet focused. Berries, herbs, fennel. Quite amazing.
"The palate is soft and rounded on the entry, pure black fruit mixed with raisin and fig that leads to a seductive, easygoing finish." —Neal Martin, Vinous
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2024 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Porto $112.99
Dark, dark magenta colored. Beautifully structured, sweet, lovely flavors with excellent balance. An elegant Vesuvio.
"The palate is more open and expressive with its rounded, supple tannins and velvety texture. There is an underlying pepperiness that surfaces towards the quite ravishing finish." —Neal Martin, Vinous
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2024 Dow's Vintage Porto $134.99
Less powerful than the Smith-Woodhouse. It's elegant already, with its characteristically dry finish and a little tannic grip.
"I don't think there is another Vintage Port with as much precision as this Dow's. Long and tender on the finish, this is just magnificent." —Neal Martin, Vinous
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2024 Graham's Vintage Porto $129.99
Nearly black in color. An intense flavor, yet not huge in the mouth. Outstanding flavor, sporting some savory notes. Some grip in the finish.
"There is a completeness to this Graham's that is mesmerising." —Neal Martin, Vinous
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