Dow's Vintage Port 2017

The weather pattern in 2023, fresher and less extreme than 2022 which was baking hot, suggests there could be an interesting comparison to come. In 2021 a small amount of top Single Quinta wines were produced but not a full declaration. There was plenty of beneficial rainfall early in 2020 but also plenty of heat which has given exceptionally low yields. What there is, is deeply concentrated and very like 2009 in style. 2019 was a very dry, but not hot, vintage which has given some characterful wines with great elegance, some excellent single quintas have been made. A rain affected start to the season, coupled with hail, reduced yields to very small levels in 2018. A hot summer reduced these further. What there is, looks very good, with some houses declaring a vintage year for the third successive year. The earliest harvest on record in 2017 followed a growing season of drought and high temperatures, the resultant wines being very concentrated with good structure resulting in the first back-to-back declaration with 2016 for many years. 2016 was a tricky vintage for the growers but ultimately, they have been rewarded with super wines with elegance and freshness, good enough for a general declaration. 2015 made some outstanding single quintas, the houses maybe overly swayed by those 2016s into not declaring but the wines are very good in their own right. 2014 and 2013 made good single quintas which are fresh with lively fruit character. 2012 is a great single quinta vintage which produced elegant wines with balance and poise. Looking back through declared vintages, 2011 produced fabulous wines with freshness and a fruity style which will make them great drinking throughout their evolution. 2009, by contrast, is about power, density and longevity. The 2007 vintage was more elegant with great concentration, length and purity. The hot summer of 2003 delivered super ripe, intense wines. The Millennium vintage of 2000 was wonderfully rich and ripe, approachable in style but worth keeping. 1997 was widely declared and rightly praised but still a little backward. Wines from the 1994 vintage remain backward due to their intensity. 1992 is also for the long-term, currently quite closed. The concentrated wines of 1991 are still for keeping, though Ports from the lighter houses are just beginning to emerge. The wines of the bountiful 1985 vintage have a great balance of power with sweetness and are drinking now. The appealing style of 1983 makes it perfect for current drinking. The wines of the 1980 vintage too are much under-rated and very pure. The 1977s, undoubtedly one of the great vintages, have matured well and are firmly in their drinking window, whilst the initially structured wines of 1970 have proved themselves worth the wait and are now at their peak. Lucky indeed are those still fortunate enough to have some 1966s, 1963s, 1960s and 1955s!