Its extraordinary longevity together with its ability to give immense pleasure when young makes it a favourite of both wine collectors and wine enthusiasts. Vintage Port also stands out as being very good value compared with many other great classic wines, especially when purchased on release at what is known as the ‘declaration price.’ The only drawback is that it is relatively rare. The amount of Vintage Port bottled in a given year by a top house, such as Croft, Fonseca or Taylor, is usually much less than is bottled of the grand vin of a Bordeaux first growth. The fact that Vintage Port is only produced in years judged to be of outstanding quality makes it even rarer.
In this site you can find information on Vintage Ports from the exceptional vintage of 2011. The 2011 Vintage Ports achieved the rare feat of combining elegance and finesse with great stamina and depth of flavour. The summer of 2011 was warm and very dry. However the heavy rain that had fallen the previous winter provided the vines with plentiful ground water and ensured a balanced ripening of the grapes. As a result of these textbook ripening conditions, the 2011 Vintage Ports have impressive depth of colour and structure, fruit of great purity and fine, complex aromas.
As well as the Croft, Fonseca and Taylor 2011 Vintage Ports, the site also contains details of the rare Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Port made in very small quantities from a selection of fruit from the oldest vines on Taylor’s Vargellas estate. There are also details of importers around the world who can provide information regarding the availability of the 2011 Vintage Ports in their markets.