Till Death Do Us Port

In the same way that simple ideas are often the best, so it is with vintage port whose straightforward and uncluttered production process yields an extraordinarily rich and complex wine that challenges all your senses.

In its purest form, vintage port is the product of a single harvest, from chosen vineyards, in one climatically splendid growing season, which after fermentation and fortification, is aged approximately 24 to 36 months in wood.

Unlike tawny and other wood age ports, vintage port is bottled, unfiltered, at a young age and left to improve inside the bottle for decades.

Since only about one or two per cent of all port produced is worthy of being called "vintage" (the reputation of a shipper is almost always measured by the quality of its offerings), vintage port is only made when the harvest is exceptional. Since the First World War that has worked out to about three per decade.

There are strict controls on when a port can be called vintage or "declared," as it is known in the trade. As mentioned the wine must be from a single harvest and it must be bottled between July 1 of the second year following harvest and before June 30 of the third.

Once bottled the shipper or maker submits samples to the Instituto do Vinho do Porto, together with details of the quantity of wine to be released, the yield of wine from the grapes, and the proposed release date. Should Port's governing body approve of the wine's quality the shipper is allowed to "declare" the vintage, but only if the company remains convinced the quality of the wine still merits the coveted "vintage" tag.

What may seem like a glorious harvest can still have shippers hesitating to declare a vintage if only because of the intense scrutiny any vintage port comes under for decades. Even today experts comment on the relative qualities of declared vintages such as the 1955s, the '63s or the '77s and, should a particular shipper declare what turns out to be a weak vintage, the impact on its reputation can reach long into the future.

Today we explore the declared 2003 vintage port, released late last year and earlier this spring. It's considered to be a superior vintage from a very warm growing season. With fairly hefty tannins it's expected to go the distance in your cellar. Pick some up to mark an anniversary or birth year or to simply enjoy from 2020 and long after, or pop the cork on one this holiday season for a sneak preview.

First up is Cristiano van Zeller's exquisite Quinta Vale D. Maria Vintage Port 2003. Made from a field blend of more than 50 different grapes Vale D. Maria is magnificent. It's big, round, fat and concentrated with intense black cherry jam, orange, plum, licorice and mint flavours. The acidity and huge fruit all point to a long future in the bottle. Fine potential.

The Warre's Vintage Port 2003 looks to be one of the best early on and its price is a bargain. It's both rich, tannic, ripe, fiery and big yet with finesse and acidity.

Black cherry, sweet fig and chocolate flavours with bits of licorice are hard not to like. Another for the cellar through 2020.

Spicy, licorice, blackberry, plum jam and black tea mark the nose of the elegant Ramos Pinto Vintage Port 2003. There are youthful tannins evident but balanced with peppery, black tea, warm orange, licorice, cedar, black plum and blackberry flavours.

Long with finesse and complexity but very young. Consider with a coffee finish. Needs seven to 10 years more bottle age to fully develop.

Dow's Vintage Port 2003 comes with huge black cherry jam, blackberry, licorice, tea, peppery, clove and a smoky, candied fig flavour. It's long, well-balanced and brimming with acidity that points to along life. It will require 12 to 15 years more in bottle to fully mature. One for collectors.

Another superstar of the vintage is the Fonseca Vintage Port 2003. The nose is super ripe with fruitcake and licorice overtones and spicy, savoury chocolate notes. It's both fat and concentrated with moderate tannin. Flavours run from licorice root and black cherry jam to orange compote, mineral and more chocolate. Classic Fonseca.

We love the way Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2003 is put together. Always so solid with powerful dense fruit, flecked with floral (violet) notes and spice.

The colour is opaque with licorice-laced, black fruit flavours and a wonderful long, warm finish packed full of plums, chocolates and raisins. It seems to linger on the palate in perfect balance for ever.

Now all you need is a good book and a roaring fire. Happy New Year.

QUINTA VALE D. MARIA VINTAGE PORT MIXED VINES 2003, RIO TORTO, Douro Valley, Portugal
Price: $66
UPC: 05606545530030
Score: 93/100
Remarks: Fat, concentrated with intense black cherry jam, orange, plum, licorice flavours.

WARRE'S VINTAGE PORT 2003, Douro Valley
Price: $82
UPC: 05010867205246
Score: 94/100
Remarks: Licorice, blackberry jam, black cherry, sweet fig and chocolate flavours.

RAMOS PINTO VINTAGE PORT 2003, Douro Valley
Price: $88
UPC: 05601332003827
Score: 93/100
Remarks: Peppery, black tea, orange, licorice, cedar, black plum and black berry flavours.

DOW'S VINTAGE PORT 2003, Douro Valley
Price: $85
UPC: 5010867205246
Score: 94/100
Remarks: Long, well balanced with good acidity and not too sweet.

FONSECA VINTAGE PORT 2003, Douro Valley
Price: $131
UPC: 5013521100543
Score: 94/100
Remarks: One for the cellar for the next 15 plus years.

TAYLOR FLADGATE VINTAGE PORT, Douro Valley
Price: $137
UPC: 05013626113141
Score: 96/100
Remarks: Always so solid with powerful dense fruit.