vintage Port 1811988 ** tiny crop, a few concentrated wines, others unbalanced
A very challenging year in all respects and an expensive one for growers. A wet winter
was followed by a cool, wet spring and early summer. The flowering took place under wet
conditions and there was widespread mildew. Comparatively cool weather in July and
August finally gave way to heat in early September when the thermometer rose to over 40°C
for five consecutive days. Yields were tiny; Michael Symington reported that one property
in the Douro Superior which usually produced 130 pipes yielded just four in 1988, having
been hit in turn by mildew, desavinho (coulure) and hail! From mid-September, however,
vintage weather was absolutely perfect with dry sunny days followed by cool nights. Some
single-quinta wines were bottled, some of which now look hot and unbalanced although
Graham’s Malvedos would have still benefitted from a few more years in bottle when I
tasted it in 2010.
Pick of the Vintage: Graham’s Malvedos; Taylor’s Quinta de Terra Feita.
1987 *** a handful of dense wines for the medium to long term
After an exceedingly hot, dry summer, picking began in mid-September with the grapes in
near-perfect condition. The weather at the start of vintage continued to be hot and grapes
arrived at the adegas with temperatures above 30°C. Some producers, however, had installed
must coolers and these undoubtedly helped these ferments (see 1985). Sugar readings were
high but as the grapes were small and sometimes shrivelled, yields were low. At Quinta dos
Malvedos it took 820 kilos of grapes to produce a pipe of must. James Symington recorded
at the time that ‘fine, dark wines have been made. Perhaps due to the extreme heat during
ripening the wines are a little lacking in aroma but they are extremely intense’. However,
mid-way through the harvest, heavy rain fell throughout the Douro continuing into
October. Sugar readings fell and only a strong wind prevented the onset of disease. Perhaps
because of this, 1987 is one of those ‘nearly but not quite’ years when a handful of shippers
declared (Ferreira, Martinez, Niepoort, Noval, Noval Nacional) but the majority held off
and bottled single-quinta wines. The market for vintage Port was also looking distinctly
shaky by the time of the would-be declaration in 1989. The heat may have contributed
to the somewhat ponderous, roasted character now evident in some of the wines although
the low yields of grapes provided some dense, concentrated Ports which, without a general
declaration to support them, are often under-valued. Niepoort started off well but seems to
have become slightly volatile in bottle. Graham’s Malvedos, tasted in 2010, still had more to
give with characteristic opulence backed by solid, ripe tannins. Drink now to 2020.
Pick of the Vintage: Graham’s Malvedos; Martinez, Quinta da Eira Velha.
1986 ** attractive, open fruity wines which continue to develop well
The growing season began with a cold snap in April followed by a very dry summer,
although hail did great damage to vines on the north side of the Douro around Castedo
and Alijó. The rain, when it finally arrived, was copious and delayed the start of harvest by a