2011 Vintage Port

[Roy Hersh]

We all know it is way too early for 2011 VP's at this point. Most producers are very reluctant to make any comment on their possible decisions whether or not to declare. We also know that decisions can't be made until seeing how the anthocyanins play out in Jan. or Feb. ... and then samples are approved by the IVDP.

That being said, does anyone doubt that 2011 VP will be generally declared in 2013?

[Al B.]

I really hope there's a great vintage declaration next year of the 2011 ports. Based on what I heard from people who were in Portugal during the harvest in 2011, I modified my buying of new vintages in 2012 and only bought 14 bottles from the 2010 vintage. I normally buy 36-42 bottles so I have some catching up to do next year!

[Paul Fountain]

I don't think there was anybody that we met on the 2011 harvest tour that that wasn't excited about the vintage and I seem to remember that comments from those who had been on multiple tours indicated that the enthusiasm from producers was perhaps a little more so for that year. I got the feeling that there would have to be major cock-ups for it not to be generally declared.

[Roy Hersh]

Although I am spouting off way early (and have been for a year now) about the 2011 VP's ... one should not overlook the fact that 2012 was a very unique year and some may decide to be contrarians and declare 2012 instead. Do I think that will happen widely? No. However, after several "hot" years in a row, the much cooler 2012 provided some significant hang times for grapes and the freshness that comes along with cool growing season acidity levels and firmer grapes. I know that David Guimaraens is very high on 2012's, as just one example. It will be very interesting indeed. Two decades hence, 1991 and 1992 saw similar conditions with 1991 the warm year and 1992 the cool one. As we all know, David's father (while teaching David at that time) decided to declare the 1992 instead of 1991, which became a very controversial move at the time. So, while I am confident that 2011 will be very widely declared, there's always the possibility that a player like TFP comes along and upsets the apple cart by declaring the 2012 instead. That being said, I truly doubt that is going to happen, but it is still too early for Port houses to make their decisions until seeing what happens in Jan./Feb. of 2013. Nonetheless, those looking to purchase 2012 VP's will definitely have a small but interesting crop of SQVP's to purchase no matter what. Just my take on things.

[Rob C.]

If both 2011 and 2012 are promising but show different characteristics, what i think would be quite fun to see (though have limited expectations of materialising) are some serious attempts at premium crusted ports using 2011/2012 grapes (along the lines of eg: the old Noval crusteds from the 60s)

[Rob C.]

I know that David Guimaraens is very high on 2012's, as just one example.... So, while I am confident that 2011 will be very widely declared, there's always the possibility that a player like TFP comes along and upsets the apple cart by declaring the 2012 instead.

Any chance they could declare both? Or is it still the case that hell will freeze over before that happens?

In terms of declarations, if i were to hazard a guess i'd say that the emergence of independent producers delaring VP in the Douro and the proliferation of SQVP declarations such as Vesuvio has made the landscape rather different now even compared to 91/92.

And in terms of number of bottles, i get the impression that declarations generally seem to be much smaller these days than in the 70s / 80s (eg: would the number of bottles of Fonseca 07 and Fonseca 09 together even be equal to the number of bottles of Fonseca 85 alone?).

Plus SFE have shown recently that they are willing to do limited-release commemorative bottlings, and that these can be a success (Warre 2009 VP and Graham 52 Jubilee colheita in UK, Warre 1972 Jubileum colheita in Denmark). There are plenty of excuses for a producer with UK heritage to do the same for either 2011 or 2012 VP!

[Tom Archer]

From information received, I am confident that the Symingtons and Niepoort are declaring 2011.

The TFP seem undecided, but my gut feeling is that they will probably defer - although I don't put much weight on that..

Noval? - I just don't know..