Wine & Spirits - August 2020 - 6

2018 Vintage in Douro
OLD VINES ON THE ANCIENT
TERRACES OF VARGELLAS

Following two widely declared vintages-2016, with the elegant wines of
a relatively cool, wet year, and 2017, a powerfully structured vintage from
a hot, dry season-producers in Douro were not anxious to release more
Vintage Porto. And 2018 turned out to be a year of varied weather, with a
cool, wet spring, hailstorms and a seriously hot July and August. But there
were high expectations at some well-positioned sites, often north-facing. At
Vargellas, Taylor's quinta in the Douro Superior, David Guimaraens found
that the first half of the season helped to moderate the second half. When
they tasted the wine this spring next to the 2017, the team was confident
that it warranted a historic declaration-the first time in its history, more
than 300 years, that Taylor has declared three vintages in a row.
"During the growing phase of 2018, from budburst to veraison, there
were cool conditions and a lot of humidity. Then, during the final ripening
phase in July, August and September, it was incredibly hot," he says. "That
heat compensated for the cool growing phase. The wines have the beautiful
freshness of fruit of a cooler year and the structure and dimension of a
hotter year from the end of the season."

But things were less accommodating in other parts of the Douro.
Adrian Bridge, CEO of the Fladgate Partnership, reports that there was no
contribution from Junco, an important Taylor quinta in the Cima Corgo that
was wiped out by hail, explaining that conditions in 2018 were sometimes
challenging at their properties around Pinhão.
The vintage played out differently for Ramos Pinto, where Ana Rosas
blended a single-quinta 2018 from Bom Retiro, the firm's north-facing estate
in the Cima Corgo. Ramos Pinto also farms a quinta far upriver, Ervamoira,
in an extremely arid part of the Douro Superior. She reports that the vines
at Ervamoira suffered from significant heat stress, forcing the touriga franca
to shut down and never fully ripen. At the same time, the touriga franca
flourished at Bom Retiro. "It's always the first to flower, the first to start
veraison and almost the last to pick," she says; its long maturation provided
a structured, aromatic component amounting to 29 percent of her blend for
the 2018 Bom Retiro.

As late as June, we had this major storm, and at
Quinta de Roriz, all the tracks had been washed
out to the underlying boulders. You couldn't get a
car through there. -Rupert Symington
Of the Symington single-quinta releases in 2018, Rupert Symington is
most excited about Quinta da Vesuvio, the family's property on the south
bank of the Douro. Like the other producers interviewed for this report,
Symington described Vintage releases of limited volume-only two of the
Symington wines will be offered as young wines, while the family will hold
back the rest for release with about a decade of age. "The Vesuvio of '18
is as good as '17," Symington asserts. "No doubt about it. But we couldn't
have made a Graham's in 2018 at the level of 2017." Instead, they used
their top material for Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos. "The Douro is very
random," he says. "There's an element of luck in this." -JOSHUA GREENE

Gin with a
Greek Accent

Pink Prosecco
on the Horizon

With savory notes of wild sage and
bay leaf, and the cooling feel of
mastiha, Stray Dog offers a distinctly
Greek-and refreshing-take on a
London Dry-style gin. It's a new
release from Dimitris Melissanidis,
whose family has run a distillery in far
northern Greece since 1924. Try it on
the rocks with a splash of soda, or in
a Martini garnished with a sage leaf.
A portion of the sales of Stray Dog are
donated to animal shelters in Greece.
Imported by Diamond Importers,
Chicago, IL; 43.5% abv, $39/750ml
-RACHEL DELROCCO TERRAZAS

Prosecco, already the world's best-selling
sparkling wine by volume, is set to boost that
momentum with the introduction of Prosecco DOC
Rosé. Italy's ministry of agriculture approved the
Prosecco Consortium's proposal in May, opening
the door for sales of pink fizz to begin next year.
The wine's color will come from the addition of
up to 15 percent pinot nero, already an approved
variety for Prosecco but until now only allowed
when vinified as a white wine. Glera makes up
the balance of the blend, and the style may range
from bone dry (labeled Brut Nature) to lightly
sweet (labeled, rather counterintuitively, Extra
Dry). The Consortium estimates that sales of
Prosecco Rosé could total more 30 million bottles
a year worldwide. -STEPHANIE JOHNSON

6

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2020
Wine & Spirits - August 2020

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