Winemaker Notes
The extremely low yields of the Vesuvio vineyard produced a wine of unparalleled concentration and richness and with a deep purple color. The wine combining floral aromas of eucalyptus and has intense flavors of very ripe fruit and rich blackcurrant.
Quinta do Vesuvio 2007 is a fabulous accompaniment to chocolate desserts, such as flourless chocolate cake or dark chocolate truffles, but can also be enjoyed on its own - it is an experience in itself. Port is best served in classic Port wine glassware or white wine glasses. Avoid cordial or liqueur glasses as they are too small to fully appreciate the wine's aromas.
These wines can be drunk young by those who enjoy a more fruit driven style, but will also age superbly over the decades to come.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
A great vintage of Vesuvio, this is completely Douro in its flavors, a bold stroke of color across the palate, a rush of green, red, blue and purple. It's plump, if not downright fat (the wine seems softer in acidity than some of its peers), but it's ripped by tannin, with a pervasive schistiness that makes it grand. Those resonant tannins combine with vibrant spice, licorice and green herb to create a hum of energy around all the fruit. The wine vibrates with power, intensely compressed. Drink it young to be wowed, or cellar it for decades; it's anyone's guess when this will calm down.
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Wine Spectator
Fascinating aromas of citrus fruits, blueberry and dried flowers, with tar notes as well, lead to a full-bodied, medium-sweet palate, with a black pepper and spice undertone to the rich, ripe berry fruit. Turns chewy and tannic on the finish. So much to come with age in the bottle. Very typical for Vesuvio. Best after 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The purple/black 2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port offers up aromas of pine forest, menthol, pepper, Asian spices, and blackberry compote. This leads to a youthful, primary Port with gobs of mid-palate fruit, firm but ripe tannins, tremendous depth and concentration, and a succulence which raises it above the crowd. Impeccably balanced, it will evolve for 15-20 years and drink well through 2040.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.