2017 Vintage Port Report
Vintage is absolutely everything when it comes to producing Port. There are grapes grown every year, but there are specific vintages when wineries see an uptick in quality at time of harvest and then declare a vintage. They then produce a wine specific to that vintage. There have been a couple great vintages recently. In 2016, some producers came out and mentioned that it was the first time in well over a century that they released vintage port in back to back vintages. Then the reports for the 2017 vintage started coming out. We can tell you in confidence that this may be the best vintage of port in over 3 decades. Some are even comparing it to the legendary 1945 vintage that was touted for having the greatest growing season of all time!
When it comes to making great port, it is important to have a warm growing season that is kept dry. While some rain is important, the longer dry season allows the grapes to have a great level of intensity. The growing season was so warm and dry that overall, it was the earliest beginning to harvest in history. Low yields of exceptional quality grapes were picked and in turn have produced some of the most stunning current vintage Port.
In the bottle, it is obvious that the wines are on a different level than other vintages. On multiple reports from some of the most respected reviewers, we are seeing extremely highly rated wines. There are a few with 100 point scores floating around as well. These wines are rated young and honestly, shouldn’t be opened for at least 10 years.
If 2017 was your year, you had a baby, got married, or maybe finally opened your own business, this is the kind of wine you will want to snag to be able to open 20, 30, or even 40 years down the line to celebrate what you have achieved. These wines age endlessly, and there won’t be a better way to celebrate than to drink one of the best vintages of port that the wine world has ever seen.
Listed below are a few 2017 ports that are available in stock or for future arrival, but soon, look out for offers and new bottlings coming to Wine Library!
