1987 Vintage Port

The 1987 growing season in the Douro Valley began promisingly, with successful budburst and flowering that suggested a large, quality harvest was possible. However, conditions became notably hot and dry through the summer months, stressing vines and concentrating fruit. By the time of harvest, grapes were in good condition though described as somewhat on the ripe side, reflecting the warm, dry character of the year. The vintage came very close to meriting a general declaration but ultimately fell just short, with quality varying enough across the region that most major shippers chose single-quinta releases over house blends.

• Hot, dry summer produced ripe, concentrated fruit; grapes arrived at harvest in good condition
• Growing season described as 'reasonably good but not brilliant'; overall quality was uneven across subregions
• Conditions were close to a full general declaration but lacked the homogeneity required for the largest shippers to commit
• The IVDP confirmed 1987 as a year producing many single-quinta vintage ports rather than wide-scale house declarations

Among major Port shippers defined by reference to Fladgate, Symington, Niepoort, and Quinta do Noval, only Niepoort and Quinta do Noval made full house declarations in 1987, making it a confirmed partial declaration year. The remaining large houses channelled their best fruit into single-quinta releases, a strategy that has become the defining feature of intermediate years in Port. Taylor's released Quinta de Vargellas, Graham's released Quinta dos Malvedos, the Fladgate Partnership released both Fonseca Guimaraens and Quinta do Panascal, and Dow's released Quinta do Bomfim. This meant 1987 generated an exceptionally rich portfolio of single-quinta wines for collectors.

• Niepoort and Quinta do Noval: the only major house full declarations in 1987
• Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1987: confirmed single-quinta release with dark ruby colour, full black fruit nose, and firm sinewy tannins
• Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos 1987 and Fonseca Guimaraens 1987 both confirmed as releases from this non-declaration year
• Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1987 also released as a single-quinta expression, showcasing the Symington family's flagship Cima Corgo estate

Quinta do Noval Nacional is the most discussed wine of the 1987 vintage. Produced from approximately 2 hectares of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines within the Quinta do Noval estate, Nacional is vinified identically to the regular vintage but consistently shows greater depth and longevity. Only 200 to 300 cases are made in any declared year, making it extremely rare. Niepoort's 1987 declaration, produced by foot-treading in circular granite lagares with 100 percent stems and aged in large oak tonéis, represents the only other full house declaration. Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1987, Taylor's own tasting notes confirm, is a rich, multidimensional wine with excellent structure and luscious fat fruit that expresses the classic character of the Vargellas estate.

• Quinta do Noval Nacional 1987: from ~2 ha of ungrafted vines; Nacional aged 18 months in 2,500-litre oak and chestnut vats; around 200 to 300 cases produced
• Niepoort 1987 Vintage Port: foot-trodden with 100% stems in granite lagares; aged in tonéis in the Douro before transfer to Gaia; scored 90/100 on Wine-Searcher
• Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1987: firm sinewy tannins, full black fruit nose, described by Taylor's as a multidimensional wine with great flavour and finish
• Fonseca Guimaraens 1987: a non-classic vintage release sourced from Fonseca's same three quintas as the flagship, scored 90/100; elegant and relatively accessible

At nearly 40 years of age, the finest 1987 Vintage Ports are in various stages of full maturity. Tasting notes from collectors describe the Quinta do Noval Nacional showing elegance, balance, and considerable remaining energy. The Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1987 displays a fading oxblood hue with a honeyed rim, evolving tertiary character alongside firm underlying structure. Vintage Port regulations require bottling within two years of harvest, meaning these wines have spent the great majority of their lives developing in bottle. Well-stored examples from the declared houses and the flagship single-quinta releases retain real interest for drinkers who enjoy fully mature Port, though provenance and storage condition are critical at this age.

• Vintage Port bottled by 1989 per regulations; nearly four decades of bottle development completed
• Quinta do Noval Nacional 1987 still showing elegance and balance with notable energy when well stored
• Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1987 shows evolved colour with honeyed rim and developed tertiary notes alongside firm structure
• Cork condition and ullage are essential considerations when purchasing any 1987 Vintage Port at auction or from a merchant

The 1987 vintage is best understood as an elegant, medium-weight year rather than a powerhouse. The hot, dry summer ripened fruit thoroughly but did not create the deep extraction or massive tannin structures of great declared years. The resulting wines are balanced and accessible relative to top vintages such as 1985 or 1983. The single-quinta releases that define 1987 reflect a model in which individual estate fruit, carefully selected and vinified, can rival or even exceed house declarations from lesser general years. Fermentation is stopped by the addition of grape spirit, reaching around 20 percent ABV, standard across the category. The Fonseca Guimaraens label, sourced from the same three quintas as the flagship Fonseca, represents a particularly strong example of the value available in partial declaration years.

• 1987 character: balanced, elegant, and ripe rather than massive or extracted; the hot dry summer created ripe but not over-concentrated fruit
• Standard fortification to around 20% ABV via addition of grape spirit during fermentation, halting sugar conversion and preserving sweetness
• Single-quinta wines in 1987 represent the clearest expression of the partial-declaration model: best estate fruit bottled as vintage port in a non-declared year
• Fonseca Guimaraens is a non-classic vintage release, not a single quinta; sourced from the same three quintas as flagship Fonseca and bottled unfiltered after 18 to 24 months