2009 Port & Douro Vintage

The 2009 growing season in the Douro was the culmination of a multi-year drought cycle. Three consecutive dry years had depleted water reserves across the valley before an exceptionally wet winter of 2009 to 2010 recharged groundwater. Budburst started in the first week of March, earlier than normal. All vine varieties showed low fertility despite healthy and vigorous vegetation, and véraison also occurred earlier than usual. The ripening season began with relatively cool weather throughout July, but August brought intense heat. From July right through to the harvest in September, there was almost no rain, producing highly concentrated musts rich in colour, tannins, and sugar.

• Three prior dry years left groundwater reserves severely depleted; at Quinta do Bomfim only around 11 inches of rain fell through all of 2009, about 40% below the long-term average
• An exceptionally wet winter of 2009 to 2010 followed the harvest, with data from Vilariça showing around 723 mm of rain falling from November 2009 to March 2010
• Budburst at Pinhão occurred in the first week of March; low vine fertility across all varieties reduced bunch size and cluster numbers
• Almost no rain fell from July through harvest; intense August heat advanced phenolic ripening, particularly in exposed Upper Douro sites, producing an early harvest

The 2009 vintage provoked notable disagreement among Port's two dominant shipper families. Adrian Bridge of The Fladgate Partnership declared the vintage for Taylor's, Croft, and Fonseca on St George's Day, April 23rd, as is TFP tradition. This was their fourth declaration in the decade, one more than their typical historical average. Winemaker David Guimaraens justified the decision, citing colour intensity, tannic grip, and acidity not seen in over twenty years. The Symington family took the opposite view for their major brands, declining to declare 2009 for Graham's, Dow's, or Cockburn's. Paul Symington bottled single-quinta wines from Malvedos, Bomfim, and Dow's Senhora da Ribeira, and released 500 commemorative cases of Warre's 2009 marking the 200th anniversary of Wellington's liberation of Oporto. Niepoort and several smaller producers also declared.

• Fladgate Partnership declared Taylor's, Croft, Fonseca, and a small release of Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha; their fourth declaration in a decade alongside 2000, 2003, and 2007
• Symington family released Warre's 2009 as just 500 numbered commemorative cases, not a commercial declaration; Graham's Malvedos, Dow's Bomfim, Dow's Senhora da Ribeira, and Quinta do Vesúvio were bottled as single-quintas
• Niepoort declared 2009, joining Fladgate as advocates for the vintage's quality
• Decanter describes 2009 as a 'limited declaration': Taylor's, Fonseca, Croft, and Warre's declared, while most other shippers opted for single-quinta wines

Taylor's 2009 Vintage Port stands as the critical benchmark for the vintage. Tasting notes describe an inky black wine with purple rim, great purity on the nose, concentrated black woodland fruit laced with raspberry and plum, citrus blossom, and herbal notes of mint and lavender, supported by tight, thick, sinewy tannins with a long finish. Taylor's CEO Adrian Bridge remarked that the wines were 'built for longevity', recalling the great landmark vintages of the early twentieth century. Fonseca 2009, drawn from Quinta do Panascal, Quinta do Cruzeiro, and Quinta do Santo António, is characterized by its classic voluptuous fruitiness and impenetrable colour, with a dry tannic edge that promises great ageing. Niepoort's 2009 impressed critics with its power and integration.

• Taylor's 2009: 97 points from Neal Martin of The Wine Advocate; 94 points from Wine Spectator; drinking window per Wine Spectator 2020 to 2045
• Fonseca 2009: scored 95 points by The Wine Advocate; drawn from three Cima Corgo quintas including Panascal and Cruzeiro
• Croft 2009 drawn entirely from Quinta da Roêda; a small release of Taylor's Vargellas Vinha Velha 2009 was also made available
• Taylor Fladgate's winemaker David Guimaraens cited 'colour intensity and tannic grip' unseen in over twenty years as key justification for the declaration

The dense, muscular character of the 2009s points to a long evolution in bottle. The wines were described at release as austere in their youth, with tremendous depth of flavour and massive structure. Taylor's 2009 combines the year's powerful fruitiness with the elegance and poise for which the house is known. At Taylor's, new-vintage Ports are left to age for two winters in oak vats, then tasted again in their second spring before the final declaration decision is made. Wine Spectator's drinking window for Taylor's 2009 runs from 2020 through 2045. Jancis Robinson's tasting note, scored 18 out of 20, projected a drinking window of 2035 to 2070, reflecting the scale and structure typical of this arid, concentrated year.

• Wine Spectator drinking window for Taylor's 2009: approximately 2020 to 2045; Jancis Robinson projected 2035 to 2070 at 18 out of 20 points
• Taylor Fladgate ages new Vintage Port for two winters in oak vats before the blending and declaration decision is made in the second spring after harvest
• Low yields and the very dry ripening season produced dense, concentrated wines with deep inky colour, crisp acidity, complex fruit, and big thick muscular tannins
• 2009 is now in its secondary development phase, showing increasing integration and complexity alongside firm structural tannins that promise decades more evolution

The 2009 vintage belongs to a remarkable run of quality in the Douro. Historically, Port houses declare roughly three vintages per decade, but 2009 joined 2000, 2003, and 2007 to make four generally recognised declarations within the 2000s for leading houses. Wine Spectator's vintage reporting confirms that 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2009 were all designated as major Port vintages by most leading producers in that decade. Winemaker comments at the time compared 2009's scale to the great landmark vintages of the early twentieth century, though the limited nature of the declaration, with the Symingtons abstaining for their main brands, set it apart from the more universally endorsed 2011 vintage that followed.

• 2009 was the fourth major declaration of the 2000s alongside 2000, 2003, and 2007; historically Port houses average three declarations per decade
• Not a universal declaration: Symington family's main brands (Graham's, Dow's, Cockburn's) did not declare; 2011 would subsequently be embraced far more widely
• 2009 characterised by low yields, powerful concentration, and deep inky colour; produced in smaller quantities than preceding declared vintages due to vine fertility and drought
• The vintage's power and density inspired comparisons to great early-twentieth-century Ports, though its limited declaration status means it is often viewed as a 'TFP vintage' more than an industry-wide classic