2011 Port & Douro Vintage

Symington's harvest report, signed by Paul Symington on 10 October 2011, calls the viticultural year challenging to start with. From October to December 2010 Symington recorded a very good 358 mm of rain, 50 mm more than average, and says those reserves in the bedrock of its vineyard soils compensated for the shortfall that followed. Decanter's Richard Mayson describes the 2011 growing season as far warmer than 2007 and marked by prolonged drought, and wrote that without the heavy rain in the last three months of 2010, 2011 might have been a non-starter. Every month of 2011 had rainfall significantly below average, and by the end of August Quinta do Bomfim had just 250 mm in 8 months against a mean of 403 mm, 38 percent below. Symington says a very warm April and May encouraged early flowering and fruit set, but the warm spring also encouraged oidium and mildew, which caused substantial damage to localised vineyards across the Douro. Mayson reports unstable weather during flowering that caused an outbreak of fungal disease and reduced yields by around 15 percent, while Decanter's Port vintage guide says rain in April and May reduced yields. June brought violent hail storms; one of the worst hit Symington's Quinta de Ataide in the Vilarica valley on 5 June and shredded part of the vineyard. Temperatures had been in the mid-20s C for much of June, then rose over 40 C on 25 and 26 June. "The vines were completely unprepared for this thermal onslaught," wrote Symington viticultural researcher Miles Edlmann, describing widespread and very intense sunburn on the fruit. July was only moderately warm, averaging 23.9 C against a mean of 24.7 C, with no rain, and August started warm and dry without excessive heat. On the evening of 21 August an Atlantic storm brought 34 mm at Quinta de Cavadinha, 18.2 mm at Bomfim, 10 mm at Quinta dos Malvedos and 21.8 mm at Quinta do Vesuvio, and a further 18 mm fell on 1 and 2 September. Charles Symington pushed back all picking dates by approximately a week to let this rain benefit the vines. From the night of 1 September no rain fell in the Douro, and Symington harvested under blue skies for five weeks; Mayson calls harvest conditions perfect throughout the region. September was half a degree hotter than average, so cooling the must was essential. Symington says all these challenges reduced yields across the Douro.

• Symington: 250 mm of rain at Quinta do Bomfim in the 8 months to the end of August, against a mean of 403 mm (38 percent below)
• Hail hit Quinta de Ataide on 5 June, and temperatures rose over 40 C on 25 and 26 June (Symington)
• Rain on 21 August and on 1 and 2 September; Symington pushed picking back by approximately a week

Decanter reported that Sogrape was the first to show its hand, declaring 2011 for Ferreira, Offley and Sandeman, its first declaration since 2007 and several weeks early by historical standards. "2011 has allowed us to create vintage wines with never-before-seen levels of colour, structure and complexity," winemaker Luis Sottomayor told Decanter. At that point Symington Family Estates had yet to declare, though Decanter notes it had brought still-fermenting samples to a Port tasting in October 2011. Richard Mayson, writing for Decanter, called 2011 only the third mainstream declaration since 2000, after 2003 and 2007, and the 26th since 1900, and described it as universally declared by all shippers. Decanter's Port vintage guide says the 2011s were universally declared in early 2013, and that this was the first year major houses also declared tiny quantities of super-premium, site-specific wines.

• Sogrape: declared for Ferreira, Offley and Sandeman, its first declaration since 2007 (Decanter)
• Decanter: universally declared in early 2013, the third mainstream declaration since 2000
• First year major houses also declared tiny quantities of site-specific wines (Decanter)

Mayson reports that the vines, especially the old vines, weathered the summer drought relatively well, starting the season with good water reserves deep in the Douro sub-soil. The late June heat scorched some vineyards: thin-skinned Tinta Barroca fared badly, while heat-resistant Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca did much better. Symington says its winemakers often judge the Douro to be having a great year when late-ripening Touriga Franca gives great musts, and in 2011 it did. The grapes came in with good Baumes and ripe phenolics right through the harvest, according to Symington, and because raisining is not welcome in Douro red wines, its teams worked the sorting tables, with Mistral sorting machines at the Roriz and Sol wineries.

• Tinta Barroca fared badly in the late June heat; Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca did much better (Decanter)
• Touriga Franca, a late ripener, gave great musts (Symington)

Symington's October 2011 report called it a good and very possibly a great year in the Douro, with excellent colour at the very early stage of fermentation. "We knew at once that we were potentially in the presence of a great year," said Antonio Agrellos, technical director of Noval, in Decanter's vintage guide. Mayson found the hallmark of the wines to be ripeness combined with structure, with tannins in the best wines broad as well as fine grained, and some wines much more four-square than the 2007s. "The 2011s stand out for the purity of fruit and quality of the tannins, which are silky and well integrated but provide plenty of structure," said David Guimaraens of The Fladgate Partnership in the same Decanter guide. Dirk Niepoort likens 2011 to a blend of 2007 and 2009, and Mayson concurs. Decanter's Port vintage guide rates 2011 5/5, describes outstanding wines with poise and finesse, and suggests drinking from 2030 to 2060 and over the long term.

• Decanter's Port vintage guide: 5/5, drink 2030 to 2060 and over the long term
• Mayson: ripeness combined with structure, with broad, fine-grained tannins in the best wines
• Decanter's best wines include Cockburn, Croft, Dow, Fonseca, Graham, Quinta do Noval Nacional, Taylor and Warre