1994 Vintage Port
Classic, monumental wines with fabulous rich fruit character. An outstanding Vintage. Probably one of the best of the 20th Century. General declaration.
Drinking Status
While these wines can be approached in their youth, they should really be kept at least until the next decade. The best will need 20 years in bottle.
Tasting Notes
These are majestic wines with a fantastic structure and tons of ripe fruit. Likely to emerge as one of the finest Vintage Ports produced in the last 20 to 30 years.
Climatic Conditions
After a number of exceptionally dry years, the very wet winter of 1993/4 came as a great relief and replaced valuable water reserves. March and April were beautifully warm, rapidly bringing on the development of the vines. The weather for the remainder of spring and summer was ideal with the vines developing under perfect conditions.
Vinification
Vintage started on the 29th September with the grapes in better condition than had been seen for many years. The vintage took place with warm dry days and cool nights.
Winemaker's Comments
"It rained on the 13th and through to the 14th September. This proved ideal, particulaly to those who had resisted the temptation to pick earlier, as the skins were softened and the grapes swelled and the sugar levels increased. The vintage took place under ideal conditions. Occasionally rain threatened but only the odd shower materialised."
"The must showed excellent colour and aroma, the soft skins allowing good colour extraction, and the graduations were excellent. It now remains to be seen how the wines settle down in the vat and cask over the early winter months."
Peter R Symington
10 October 1994