1997 Vintage Port
One of the great Vintages of the decade, featuring full-bodied and harmonious wines. General declaration.
Drinking Status
The last vintage to have been bottled in the 20th century, the best wines will need to be cellared to 2015-2017.
Tasting Notes
Some extremely elegant wines were made in 1997. Tannic and balanced wines for long ageing. Classic in style after the very fruity '94's.
Climatic Conditions
An ideal viticultural year has always been fundamental for the production of excellent Vintage port and 1997 is no exception.The rains that fell in April and May were to stand in very good stead for the hot temperatures experienced in the late summer.
Spring was not excessively hot, and it was only in the final stages of maturation from mid-August and throughout September that high temperatures, sometimes reaching 40ºc were experienced. This extremely hot period was accompanied by some very welcome rainfall on the 24th and 27th of August, refreshing the grapes and coming at an opportune moment.
Vinification
By the time picking began on the 22nd September, this ideal final ripening period proved decisive to the outstanding quality of the year, and ensured the grapes were in excellent condition, and at peak maturity with sugar readings on average an optimum 13º Baumé.
The Vintage took place in dry conditions, and it was soon apparent that great wines were being born, due to the intensely fragrant and concentrated musts and the enormous amount of colour visible during fermentation.
Winemaker's Comments
"From a winemaking point of view this year was extremely straight forward. The quality of the grapes was good with generally high graduations and little or no rot to be seen. The temperature of the grapes on arrival in the winery was between 18-20 C. and therefore little cooling or heating was required in most cases."
"This was a year of low yields in the vineyards and it would seem, although it is early to say, that it was also a year of low juice extraction in the presses."
"What was particulaly striking this year was the amount of colour produced during fermentation."
Charles A Symington
4 November 1997