2001 Vintage Port
The overall quality of the vintage is good although not of the quality of 2000. The wines are dark and well structured.
Drinking Status
Could be drunk now but would benefit from an additional time in bottle.
Tasting Notes
2001 is characterised by wines of good colour with a promising blue tint on the rim. The aromas are not as lifted as in some of the exceptional years however the more subtle nose is nevertheless elegant and appealing. The structure is firm and palate filling, suggesting long aging potential.
Climatic Conditions
The winter of 2001 will no doubt be remembered for the extraordinary amount of rain that was experienced and the damage caused by the deluge which continued for five months. The Douro in Oporto broke its banks 6 times during this period. In the region itself, roads collapsed and buildings were irreparably damaged due to subsidance.
Bud burst took place in mid March earlier than usual, due to higher than average temperatures throughout the winter. Extra treatments in the vineyard were required due to the high levels of humidity. Flowering took place in May close to normal dates as vineyard development was slowed down, due to mild weather conditions in early spring. Conditions for flowering were overall good both in the lower lying areas and later in the high lying areas.
In mid June a excessively hot period brought about a significant reduction in crop size. This was mainly due to the recently formed bunches being exposed to this extreme heat in a period where the grapes are particularly sensitive and the amount of shading from the leaves is reduced. This clearly affected mainly lower lying properties.
Temperatures throughout the summer were not excessive and useful amounts of rain were experienced throughout July and August, maturation taking place under favourable conditions.
Vinification
The sugar levels of the grapes was generally high in all varieties allowing for longer fermentations. This together with high night-time temperatures in the Upper Douro required the constant use of temperature control to cool the must. The best wines were made from the ripe Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca.
Winemaker's Comments
"The little rain that we experienced between the end of August and the beginning of the vintage caused a significant reduction in production in lower lying regions and in some cases overipeness occurred mainly in the tinta Barroca.
The higher lying areas were less affected by these two factors and therefore produced well above average size vintage. This meant that the overall size of the harvest in 2001 was above average.
It was the fourth vintage that robotic lagares were used, now that we have them at Sol, Malvedos and Sra. da Ribeira. The fine tuning that has been carried out over the last three years is proving to be succesful with high levels of extraction being achieved. Due to the high temperatures during the vintage the temperature control in these lagares was particularly beneficial. This is very satisfying and perhaps we have finally cracked the process of mechanising foot treading!"
Charles Symington
October 2001