Warre's 2003
Vintage Port
Warre’s first Vintage blend, to be partly made up with wine produced in the Symington Robotic Lagares at the remodelled Quinta da Cavadinha Winery. A wine with immense finesse and elegance showing all the hallmarks of a great Warre Vintage.
Description
The winter leading up to the 2003 declaration was very wet with double the normal rainfall from November through to February. Average temperatures throughout the year were higher than normal. A mild Winter and a warm Spring gave rise to an early budburst in mid March, excellent flowering conditions and continued hot weather were of great benefit to the development of the bunches, and some most welcome rain refreshed the vineyards in July.
Further intense heat enveloped the Douro region in August and the month finished with a little rain, to conclude a superb meteorological year. The grapes ripened early, but under ideal conditions, and the grapes entering the robotic lagares were clearly destined for great wines.
The vintage started at Cavadinha on October 3rd. This is about two weeks later than our other Quintas and is explained by the fact that Cavadinha is at a higher altitude and is a later ripening vineyard that benefits from this extra period of maturation.
The six new stainless steel robotic lagares produced a very high standard of wine and some of our very best lots were produced at Cavadinha.
Our Expert's Recommendation
"This young wine should be allowed to age in its own bottle for at least 15 to 20 years from the time it is bottled to achieve its optimum maturity. For those who prefer to drink their Vintage Port young, 4 to 5 years are sufficient."
Press Comments
“Even among all the purple glasses, this wine stands out with a brilliant and exceptionally deep colour. The aroma has a shimmering intensity with loads of blackberry, spice and cocoa notes. In the mouth, it’s the viscosity that first grabs the attention before the massive fruit cascades across the palate. Even with its rich density and texture, the wine maintains an admirable balance of sweet fruit, crisp acidity and ripe tannins. The finish is very long with a lovely accent of black pepper perking up the fruit. An absolutely delicious wine”.
"Beautifully perfumed with brilliant florals, spicy scents of esteva and Cinnamon bark, This is a great young vintage Warre’s. It’s luscious and chocolate-rich in the middle, then classically gripping in the end. The spiciness lasts, as does the potent depth of fruit, buffering the heat of the wine. This should be accessible early on, yet it has the structure to last years."
“Perfumed wine with great fruit. It’s ripe, with lovely rich flavours and a backbone of firm tannins. This is a good, solid, classic wine”.
“Black pepper, ceiling wax, spices, and toast are found in the nose of the potentially exceptional 2003 Warre Vintage Port. A concentrated, backward effort, its youthful, classically ungenerous, masculine character reveals black pepper laced dark fruits. Silky-textured in its immensely endowed mid-palate, this top-flight effort displays an admirably long, tannin-filled finish. It will require serious cellaring”.
“My favourites were the massive, beefy Warre’s; the luscious rose-scented Graham’s”.
“Closed, dense with plenty to give; very fine, pure berry fruit backed by strong, sinewy tannins. Great poise and a lovely wine for the medium-to-long term. From 2018”.
“Demonstrates an unyielding, reserved nose which improved significantly with lots of airtime and offered fragrant red berry fruit, mocha and a bit of spirit. Warre’s ’03 is a full-bodied Port, whose foundation is a super structure. In fact, it is the most tannic of the Symington’s “Big 3”. It possesses vibrant acidity, is deftly balanced and has the grip and characteristics to cellar for the long haul. This Port reveals very sweet raspberry, cherry and a distinct black pepper nuance that play out to support the tannic and long lasting finish”.
“The most profound and sweet nose of all Port served. Beside the raspberries liqueur-like nose, there is strong brandy sweetness present. Very flamboyant wine. Very fine palate, quite lush with balancing structured. There are more cassis emerged with air, but the wine remained firm and sound throughout. Finishing is long with persisting flavours”.
“Very grapey and tannic, yet the tannins are silky and refined. Full, firm and medium-sweet, this is racy and refined”.
Additional Information
For more information about Warre's, please visit
http://www.warre.com/
Click here to download the wine specification sheet.