Notes - Cockburn's is the largest landowner in the celebrated "Douro Superior" region of the sweeping Douro River Valley of Portugal, where all authentic port is produced. This assures large resources of the finest wines for its blends. Simply put, Cockburn's Vintage Port is the best of the best - the best wine of one superior year blended from various vineyard sources. Aged two years in cask before bottling, vintage ports require at least 15 years of bottle aging. Declaring a vintage is a weighty decision for port producers, as the company's reputation is largely determined by the quality and style of its vintage port (even though vintage declarations amount to only 1-3% of the total production in any year). Therefore, when Cockburn's declares a wine worthy of a vintage designation, the wine must be outstanding. Cockburn's has historically been more conservative than other port houses in declaring a vintage, choosing to declare only those years that best suit its elegant, less sweet style. Before declaring, Cockburn's blenders taste, categorize and identify those wines that might ultimately become a vintage blend. Only after this rigorous two-year selection process is a final decision made.