Warres 1980 Vintage Port will make a fantastic 40th birthday present in 2020.
Warre’s are one of the leading, and most famous, producers of vintage Port. Along with a handful of other Port producers, Warre has unofficial First Growth status for its fine vintage Ports which are peerless in their expression of poise and elegance. The Warre’s house style combines elegance, length and balance whilst still retaining the underlying rich opulence of great Vintage Port.
The Warre’s Port house style is derived from the characteristic and terroirs of Warre’s two main vineyards – Quinta da Cavadinha and Quinta do Retiro Antigo. Cavadinha’s location, aspect and altitude translate into a cooler ripening cycle providing the freshness, fine subtle floral aromas and ideal acidity, the latter contributing significantly to the wines’ longevity. Retiro Antigo’s location in the hotter Rio Torto Valley, combined with the fact that just over 70% of the vineyard is made up of old, mixed vines, results in wines that show great intensity, concentration and complexity. Their powerful structure also provides great staying power.
Vintage Ports are only made on very exceptional years (usually three or four times in a decade). After the harvest, wines of Vintage potential are put into oak barrels called ‘pipes’. Some eighteen months later a careful and painstaking series of tastings is held to judge exactly which wines of different vineyards merit inclusion in the final blend. If the ideal blend is achieved, the wine is then bottled without any filtration whatsoever approximately 24 months after the original harvest. Vintage Port must then be matured for some ten to twenty years in cool dark cellars as it gradually achieves the outstanding style of a great wine. The bottles should always be stored lying down. Vintage Ports, Warres 1980 Vintage Port, deposit a heavy sediment or ‘crust’ in the bottle while maturing and should be decanted prior to serving.
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