Kopke and Casa Burmester latest to declare 2017 a vintage year
Kopke and Casa Burmester are the latest Port houses to declare 2017 as a vintage of outstanding quality.
Only 6,133 bottles were produced of Kopke, and limited quantities will reach the UK market in the autumn.
The grapes came from old vines grown in low and medium altitude plots, and from Touriga Nacional vines planted between 100 and 120 metres altitude. Kopke said the vintage is “complex and voluminous, with vibrant acidity and notes of ripe fruit wrapped in firm and elegant tannins”.
“With rain levels 40% below average, the vine-growing cycle in 2017 was particularly challenging, and by July we already knew the harvest would happen considerably earlier than usual,” said Carlos Alves, winemaker and master blender at Sogevinus Fine Wines.
“A dry winter and particularly hot spring and summer seasons meant we had to take extra care when monitoring the growth of the grapes and adapt our work in the winery in order to follow the pace of the harvest without interruptions. This is clearly a Vintage with enormous ageing potential. A Vintage which will no doubt stand out in the history of Port wine.”
Meanwhile Casa Burmester has also released its 2017 Burmester vintage port. It said the “extraordinary weather conditions of the 2017 harvest, together with the excellent quality of Quinta do Arnozelo’s terroir, has resulted in a wine with the House’s unique character".
“In the Douro, but especially in the Douro Superior, the vine-growing year of 2016/2017 was dry and hot, which resulted in one of the earliest harvests in the history of Quinta do Arnozelo,” said Alves.
“The heat waves and the lack of water produced small, excellent and highly concentrated grapes. Testing each vine’s grapes was crucial to decide the best picking time and the result is a fragrant, mature and intense wine.”
The blend is a combination of Touriga Nacional and 5% Tinta Roriz. Only 9,660 bottles of this Burmester 2017 Vintage Port were produced, and limited quantities will be availabe in the UK in the autumn.
The latest vintage declarations follow those from several other big names in recent months, including The Floodgate Partnership and Symingtons, which recently announced consecutive 2016 and 2017 declarations – the first in the house’s 137-year history.
Keywords:
Search
56-58 Church Walk, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9AN
Registered in England No. 6646125. VAT No. 938 4452 95
