ThePortForum.com

They have now

I spoke to someone today who told me they haven't had much rain at all up to this weekend. We had sunshine today until about 4pm and now its chuckng it down. From what I have seen 90%+ of the harvest is in. 2 winemakers at different quintas have told me that 07 will be very good for Douro red and possibly VP, although not a chance of a classic year.

Derek

So 2007 is likely to be hit an' miss for VP's .
Does this mean we'll see more LBV's and Tawnies and the occasional SQ ?

Every vintage gets hyped up in the early days - 1975 was initially presented as a stellar vintage - not just 'declared' - the truth emerged much later.

Those producers who aim to produce vintages every year are not going to give a level take at the moment - unless their position is so dire they have nothing to lose..

I'm going to make a broad guess right now - a few respectable SQVP's will emerge, but one or two notable players in the 'every time a coconut' league will call a bye.

The year might escape being damned as the worst of the decade to date - but then again, it might not...

Tom

uncle tom wrote:but one or two notable players in the 'every time a coconut' league will call a bye.

Unless I’ve greatly misunderstood the phrase, the ‘every time a coconut’ crowd are more likely to declare?

Unless I’ve greatly misunderstood the phrase, the ‘every time a coconut’ crowd are more likely to declare?

Yes - some quinta's that produce VP in all but the worst years might decide that they need to give '07 a miss..

Tom

Got some words today from a winemaker for a big company that has some holdings in the Douro Superior.

He said that the harvest is of very good quality so far, especially with the colors, he never saw deep colors like this before from the Douro.

Nobody is going to say it's a bad year because they have to sell their wines

Simon Lisle wrote:Nobody is going to say it's a bad year because they have to sell their wines

A simple statement...but very true.

Just got back from the Douro yesterday. I spoke to many producers and almost all said they got their best grapes in before the rain hit. It really only rained the one day last week and all the prodicers said one day of rain is no big deal. The biggest issue was those who didn't spray for odium earlier this year. One producer told me his crop was horible this year becuase of the odium

Everyone was quite optmistic about this years vintage. And it was interesting to hear almost all producers, big and small, state this was one of the best years for weather the Douro has seen in many many years...not to hot, not to cold, and just the right amount of rain (so long as you sprayed for Odium). Last year there was no where near that amount of unanimous verdict about the harvest. Time will tell, but I think there will be some good juice from this harvest.

I also agree with Fred, everyone was very excited about the color. All the lagars and under 2 weeks old samples I saw were some of the darkest colors I've ever seen.

This press release from the Symington's on 21st Sept (published on infoportwine) is very interesting, as their reports tend to stand the test of time. Note the bit that I have underlined - the weather did not hold out for as long as they had wanted...

“Symington Family Estates has started to harvest grapes at its Quintas in Portugal’s Douro Valley. The vintage started at the family’s key properties in the Douro on the 20th of September. This is significantly later than usual due to mild weather conditions that permitted a longer, more even maturation cycle.

Brief showers fell on the evening of the 16th and morning of the 17th of September, bringing heavy rain and localized thunderstorms, but otherwise picking weather has been ideal in the Douro, with clear blue skies and cool evenings.

Although yields are lower than in past years, the fruit is in excellent condition, benefiting greatly from the three weeks leading up to the start of the vintage, when warm dry weather provided perfect ripening conditions.
The musts being produced are showing very good colour, aromas and concentration with optimal sugar levels. The family is pleased with the good start and is hopeful that if the fair weather continues for the next 10 to 14 days, some exceptionally fine wines will be made this year.†

From the choice of words in the last line, I would judge that as the harvest began, the possibility of a declaration was still on the table.

- I wonder if it still is?

Tom

Presumably the vintage is all but over by now. When can we expect to see vintage reports from the major producers?

Derek

It's still early days, but I'm getting the impression that while the quality of the harvest as a whole may be well below par, some of the producers, wanting a vintage this year, have been able to nurture their best vines (mainly through diligent spraying) and harvest the grapes in good condition before the rain came.

But my instincts tell me that it is unlikely that all the big names will have achieved this.

Thinking hypothetically, there could be some scope for commercial point scoring - unless '08 proves such a stellar year that no-one is bothered about '07..

Tom

Tom,

Please don't get that impression about the 2007 vintage as a whole being below par. Almost every producer I spoke to said it was one of the best years in terms of the weather and grape quality. Yes, there were some smaller producers who didn't spray to prevent mold, but from whom I spoke to they were the minority. Most producers sprayed and got their best grapes in early and were very optimistic about 2007 being a very good year. Of course, on the record, they won't say anything yet as its still to early to declare. But I will wager that there will be a lot of declared vintages in '07.

Everyone said overall the weather was as perfect as you could get. Not to hot and not too cold, with a touch of rain, something not seen in the Douro for a long long time. Of course it will be at least a year or so before anyone offically declares.

Everyone said overall the weather was as perfect as you could get

The smaller independant producers - those who aspire to produce a vintage every year - have some history for bullish overstatement - so I'm trying to make sense of the more objective information...

Aside from the oidium and mildew that has clearly damaged the less diligently managed vines this year, what gives me the most doubt about the quality overall is the combination of a late start, an early conclusion, and modest temperatures in between.

While some quintas may have managed to pick perfectly ripe grapes just in time, others will probably have had to face the choice of picking grapes that were not fully ripe, or ripe but over-watered.

- Has there been a press release from Taylor Fladgate yet?

Tom

I've heard some positive stories from different winemakers as well. They were very happy with the quality.

One small producer I spoke to, who lost his crop becuase he didn't spray, even said it was a great year weather wise...he just made a mistake by not spraying.

There is a hype about port that the weather has to be very hot and dry to stress the vines. Well, this is not really true as I've found out the past couple of years. This year, being quite mild, actually allowed the grapes to ripen at an even level, producing some very balanced berries. I know producers like to hype things, but even last year there were producers who said it was not a good year for them...that was not the case this year.

And all said the one day of rain on 3 October (in the middle of harvest) was not big deal and doesn't hurt a thing.

Just to elaborate on Andy's saying on vine's stress for the quality of Port.

Stress and heat is good for vines in the Douro for a few reasons :

• Concentrate the flavors
  Reduce the crop
  Force the vines to develop deeper roots system

You don't want excessive heat and stress but at the right moment, it can be very useful.

Yes 2007 did not have too much heat and stress, while some have succeeded to produce exceptionnal wines and Port, mainly in my opinion due to old vineyards that have low yields. I've withness many over crop vineyards with dilluted berries that would have given better quality if that stress and heat factor had come as it use.