My Article: Sneak Preview of 2011 Vintage Port

It's the first major Vintage Port declaration since 2007, and Port producers are excited about the "classic style" and "purity" of the 2011.

Just about every Port producer seems to have declared 2011, from Taylor Fladgate and Graham to Kopke and Burmester.

I came across a handful of 2011 samples a couple of weeks ago in Hong Kong from the Symington Port Group including Cockburn, Dow, Graham, Quinta do Vesuvio, and Warre. And I tasted them all.

The notes below are marked out of 100 points and in ranges because they were barrel samples and were just about ready to go into bottle. I will taste them all again with at least 50 other samples of 2011 Vintage Port in Porto, Portugal, on May 15.

I was, indeed, impressed with the classic style of the Symington's young Vintage Ports. They were extremely aromatic and firm and racy on the palate. My favorites, such as the Dow and Warre, had firm and chewy tannins -- in other words, they had "grip," which the best Port blenders look for in their young Ports.

I think back to the young vintages I tasted over my more than 30 years as a wine critic and the book I wrote in 1989 called "Vintage Port." The 2011 vintage makes me think of some of the great classics such as 1966 to 1977. Some of the wines below have the green, stemmy edge in flavor with polished yet chewy tannins that great Port blenders always looked for in legendary years such as 1947 and 1927. I can't wait to taste more 2011 in few weeks.

Here are my notes in order of preference:

Dow Vintage Port 2011: This has grip. Full body, lightly sweet with chewy tannins and an intense finish. I really like the finish here. Lots of character of dark berries and dried fruits. Rose petal too. It lasts incredibly long. Extremely structured yet toned and balanced. Tannins are almost dusty in texture. 96-97 points

Warre Vintage Port 2011: Amazing aromas of blackberries, wet earth, and blueberries. Extremely aromatic. Thai basil too. It's full-bodied, medium sweet, and very, very dense.  Chewy yet velvety tannins. So beautiful. Excited about this. Sexy. 95-96 points

Graham Vintage Port 2011: This is really peppery and floral. Dried flowers. Dried fruits. Full body, medium sweet with chewy tannins and a long finish with wonderful depth. Very tightly wound young Port. Compacted style. Tight and reserved. 94-95 points

Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 2011:  This is the classic Vesuvio character of stones and dried flowers. Extremely aromatic. Full body, with a very integrated tannin structure. This is dense and long with a very tightly wound structure. Gorgeous young Vintage Port. 93-94 point

Cockburn Vintage Port 2011: This is extremely floral and aromatic with dried fruits from strawberries and blueberries. Full body, medium sweet, with a rich and jammy character. Medium finish. 90-91 points