“2024 Vintage Port Declared” AEVP Tasting
This was a walk-round tasting held on a rather warm June day in London as part of the Port Wine Fest organised by the AEVP (Associação das Empresas do Vinho do Porto). The tasting conditions were far from ideal and the whole event was rather rushed so my notes are inevitably somewhat curtailed. Given these limitations, I did not taste and make detailed note on wines from shippers that I had already tasted, other than tasting them as a point of reference. (See earlier entries for notes on wines from the Symingtons and Quinta do Noval. The Fladgate Partnership [Taylor, Croft and Fonseca] was not present at this tasting).
Overall, the tasting showed the star quality of the 2024 Vintage with freshness and purity of fruit the early hallmark from a balanced year when there seems to be no excuse for big, overblown wines. There is however considerable variation and a note of greenness crept into some wines which, rather strangely, included those from the Douro Superior. Some of wines are delightfully aromatic and already approachable but will keep and develop well in bottle. I loved the aromatic profiles of Vale Meão, Ervamoira, Kopke, Poças Ferreira and Pintas which are already singing from the glass. Once again, given the limitations of this tasting, I have only awarded broad star ratings to the wines below but more detailed notes and scores (out of 20) on some of the wines will follow, as indicated.
Ramos Pinto 2024 ****+?
Deep in colour, withdrawn on the nose, with underlying ripeness matched by lovely richness on the palate, fresh pure berry and plum fruit, well defined with firm, structured tannins rising in the mouth and a lovely pure sweet berry fruit finish. I feel that this is sure to be a classic. More detailed note and score to follow.
Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 2024 ***
Deep but much more open on the nose with spicy-sappy hedgerow fruit followed by sappy fruit with a leafy edge on the palate, good definition and purity with classic berry fruit and spicy tannins with a slightly green, sappy finish. More detailed note and score to follow.
Alves de Sousa Amphitheatrum 2024 */**
From single plot of old vines at Quinta da Gaivosa, good deep colour but a hot pruney nose, sweet and succulent in style but soupy-sweet and lacking in purity and definition (an uncharacteristic trait in 2024), firm tannins but the wine lacks verve and doesn’t come together well on the finish.
Blackett 2024 **
Graphite and liquorice on the nose, fresh sappy fruit, nicely structured with puckering peppery tannins mid-palate, a touch green but well defined if rather short on the finish.
Churchill 2024 ***/****
Mid-deep in hue, rather demure on the nose with ripe berry fruit and spice underlying; sweet and succulent initially on the palate with fine grained tannins rising in the mouth and a lovely linear finish with good definition. More detailed note and score to follow.
Kopke 2024 ***
Deep and bright with a lovely nose, some dark chocolate concentration and ripeness combined with sweet berry fruit and spice, not that big but firm and elegant although possibly a little one dimensional on the finish. More detailed note and score to follow.
Menin 2024 **/***
Brazilian-owned estate at Gouvinhas on the north bank of the Douro between Régua and Pinhão: very deep ‘black’ colour, opaque; gloriously rich and a touch exotic on the nose, fleshy but rather jammy and extractive in style on the palate, broad ripe tannins, quite impressive but over-balanced.
Niepoort 2024 ****
Not as deep in colour as many of the wines in this tasting; ripe with a hint of esteva (gum cistus) on the nose but still rather demure; firm on the palate with lovely fine-grained tannins and great poise, not a big wine but long, linear and elegant, showing the style and purity of the vintage.
Nicolau de Almeida 2024 */**
From Mateus Nicolau de Almeida at Quinta do Monte Xisto in the Douro Superior: mid-deep with an odd capsicum nose, fresh, sappy fruit on the palate with a distinctly green edge, one dimensional and rather short on the finish.
Poças 2024 ****
Very deep, opaque colour; bright, ripe and peppery on the nose with depth and focus; fresh vibrant fruit, again showing good focus mid-palate with firm tannins and lovely purity of fruit on a long, well-defined and seemingly dryish finish. More detailed note and score to follow.
Quevedo 2024 ***
Mid-deep in hue, still demure on the nose with a touch of spice; fresh and vibrant on the palate with good definition and purity of fruit, berry, spice and a touch of green hedgerow, firm tannins and a linear finish. Mid-weight.
Vale Meão 2024 ***/****
From Quinta do Vale Meão at Pocinho in the Douro Superior: mid-deep with an immediately attractive open aromatic character on the nose, floral berry fruit with a hint of liquorice; fresh, peppery and well-defined, not big but very elegant supported by firm sinewy tannins and showing good length.
Ferreira 2024 ****
Attractive minty ripeness on the nose, floral too; firm, mid-weight with lovely purity and firm definition, summer fruit on the finish. Balanced. Should develop well. More detailed note to follow.
Sandeman 2024 ***/****
Very deep and opaque, suggesting the rather extractive style that seems to be the Sandeman hallmark in recent years, dense, super-ripe and a touch pruney on the nose; fleshy in style, full and foursquare with black fruit and dark chocolate concentration with an ample finish. More detailed note and score to follow.
Pintas 2024 (Wine & Soul) ***
Mid-deep in colour with fresh, loose-knit but lovely pure, plummy fruit on the nose and palate, very expressive and nicely defined but a little sappy and one dimensional in this company.
