First taste: Poças Vintage Port 2018

on 21/09/2020 at 9:00 am

Poças Vintage Port 2018; photo credit Poças

Together with Poças 1918 Tawny Port, this heady yet precise, persistent release marks the 100th anniversary of Poças in style. And I don’t just mean the contents. The strikingly contemporary bottle (I’m seeing more of those) is etched with the names of over 70 friends and associates of the Poças family who participated in the foot-treading.

In honour of such long-standing relationships, 10% from each sale of Poças Vintage Port 2018 will be donated to “Associação Bagos d’Ouro” – a non-profit organization that fights poverty and helps children in need in the Douro Region.

Poças’ 2018 Vintage Report

The year as a whole was characterized by a long and dry Winter and heavy Spring rains and by a Summer heat wave that has resulted in a fall in production. These adverse conditions turned out to be particularly favourable, giving birth to high-quality grapes with high-concentration and an intense colour.

Poças Vintage Port 2018

Sourcing

Produced with grapes sourced from old vines (Vinhas Velhas) grown in Poças’ Quinta de Santa Bárbara (Cima Corgo), with the predominance of Touriga Nacional, hand-picked by the winemakers in order to preserve their natural acidity and to guarantee a fresh and fruity profile.

My tasting note

Deep purple, with an expressive, peppery, floral (dried rose) nose and palate, assertive tannins and fresh acidity to the attack, becoming creamier, with velvety, milk chocolate-edged red and black fruits – mulberry, raspberry, black berry – going through. Sumptuous, but with good tannin underpinning, freshness and persistence. Finishes long, fine, well-focused. Lovely intensity. On day two, violets bring heady lift to nose and palate and the tannins seem better integrated, making for a long, seamless palate – velvety, without detracting at all from its lovely vein of acidity or subtle mineral nuances. Impressively consistent over four days, this lifted, long, layered Vintage Port beautifully reflects the winning qualities I am seeing in 2018 Vintage Port – fruit intensity and sweetness with freshness. The supporting fine but focused chassis of spicy (liquorice) tannins suggests it will age well into the mid-term. Perhaps longer. Poças Douro wines and Ports are imported into the UK by House of Townend.