SAN FRANCISCO, CA April 11, 2018 – Symington Family Estates, the Oporto, Portugal based wine group renowned for its Vintage Ports, officially declares 2016 a Vintage year. This is the fourth Vintage declaration for all of its Port companies since 2000. Each of its long-established Port houses, including W. & J. Graham’s, Dow’s, Cockburn’s, Warre’s, Smith Woodhouse and Quinta do Vesuvio will offer a limited amount of 2016 Vintage Port in the U.S. market early fall.
Charles Symington, head winemaker comments, “This was the year to read the signs and take risks. After a wetter than average winter, we delayed harvest until late September and well into October for the late-ripening Touriga Franca. The greatest 2016 Symington Ports were made during this later period. It is not easy in our incredibly diverse region to pick grapes at exactly the right time, especially when yields are amongst the lowest in the world with high risk of dehydration.”
Rupert Symington, Joint Managing Director comments,“the 2016 Vintage Ports are exceptional. They have impressive structure and balance; acidity, tannins and color are in rare and perfect alignment. This is no doubt a result of the later ripening cycle which allowed our grapes to mature evenly and completely.”
Vintage Port is a rare wine– less than two percent of all Port made in any year is awarded this distinction, only when the harvested grapes and resulting wines are truly extraordinary. Each of the Symington’s 2016 Vintage Ports follow rigorous selection and were made in their five small lagar wineries, using the classic treading method for great Port.
About Symington Family Estates
The Symingtons have been Port producers for five generations since 1882, but their involvement in Port dates back fourteen generations to 1652 through their great-grandmother Beatrice Leitão de Carvalhosa Atkinson. The family company is a leading quality Port producer and is the principal vineyard owner in the Douro Valley with 2,530 acres of vines at 26 quintas (vineyards). Many of the region’s finest quintas belong to the family. For more information on Symington Family Estates, visit www.symington.com, www.onblog.symington.com.
