Tasting Notes
Very deep purple-black with violet reflections. As you would expect from a Guimaraens Vintage Port, the first impression on the nose is of an explosion of blackberries, cassis, strawberries and berries. These lush berry fruit aromas are tempered with notes of coffee, molasses and spice and enveloped by a fragrant balsamic aura of rockrose flower and mint. The intense fruit flows across the palate like a dense coulis de cassis. The palate is supported by a tight, closed tissue of tannins and the long finish resembles an explosion of sumptuous ripe berry fruit flavors.
Notes on Viticultural Year
The winter of 2008 was drier and colder than usual, with only 258mm of average rainfall between November and March. Fortunately, April was a wet month and ensured sufficient water reserves were restored. Flowering occurred under wet and cool weather conditions. As a result, all varieties were affected by imperfect fertilization, and therefore lower yields were obtained, but with a high concentration of flavor. Temperatures in the growing season in 2008 were remarkably similar to 2007, with lower than average temperatures and a mild August. The final ripening of the grapes was greatly favored by the rains that fell between September 4 and 7, and by additional rainfall occurring just before harvest began. The harvest started on September 25th in Quinta do Panascal and September 26th in the Pinhão valley. One of the main characteristics of the entire harvest were warm days combined with cold nights, resulting in perfect weather conditions, not only for the final ripening of the grapes, but also for the fermentation durations. This gave rise to a wonderful freshness of fruit, complexity, and great structure.
| Volume: | 75cl |
| Alcoholpercentage: | 20.5% |
