Decanting
Vintage Port forms a natural deposit in the bottle and should be decanted. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before decanting to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle.
Select Year
2001
Storage
Continues to improve for decades after bottling. The bottle should be kept lain down in a cool place, ideally at a temperature below 16ºC.
Serving temperature
Serve at 16ºC to 18ºC. Vintage Port is best drunk one to two days after opening.
Pairing suggestions
Walnuts, blue veined and other richly flavoured cheeses are excellent accompaniments to Vintage Port; so too are dried fruits such as apricots or figs.
About the Wine
The 2001 viticultural season was marked by one of the wettest winters on record, with widespread flooding and damage in the Douro region. From April forward, the weather became more settled.
The summer saw moderately hot temperatures, with a continuous light wind keeping the vines aerated and free of disease. However, the long growing season and almost total lack of rain from June to the end of August caused some stress to the vines.
The weather conditions during the first half of the vintage were ideal and contributed favourably to fermentations. Two days of rain affected the end of the vintage, but fortunately it was restricted to those two days, allowing most of the picking to occur under dry conditions.
A superb fruit driven vintage Port, true to the tradition of this ancient Pinhão Valley estate.
Tasting Notes
Opaque purple red with magenta highlights. This has the intense berry fruit nose typical of Terra Feita, full of blackberry, cassis and black cherry aromas with hints of plum and liquorice. Round and full on the palate with ripe, mouth-filling tannins and sumptuous jammy fruit flavours on the finish. A superb fruit driven vintage port, true to the tradition of this ancient Pinhão Valley estate.
Jancis Robinson