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
1998
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 1998 growing season started extremely wet. A wet winter was followed by a cold spring. With May came a burst of warmth, records showing a 40cm shoot growth over the weekend of 8-11 May.
Although the start to the season was slow the conditions led to a good recovery of the canopies resulting in healthy and vigorous canopies which continued for longer than normal. From flowering to the beginning of harvest there was no rain.
The month of July was consistently hot with the monthly average temperature being amongst the highest on record. The first two weeks of August were extremely hot with daily temperatures rising well above 40ºC.
The second half of August and early September returned to normal temperatures for the region with warm/hot days and moderate nights.
The weather during the harvest was very testing, with most days seeing rainfall. Although it rained throughout the harvest, the grapes resisted well and almost no bunch rot was found.
Tasting Notes
Lovely aromatic perfumed quality. A cherry and blackcurrant jam nose overlaid with violets. Undertone of molasses and woodsmoke. Firm Vargellas with chocolate covered cherry and blackcurrant centre. Soft lingering finish, with youthful fresh notes.
James Suckling’s Hot Wines