Fladgate declares 2012 vintage Port trio

The Fladgate Partnership has used the traditional declaration date of St George’s Day to confirm the release of three 2012 vintage Ports.

Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas

Although, in contrast to last year, no “classic” vintage expressions will be declared by the group, it has instead drawn on individual quintas to create 2012 vintage Ports from Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas, Croft’s Quinta da Roêda and the Fonseca Guimaraens blend.

Hailing the “wonderfully pure, vibrant fruit” that derived from a cool growing season in 2012, The Fladgate Partnership’s CEO Adrian Bridge described the three wines as “ripe and mature and offer consumers the opportunity to purchase vintage Ports for early drinking.”

Alongside this stylistic overview, Bridge highlighted the individual characteristics of the three Ports, commenting: “Vargellas has attractive crisp acidity and expresses the Vargellas terroir with great precision. Roêda is particularly elegant and has seductive ripe fruitiness which is the hallmark of this great estate.”

Turning to the Guimaraens, which blends wine from Fonseca’s flagship estate Quinta do Panascal, as well as Quinta do Cruzeiro and Quinta de Santo António, Bridge noted: “The signature fruit quality of the Guimaraens vintage is very much in evidence in the 2012 vintage and the relatively cool ripening conditions give it an attractive freshness and elegance.”

The Fladgate Partnership’s head winemaker, David Guimaraens offered an overview of the conditions that shaped this 2012 style, observing: “A dry winter followed by a cool spring led to low yields but plenty of aromatic intensity. The cool ripening season was balanced by healthy growth giving the resulting Ports crisp acidity and a remarkable purity of fruit.”

The three vintage Ports are due to be shipped at the end of this year and will be offered on allocation in the UK through the group’s agent Mentzendorff & Co.