Quinta do Vesuvio, 1995

Vintage Port in Presentation box
Special Library Release

Description and Reviews:
We are excited to offer the ‘Library Release’ of Quinta do Vesúvio 1995 Vintage Port. This extraordinary wine was produced in the seventh year of Symington ownership and marks the year that Charles Symington joined the company to work alongside his father, Peter, the world-renowned winemaker.

This exclusive parcel of Vesúvio 1995 has been given the term ‘Library Release’ to indicate the bottles have matured in perfect conditions in the family’s cellars. These cellar-release bottles have been individually assessed and carefully recorked to guarantee quality.

The label of this inaugural Quinta do Vesúvio Library Release has been redesigned to distinguish it from the initial en primeur release. The port house has drawn on its heritage and historical aesthetic to create a distinct label and gift box that conveys key messages about the wine. For the very first time, the label states the number of years that the wine has spent ageing in bottle, shown together with the bottling and release dates. There is also an indication that this is the second time the Vintage Port is being formally released, following the initial launch 2-3 decades ago. As part of the family’s meticulous approach to ageing Vintage Port, this Library Release has been carefully recorked to guarantee quality, and the label displays the year in which the process was completed.

This Library Release of Quinta do Vesúvio 1995 Vintage Port was only the seventh harvest for the family since their acquisition of the magnificent Douro estate in 1989. Peter Symington, Head Winemaker at the time, is particularly proud of this wine and believes it is one of the finest he made in the early years of the family’s ownership. 1995 also marks the year his son, Charles (now Head Winemaker) joined the family company. Now with 27 years of bottle age, the Vesúvio 1995 is showing beautifully with great finesse.

“We are thrilled to be launching our new Library Release concept with...Quinta do Vesúvio. Following each Vintage Port en primeur release, our family has always held back a small quantity for ageing in our cellars and releasing decades later. What we are doing differently now is distinguishing these Library Releases from the first launch and emphasising that these bottles have matured in perfect conditions in our own cellars. Our third phase of Vintage Port release is when the wines reach extraordinary levels of maturity after 40-60 years of ageing and we launch a handful of numbered bottles in what we term our Private Cellar Release.”
– Harry Symington, Vintage Port Manager.

Tasting Notes:
Quinta do Vesuvio's saturated blue/purple colour is dense. Impressive in the mouth, with full body, sweet creme de cassis and blackberry liqueur intermixed with smoke, earth, and spice, this sensual effort possesses elegance allied to power and authority. Complex, fat, rich, and intense, it is an exceptionally stylish, graceful effort.