2003 Vintage Port
2003 Vintage Port
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"Aromas of licorice, blackberries and flowers follow
through to a full-bodied palate, with light sweetness and an incredible
core of gorgeous raspberry fruit. Long finish. Another 1865 Roriz in the
making? Best after 2014. 1,500 cases made." |
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"The dark-coloured 2003 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port bursts from the
glass with loads of flowers, smoky oak, and black cherries. Sweet,
creamy, and satin-textured, this medium to full-bodied effort is pure,
packed with fruit, and harmonious. Copious quantities of blackberries,
blueberries, and black cherries are found throughout its expressive
personality as well as in its long, flavourful, and seamless finish." |
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"...this Port is charming, with balanced, attractive, open fruit..." |
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"This famous Quinta's spicy, wild-berry-flavoured '03 vintage gets
some of its exotic character from the unusual Sousão grape. Drink now,
or cellar for up to 30 years." |
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"Purplish crimson with blue highlights. Unusually floral nose. Big
broad sweet hit and then massive charge of fine inky tannins." |
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"Big and concentrated, with a massive tannic structure and loads of
very sweet fruit. It goes on and on on the palate. Very impressive and
muscular. This single quinta really excelled in 2003. Great pedigree
too. I once had the 1865 Roriz and it was fantastic." |
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"Fruto elegante de cereja, com apontamentos fortes minerais, químico
e floral, forte e impositivo no aroma. Um bombom de fruto na boca,
espesso, compacto, cheio de fruto e taninos sedosos com muita fibra,
guloso e cheio de matéria, final interminável." |
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"Muito atraente no aroma, muito fino e com fruta muito madura, está
aqui um belo vinho, muito bem desenhado, com grande apetência para ser
consumido em novo. Tudo aqui se apresenta numa proporção muito boa, o
que torna a guarda difícil porque apetece bebê-lo agora. Delicie-se com
ele em novo, pelo sim pelo não." |
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"Cheio na cor e no aroma, compacto, mostra um estilo algo selvagem e
impenetrável, com a fruta em alvoroço, floral muito sedutor, mineral,
enfim, cheio de personalidade e qualidade. Muito encorpado, largo na
estrutura, muito volume e até alguma elegância. Profundo no sabor, ainda
em défice de definição, é resultado da irreverência da sua juventude,
mas tem excelente potencial. Sem dúvida. Consumo: 2007-2025 " |
 
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The winter of 2002/2003 was characterised by very wet weather, closely
resembling the previous three winters, which also brought above-average winter
rainfall. The abundant rain meant the prevalent temperatures were mostly quite
moderate; in fact the winter was unseasonably warm with the exception of a
couple of cold spells in January and February. The arrival of spring brought a
continuation of the wet and mild conditions but by the end of April there was an
abrupt end to the rain and May and June were very dry and unusually hot. With
the exception of some heaven-sent rain at the end of June, the exceptionally dry
conditions prevailed through July and August, during which some of the hottest
temperatures in living memory were recorded in Portugal, and indeed throughout
Europe.
Although exceptionally hot, such conditions are not uncommon in the Douro and
the accumulated ground water reserves, combined with occasional refreshing
showers, created excellent conditions during the critical ripening period
through August and into September, right up until the start of the vintage which
began at Roriz on the 15th.
The grapes reached the winery in superb condition, registering average Baumés of 13.5º. Fortunately, all the required grapes had been picked before the weather broke, bringing generous downpours from September 30th. Charles Symington who heads the winemaking team at Roriz, wrote in his vintage report, "When the vintage finished at Roriz in early October it was deeply satisfying to have harvested such an excellent vintage before the rains began, it was also particularly pleasing to have had conditions for ripening so perfectly a vintage..."
All the wine destined for the Quinta de Roriz 2003 Vintage lot was made in the property's 7 granite 'lagares', trodden by foot in the traditional manner, which continues to produce such excellent results. A sizeable team of treaders, numbering up to 45 people at times, ensured the lagares were thoroughly 'worked', an average of over 150 man-hours being put into each lagar.
Grape Varieties
| Variety | % | Rent. Kgs/Vine |
Baumé |
| Old Vines | 35% | 0.79 | 13.0 |
| Touriga Nacional | 28% | 0.84 | 13.5 |
| Tinta Roriz | 22% | 1.65 | 13.2 |
| Tinta Barroca | 9% | 1.60 | 13.8 |
| Sousão | 6% | 1.65 | 13.2 |
The principal components of the Quinta de Roriz 2003 Vintage were drawn from the old mixed vines, the Touriga Nacional and the Tinta Roriz, all of these showing impressive concentration and deep purple-black colour in the lagares. Significant contributions were also made by the Tinta Barroca and the Sousão, the latter having been somewhat overshadowed in the Douro although it continues to thrive at Roriz. It offers an extra dimension to the Quinta's Vintage Ports, contributing great complexity, concentration and tannic structure.
Vinification
Fermentation with natural yeast.
Fortification at 8° Baume.
All the grapes were picked by hand and foot trodden in the Quinta's own stone
lagares. On the night after picking and filling the lagares, the grapes were
trodden for three hours by a team of 20 men. The following day treading was
resumed by a smaller team of about 10 men for a further three hours during the
day and then another three in the evening. Once the cap rose, the lagares were
worked with 'macacos' by groups of between 4 and 6 men.
Technical Specifications
Alcohol by volume: 20% v/v (20º)
Total acidity: 4.5 g/l
Total phenolic content: 99.2
Baumé: 3.9
Each component of the blend was held in the Quinta's wooden vats for one year
after which it was racked and blended. Bottling will take place in June 2005.
The wine has had no filtration or fining whatsoever.
Wine Makers
Peter Symington, Charles Symington and Miles Edlmann.
Oporto, Portugal
April 2005
