Douro En Primeur

An Overview

It has been a few years since we produced an En Primeur offer of Douro table wines, so it has been very interesting to see what our producers have been up to in the meantime. 

The whites continue to express a cleaner, lighter, crisper styles. The early Douro whites could be found guilty of trying to match the oomph of the reds, but nothing could be further from the truth these days. Producers are looking to higher altitude vineyards, more northerly aspects, varietals that will retain natural acidities and perhaps a move away from the more aromatic in favour of the mineral. As with the wider world of wine, the reds seem to be more elegant and purer with each visit. The use of oak is much more judicial, certainly far less prominent new oak than in the past, as winemakers seek to better convey the character of their vineyards. Cima Corgo and Douro Superior reds will always have a certain power and intensity, and it always raises a smile when you pick out those classic notes of elderberry, schist dust and gum cistus but it is remarkable how elegant some of these wines are now.

The Vintages

This is an offer that covers a few vintages – white wines predominantly from 2024 and 2023, and reds which cover 2021-2024. Here is a summary of those years:

2021 was a cooler year overall – wet winter and spring, hot early summer, then milder, with heavy rains in September ahead of a long spell of ideal conditions for a leisurely harvest. Elegant wines.
2022 was very hot and dry, causing vines to shut down. In some cases, a challenge to get ripening back on track and one of those unusual vintages that, paradoxically, gave rise to surprisingly fresh and vital wines. Low yields with great concentration and intensity.
2023 was another hot and dry year bookended by wet, cooler conditions which made it a challenging vintage. Reds and whites are expressive, elegant, with a natural juiciness and feel a touch lighter than 2022. The best will develop beautifully.
2024 was a classical year, the picking date much more like vintages of old, with average levels of rain and aside from some record-breaking temperatures early on, the mean temperatures were rather moderate. Harvest was a bit of a dream and broadly exciting for all varietals. It could well prove to be a general declaration for Port, and the table wines are wonderful.