Vintage Port 2023 En Primeur

We visited the Douro Valley in July of 2025 to taste the 2023 Ports, the new table wine releases, and to pick some brains about the potential declaration of 2024 Vintage Ports… more on that next spring but there was palpable contained excitement from many of our producers!

The Weather

2023 was rather kind to Portugal, which was spared the intense heatwaves and drought that much of southern Europe endured. Following the incredibly dry 2022 vintage, the Douro enjoyed a pleasingly wet winter and spring, which helped replenish soil water reserves, and early summer was… normal, even a little cooler than average. July had a little rain ahead of a properly dry August and the fruit developed well; things were on course for an exceptional crop, but there was a sting in the tail.

Early September rain helped move things on in terms of colour, ripening of tannins, and aromatic development, and a short burst that followed a week later was mitigated by good conditions which allowed for maturation to continue. However, a third spell of rain that fell over three days in mid-September caused some trouble: while choice parcels of Touriga Nacional and Franca had already been picked, the later ripening vineyards fell short of ideal and some were rather spoilt. And that is the difference between a Single Quinta Vintage and a full declaration.

For producers who were able to pick a little earlier and for vineyards that avoided the worst of the late rains, 2023 offers some superb options. We found great purity of fruit – something everyone seems to be aiming for, a classical Douro aromatic intensity, and pleasingly supple tannins. These Ports are a little more relaxed than the 2022s and once again make a case for enjoying them in their earlier years, while putting a few bottles away to follow their development over the coming decades.