2003 started out unusually wet in the Douro, with abundant winter rain. Budburst was in March, followed by an unusually damp April, which caused some problems. flowering was at the end of May and weather remained fine during this period. Veraison spread over July and early August. Then came the famous European 2003 August heatwave, although th Symingtons emphasize that it usually gets pretty hot in the Douro during summer. Maximum temperatures in the early 40s centigrade which were experienced aren\.t an awful lot higher than normal; such high temperatures result in the vines shutting down photosynthesis: thus, paradoxically, very high temperatures can actually retard development. The last two weeks of August were a bit cooler and there was a little (much needed) rain towards the end of the month. Harvesting started in mid-September and continued through October. Conditions at this critical time were warm and dry, with a bit of rain early in October. So the big question: did the protracted warm-to-hot conditions result in an excellent Port vintage, or was it an atypically hot vintage, with the resulting wines out of the normal\. range for vintage Port? Did the hot 2003 conditions result in wines that will have upfront appeal but a reduced lifespan?

Bottle Size: .750