Vieira de Sousa, Vintage Porto 2017

98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"Tight, fresh, silky and sweet, this delectable Port has mid-palate finesse and serious structure. After aeration, it seemed even more serious, and drier than statistics might suggest. The question is how fine it will become. This won’t be one of those that you can drink very young, though, at least not without a lot of decanting. It has some old-school power, even if the tannins are not impossibly hard. Once you get past the sugar, however, the hammer comes down. This focused Port was brilliant the next day too. And 4 days later."

Jancis Robinson
"Cask sample. Made by a fifth-generation family-owned business that owns four quintas and 60 ha in the Douro Valley: Quinta da Água Alta, Quinta do Fojo Velho, Quinta Fonte and Quinta do Roncão Pequeno.
Black core with purple-cherry rim. Wonderfully inviting herbal notes here all tied up with rich but zesty black fruits and a touch of bergamot. As if perhaps there was more whole bunch here. Peppery too, full of energy. Vibrant and juicy on the palate, dry tannic finesse holding the fruit in shape. Maybe not as concentrated as some but this has lovely balance and harmony even now. Delicious. 18/20 points. (JH)"

Vinous Reverie Notes
Vieira de Sousa is a newly founded official Port house that dates back to the 18th century; as they have always farmed exceptional fruit from the Douro River region, but historically have sold the majority of their juice to the large estates as their primary business. Having also made small bits of port for the family for over a century, the house has now moved to making only their own Port as Luisa Vieira de Sousa Borges (the current and now operating generation of the family) completed a degree in oenology in 2008, and was ready to take her family’s business to a new level. She is 30 years old, ambitious, and tackling a world of old traditional wine made by old men and doing incredible things with her family’s property. Only estate fruit is used for these incredible wines, coming from four different quintas (vineyards) at varying elevations, dispositions, and influences. In 2009 they bottled their first vintage port from their top Quinta do Roncão Pequeno site, the rest will now be history. They foot crush the fruit in old stone lagares, let only the natural yeasts begin the fermentation in stainless steel, allow natural settling for clarification, and they use incredibly delicate brandy for fortification. The result in their aged wines is exceptional, classic, and will be recognized as some of the greatest Ports available.
The 2017 Vintage Port is a powerful and incredible example of a 'classic’ vintage in Port country. The year was strange however as it was extremely dry, yielding 25% less fruit than the previous year yet with a very early maturation of grapes. However, the quality of fruit was exceptional, giving dark thick skins and perfectly ripe seeds, and made for a very vibrant Vintage Port. Hand-harvested fruit was brought into the cellar for an old-fashioned foot crushing into large granite lagares to begin natural fermentation. When halted by fortification with grape brandy, the wine was then aged for three years in stainless steel before being bottled. Like vintage Port always promises, this wine is robust and superbly concentrated, while having compact precision and amazing elegance on the palate.