Quinta do Vesuvio 2015

The nose has brooding richness the start of the palate a powerful mix of black fruits. Sumptuous, rich and ripe, the mid palate is velvety supple richness and power yet at the back there is underlying freshness an attractive balance the finish has style and length. 2036-60

The 2015 Vintage Port Quinta do Vesuvio is a blend of Touriga Nacional 60%, Touriga Franca 30% and Sousão 10%. It comes in at 113 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is beautifully balanced, but still a "wow" because of its terrific fruit. It is packed with luscious and intensely flavorful fruit, laced with some dark plum and baked cherry nuances. The concentration is good—not exceptional, perhaps, but it shows fine precision on the delicious finish, too. As is the case with most 2015s, it is also rather elegant and very fresh, the fruit lifted and well defined, never sloppy. It tightens noticeably with air, proving that its backbone can't be discounted. It should age very well but be approachable a bit on the younger side, too. It could certainly use time in the cellar, the more the better if you like complexity, but it should be in fairly decent shape around 2030 or so. I personally would like to leave it another 10 years beyond that, but that's up to you. If you insist on diving in sooner, that's also up to you (and if you twist my arm, I will confess that the fruit is very attractive, perhaps even irresistible just now). This is one of the most intriguing Symington 2015s, perhaps my personal pick of the litter (although there are some competitors). It has some upside potential, too. If it never achieves more, it will still have you oohing and aahing throughout its useful life. This has been released. There were 11,400 bottles produced, plus some large-format offerings.