2017 Churchill's - Vintage Port (750ml)

Churchill's was founded in 1981 by Johnny Graham, then just 29 years old, who set out to bring a drier, more personal style to the traditional world of Port. The company takes its name from his wife, Caroline Churchill. Family run, it keeps cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and a base at Quinta da Gricha in the Douro Valley, and it works only with top-grade grapes from native varieties.

The 2017 Vintage Port followed a season of intense heat and record low rainfall, which produced a smaller crop of excellent fruit. It is a field blend from old vines averaging more than 50 years of age in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Cão. Grapes are hand sorted and foot-trodden in open granite lagares. The house's long fermentation means less brandy is added, giving a drier style.

The color is a very deep violet. Resinous intensity and fresh blueberry lead into crushed blackberry and floral notes. Gravelly tannins and vibrant natural acidity give the density and tension that great Vintage Port needs, carrying through a long finish. The producer suggests it will be at its best after 15 years and can age for more than three decades.