Description

Cockburn’s Bicentenary Vintage Porto 2015

In a letter dated 24th December 1817, Robert Cockburn, founder of the company wrote, “The quality of the wine, that is the first thing to be looked to.” It was this defining principle that guided Cockburn’s winemaking and was embodied in the outstanding quality of its Vintage Ports of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After a half-century of corporate tenure, Cockburn’s rediscovered greatness following its full acquisition by the Symington family in 2010. The 2011 debut Vintage marked a watershed for the house, reviving its standing as one of the premier Vintage Port producers. Seminal retrospective tastings in 2012 and 2015, reaching back to the legendary 1863 and 1896 vintages, allowed the family to identify the style that had given Cockburn’s its commanding position for over 100 years.

The Vintage

Abundant rainfall at the start of 2015 replenished depleted soil water reserves, a crucial foundation for the very dry winter, spring, and summer that followed. The period between the vegetative cycle and the initial stages of ripening was simultaneously the hottest and driest of the last 36 years, with the hottest June in half a century. In the Douro Superior, Cockburn’s heartland, timely May rains at Quinta dos Canais and Quinta do Vale Coelho sustained the vines through the brutal heat of June and July. Cooler than usual August nights proved decisive in preserving natural acidity in the berries.

Picking began tentatively on September 7th, targeting younger, vulnerable vines while head winemaker Charles Symington held his nerve on the most valuable fruit. On the morning of September 15th, a massive storm broke over the Douro. Temperatures dropped to ideal ripening conditions and within four days the Touriga Nacional was transformed, skins softened, flavors developed. Picking resumed on the 21st, with the Touriga Franca following a week later in what Charles describes as possibly the finest condition he has ever seen that variety. Low yields averaging just 1 kg per vine, combined with perfectly made-to-order conditions, produced the best Franca in living memory.

The Wine

Touriga Franca forms the largest component of the blend at 41%, sourced principally from Quinta dos Canais with a smaller portion from Vale Coelho. Touriga Nacional follows at 37%, drawn from the distinctive 30-year-old Bico de Pato vineyard at Canais, picked eight days after the September rains with yields of just 0.96 kg per vine delivering velvety tannins and remarkable finesse. The balance is completed by old mixed vines (9%), Sousão (7%), and Alicante Bouschet (6%) from Quinta do Cachão de Arnozelo. Just 10% of the combined production across all three estates was selected for bottling — the equivalent of 3,701 nine-litre cases. Vinification took place at the nearby Senhora da Ribeira winery, where the grapes were trodden in modern lagares. Bottled in May 2017 with no filtration or fining.

Tasting notes

Deep and dense ruby with a vivid, youthful rim, the 2015 Bicentenary pours with immediate authority. The nose radiates vitality and purity, offering fleshy black plums and eucalyptus lifted by an exuberant freshness that springs from the glass. On the palate the wine is full-flavoured and muscular, with ripe red cherry at its core and the focused, precise structure and characteristic grip that have defined Cockburn’s greatest Vintages for over a century. The finish is long and refined, leaving a lasting impression of elegance, freshness, and poise. Bottled at 20% ABV this is a wine of exceptional concentration and balance, drawn from Quinta dos Canais (68%), Quinta do Vale Coelho (26%), and Quinta do Cachão de Arnozelo (6%). Released in just 3,500 cases in 75cl, alongside 660 Magnums, 99 Double-Magnums, and 50 Imperials, the 2015 Bicentenary is among the most limited and distinguished expressions in the modern history of the house.

Cockburn’s Bicentenary Vintage Porto 2015 Notes To Your Senses:

• APPEARANCE: Deep, vivid ruby red
• AROMA: Great vitality and purity of fruit, fleshy black plums, eucalyptus, and exuberant freshness that springs from the glass
• TASTE: Full-flavored and muscular with red cherry on the palate, well-toned with typical Cockburn’s grip and focused, precise structure
• FINISH: Long and refined with a characteristic freshness, elegance, and grip
• ABV: 20%