Warre’s 2020 Vinhas Velhas Vintage Port is made exclusively from the deep-rooted, horse-ploughed, 80 to 100-year-old mixed vines (field blend) at two of Warre’s estates: Quinta da Cavadinha (53%) and Quinta do Retiro (47%).

These magnificent old vines produced just 380g per vine at Cavadinha and 240g per vine at Retiro. It took three vines to produce one bottle of this Vintage Port – typically it requires just one vine. The cooler aspect of these two estates were of great benefit in 2020 and the old vines were incredibly resilient.This is the first time we have produced a Warre’s Vintage Port exclusively from the old vines at two of our estates. The wine is intensely fruit-driven with unparalleled concentration and elegance that belies the conditions of the year.

These magnificent old vines produced just 380g per vine at Cavadinha, the lowest yields recorded this century (apart from 2004) in our old vineyard parcels at the estate. Yields at Quinta do Retiro were even lower, an incredible 240g per vine (less than half the average of the last decade). It took three vines to produce one bottle of this Vintage Port – typically it requires just one vine. Average cumulative annual rainfall at Cavadinha for 2020 practically equated what we could expect in a normal year: 805.7mm, compared to the 30-year-average of 815mm. However, 2020 was a good example of very unevenly distributed rain, with the critical growing months of June and July being exceptionally dry — just 9.2mm when the average for the two months is five times more. Adding to this, the year was one of the hottest of the 21st century: the Cavadinha weather.

Exultant freshness reveals an incredible range of floral, fruit and herbal aromas, including rose, lavender, cloves, blackberries, and notes of mango. This is a wine that woos and seduces with its elegance and irresistible charm. On the palate it is concentrated and multilayered with the fine-grained tannins underscoring the many dimensions of this beautifully structured, complex wine.