Cockburn's 2015 Vintage Port declared - celebrating 200-year anniversary

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Cockburn's celebrates its 200 year history by declaring the 2015 Port vintage...

Cockburn’s 2015 vintage declared

Cockburn’s have declared the 2015 vintage, which will also celebrate their bicentenary.

The 2015 Vintage Port is only the second vintage to be made by Symington Family Estates since they acquired the Cockburn’s brand in 2010, following their purchase of the cellars and vineyards in 2006.

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The Symingtons, also responsible for Dow’s, Graham’s and Warre’s Ports, are now seeking to revive Cockburn’s fine wine reputation, and raise it to its previous stature as a world-leading vintage Port.

Cockburn’s vineyards – Quinta dos Canais in Douro Superior

They hope the 2015 vintage will help do so, whilst also celebrating 200 years since the founding of Cockburn’s by Scottish wine merchants Robert and his brother John Cockburn in 1815.

The 2015 vintage Port is also the product of a larger project by the Symingtons, to recover the original Cockburn’s style.

Symington Family Estates conducted two vertical research tastings with international experts; the first in Porto in 2012 went back to 1896, and the second in London in 2015 stretched to 1863.

Both tastings singled out Cockburn’s 1908 as the finest example, with some pronouncing it to be one of the greatest Ports ever produced.

It remains to be seen whether their efforts to capture the essence of Cockburn’s former finesse will pay off, but the Symingtons are confident that that the 2015 vintage shows every sign of rivalling the region’s greatest Ports.

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In their harvest report, they state that the best grapes picked at Quinta dos Canais and Quinta do Vale Coelho were picked over the same ‘13 days when the finest Ports were made in the Douro Superior‘ (September 21 – October 4).

Production:

3,500 cases (6 x 75cl)

660 Magnums

99 Double magnums

50 Imperials

*Written by Laura Seal for Decanter.com

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