Quinta da Cavadinha 44%, Quinta do Retiro 31%, Quinta da Telhada 17%, Quinta do Alvito and Quinta das Netas 8%. Touriga Nacional 22%, Touriga Franca 15%, old mixed vines (field blend) 63%. TA 4.5 g/l, Baumé 3.7. Bottled May 2019. Wonderfully aromatic nose, violets and spices and black cherries, more power and weight than usual, but with a very elegant and flowing palate, lovely citrus notes, excellent length. A real winner in this vintage.

Quinta do Bomfim 43%, Quinta Da Senhora da Ribeira 38%, Quinta do Cabeço 12%, Quinta da Cerdeira 7%. Touriga Nacional 42%, Touriga Franca 38%, Sousão 9%, old mixed vines (field blend) 8%, Alicante Bouschet 3%. TA 4.24 g/l, Baumé 3.4. Bottled May 2019. Tannic and powerful and concentrated, without the expression of the Warre, more brooding and deep, very pure and beautifully delineated, long finish. Great future, not really approachable now.

Quinta dos Malvedos 58%, Quinta do Tua 21%, Quinta do Vale de Malhadas 12%, Quinta da Vila Velha 9%. Touriga Franca 47%, Touriga Nacional 35%, Sousão 11%, old mixed vines (field blend) 7%. TA 4.4 g/l, Baumé 3.9. Bottled May 2019. Light and almost dancing style on the palate, especially when compared with the muscular Dow, cherry liqueur nose, floral, more about freshness than about tannic power, elegant and pure, sweet as it should be, generous even at this young age, very good length.

From two cooler plots at Malvedos: parcel 37, known as Cardenhos (a north-east-facing amphitheatre), and parcel 43, called Port Arthur (east facing), each of them with little more than 1,300 vines on, you guessed it, stone terraces. TA 4.22 g/l, Baumé 4. Bottled May 2019. Totally seamless, an incredible balancing act between freshness and elegance on the one hand, and a massive concentration of fruit on the other, fragrant nose with floral lift, the impressive structure is in perfect harmony and completely enveloped in flesh. Very long. Magical.

Quinta dos Canais 74%, Quinta do Vale Coelho 18%, Quinta do Cachão do Arnozelo 8%. Touriga Nacional 52% (800 g/vine), Touriga Franca 30% (670 g/vine), Sousão 10% (1.3 kg/vine), Alicante Bouschet 8%. TA 4.57 g/l, Baumé 3.5. Bottled May 2019. Firm, tannic, black fruit, violets, spices, powerful, ripe cherries, robust rather than refined.

Fruit from mature plantings of Touriga Franca from the Vale da Teja sections of Vesuvio (35%), the Touriga Nacional from the high-lying Vinha das Minas and Raposa parcels (33%), the Sousão from the Minas and Quinta Nova vineyards (15%) and the Alicante Bouschet from Castelos (12%), plus 5% Tinta Amarela. The Sousão component was larger because of its important contribution to acidity. Baumé 3.9, TA 4.37 g/l. Relatively cool and terroir-driven style, minerally and on the drier side, tannic and masculine, but elegant and with floral lift, complex fruit, peach and apricot even, excellent length.

Includes 90-year-old field-blend vines from the Capela vineyard. The Vinha da Capela vineyard was one of the first to be replanted post-phylloxera at Quinta do Vesuvio in the late 19th century. Also includes fruit from Vinha da Escola (Alicante Bouschet, Sousão, Touriga Nacional) and Vale da Teja (Touriga Franca). A lot of co-fermentation in this wine depending on the coincidence of ripening – eg early ripening Alicante Bouschet with the grapes from the Vinha da Capela field blend, the Touriga Nacional was joined with the Touriga Franca and the Sousão, as their ripening unusually overlapped. Baumé 3.3, TA 4.06 g/l. Clear kinship with the standard Vesuvio, but a little bit more of everything, impressive structure and power, great line and length. An intellectual wine, rather than a hedonistic one.

Magnums shipped from Oporto last week. The first one had a dry and cedary style, notes of liquorice, candied fruit, transparent, warmth from the wood, completely classical, gentle tannins, but slightly metallic acidity, good length. Feels slightly tired (90). A second magnum was much better, like fortified claret, harmonious and together, percaline texture, Grande Champagne Cognac finish. A delightful drink (92).

Bottles shipped from Oporto last week. The first one had impressive concentration, quite a meaty nose, slightly vegetal, tertiary flavours, not a lot of fruit, dark chocolate, strange overall, hot and slightly rustic finish. Solid but not elegant, and potentially incorrect (90). Second bottle much better, everything as it should be, elegant and classical port, candied fruit, citrus, milk chocolate, cedar, harmonious and complete, very good length (93).

Classical style, structured and concentrated, just entering its plateau of maturity, rich flavours, cedar and fruit, lovely balance, harmonious structure, very good length. Decades ahead of it.