Robert M. Parker's Wine Advocate: 95 Points “The 2015 Vintage Port Quinta do Vesuvio is a blend of Touriga Nacional 60%, Touriga Franca 30% and Sousão 10%. It comes in at 113 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is beautifully balanced, but still a "wow" because of its terrific fruit. It is packed with luscious and intensely flavorful fruit, laced with some dark plum and baked cherry nuances. The concentration is good—not exceptional, perhaps, but it shows fine precision on the delicious finish, too. As is the case with most 2015s, it is also rather elegant and very fresh, the fruit lifted and well defined, never sloppy. It tightens noticeably with air, proving that its backbone can't be discounted. It should age very well but be approachable a bit on the younger side, too. It could certainly use time in the cellar, the more the better if you like complexity, but it should be in fairly decent shape around 2030 or so. I personally would like to leave it another 10 years beyond that, but that's up to you. If you insist on diving in sooner, that's also up to you (and if you twist my arm, I will confess that the fruit is very attractive, perhaps even irresistible just now). This is one of the most intriguing Symington 2015s, perhaps my personal pick of the litter (although there are some competitors). It has some upside potential, too. If it never achieves more, it will still have you oohing and aahing throughout its useful life.”

Winemaker's Notes: The very attractive bergamot and esteva (rockrose) aromas combined with spicy notes, so typical of Touriga Nacional, are very apparent in this wine due to the combination of the North-facing aspect and the altitude, both of which favour cooler temperatures and lend these wines incredible freshness and perfect levels of acidity. Conversely Touriga Franca is a variety that flourishes with heat and at Vesuvio is planted at relatively lower altitudes. In 2015 the finest Franca was harvested from the Vale da Teja vineyards, predominantly northwest facing and planted between 150 and 200 metres, some lying near the river. This Touriga Franca produced some of the finest examples of this variety, making beautifully floral wines with velvety ripe tannins. The combination of these two varieties was complemented by a small quantity of Sousão, drawn from a more granitic area of the Quinta, which brings acidity and minerality to the blend, beautifully balancing this powerful and structured Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port.