Le Capela Vintage Port 2024 est un assemblage issu de vignes centenaires cultivées sur le domaine de Quinta do Vesúvio, dans la région du Douro, au nord du Portugal, et comprend des raisins provenant d'autres parcelles, notamment de Touriga Franca. Seules 5 160 bouteilles ont été produites au total.
Les conditions de culture en 2024 ont été douces et les fruits ont mûri progressivement. Les températures diurnes sont restées comprises entre 30 et 35 °C, tandis que les températures nocturnes ont considérablement baissé pendant la période des vendanges, ce qui explique le profil aromatique de ce vin : un bouquet rafraîchissant mêlant des arômes de fruits noirs, de lavande, d'herbes et de pin. Corsé et doté d'une structure ferme, ses saveurs sèches et sobres équilibrent bien la douceur, avec des tanins granuleux et une finale vive mais persistante en bouche.
Le Capela bénéficie d'une période de fermentation plus longue que celle de la cuvée Quinta do Vesúvio du domaine, suivie de 18 mois d'élevage en fûts de chêne. Une partie de la Touriga Franca est issue du vignoble de Vale da Teja, où les vignes ont plus de 50 ans.
Ce vin se dégustera idéalement entre 2038 et 2078. Il est courant de décanter le jeune vin Vintage Port, dont la structure robuste justifie pleinement l'attente.
Robert Parker (97)
The 2024 Capela da Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage Port, named after the Chapel Vineyard, which is the first to be replanted after phylloxera, is a field blend of centenary vines, and the wine also has grapes from other plots, including a younger one planted exclusively with Touriga Franca. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stone lagars that were foot trodden and then matured in oak casks for 18 months. This somehow didn't have the energy and edge of the regular Vesúvio. It has notes of orange blossom, a hint of resin and rockrose, and it grew in the glass. It has lavender, notes of pine needles, the Vesúvio signature, and is explosive in the mouth, with well-armed tannins. It's a big wine but has balance. It has 20% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 101 grams of sugar. 5,160 bottles produced. It was bottled in 2026.
James Suckling (96)
Graphite and blackberries, very aromatic and absorbing. Full-bodied and chiselled, with an engaging austerity that complements a sense of restrained sweetness. Grainy and sharp on the finish. Vines from Vinha da Capela co-fermented with alicante bouschet from Vinha dos Castelos; touriga nacional from Vinha da Escola co-fermented with sousão from Vale da Teja and touriga franca (50+ years) from Vale da Teja.
Jancis Robinson (19)
Only the sixth vintage in almost 20 years. Vinha da Capela field blend/old vines plus Vinha dos Castelos Alicante Bouschet (co-fermentation); Vinha da Escola Touriga Nacional plus Vale da Teja Sousão (co-fermentation); Vale da Teja Touriga Franca (50+ years). This has a longer fermentation than the Quinta do Vesúvio and a drier profile. TA 4.6 g/l, RS 101 g/l. Bottled May 2026 without filtration. 430 cases, ie 1% of the vineyard’s production in 2024.
Black core. Extremely intense aroma of black fruit with a hint of lavender and a herbal impression. Drier than Vesúvio. A big punch of compact tannins and yet remarkably silky. Slides across the palate like a heavyweight boxer floats across the ring. Deep and rich and yet lifted by that herbal freshness. A powerful beauty that finishes dry. Julia Harding MW
Vinous (96)
The 2024 Capela da Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port is the sixth time this cuvée has been released, a selection of parcels populated by century-old vines at the namesake quinta. It has a perfumed nose that is more floral than Vesuvio's regular bottling, more open, with scents of black plum, bay leaf and, again, that touch of Japanese nori. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with impressive depth. Plush and saturated tannins, very well judged acidity, there is impressive weight on the finish with a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. Quite a forthright Vintage Port, give this a few years in the cellar.
