Douro River Valley Vintage Chart

Douro River Valley is considered the jewel of Portugal and while better known for Port wine, it also makes still wines that are stunning. Below you will find a Vintage Chart to help you select between the years when purchasing it at a store. Overall, you can’t go wrong with a 2006-2009. I’ve found all of them to be stunning wines.

Vintage	Score	Drinking Rec	Description
2010	86-89	NYR	Generous winter rains yielded a bumper crop, but excessive summer heat diluted flavors and delivered open-textured wines
2009	91	Drink or hold	Many balanced wines emerged from a challenging vintage, with many in a lighter style
2008	94	Drink or hold	Cool growing conditions led to even ripening, with wines full of finesse
2007	96	Drink	Yields down by 20 percent, but ideal harvest weather delivered optimal ripeness
2006	90	Drink	Summer heat made for an early harvest, with lighter-style reds showing balance
2005	94	Drink	Warm weather, with even ripening during harvest, made balanced and powerful reds
2004	93	Drink	Ideal growing season; rich wines with polished tannins and concentrated flavors
2003	91	Drink	Record heat; big, ripe, powerful wines with up-front appeal
2002	81	Drink	Harvest rains cut quality; top producers fared well by harvesting early
2001	89	Drink	Cool summer weather fostered even ripening; wines have good acidity
2000	94	Drink	Small yields, but many exceptional wines made as a new wave emerged in Douro
			¹ Vintage Description from Wine Spectator