"Richard Mayson, richardmayson.com ***/****
Good, deep centre, thin purple rim; still closed with underlying ripeness evident, showing off the heat of the year; soft, sweet and fleshy, just as you would expect from this vintage, rich plummy flavours with good breath and depth, ripe tannins to back it up, looking good now but would benefit from another five years in bottle. 16.5"
The Harris family was one of the oldest established of the English community in Porto and the company that bears their name was founded in 1680, making it one of the first to start shipping Port. The company enjoyed great success and it became the second largest exporter of Port. In the 19th century it was absorbed by the firm of Warre & Co and in the 1920s Andrew Symington, then Warre’s principal shareholder, reconstituted Quarles Harris and to this day, Quarles Harris is owned by the Symington family.
Its Vintage Ports have traditionally been sourced from growers in the Rio Torto Valley which is well-known as a source of very high quality wines that are important components of many fine Vintage Ports. Quarles Harris’s flavour profile is a firm and slightly dry style.
Richard Mayson, richardmayson.com, February 2022
1994 marked a return to form for vintage Port. The year began with a fortuitously wet winter which brought an end to three consecutive years of drought. When the sun began to shine in March and April, the vines sprouted with vigour. Heavy rain during the flowering in May served to check yields and from then on, despite a relatively cool summer, it was plain sailing all the way through to harvest. Cloudy skies and a little light rain in mid-September rekindled memories of the previous year when the heavens had opened during vintage. A few growers panicked and picked too early but, as it turned out, the rain helped the berries to swell and sugar readings rose. The majority of growers held their nerve and by the equinox picking was well underway. Winemakers were helped in their task by clear skies and cool night time temperatures – don’t forget that temperature control in the winery was not a given back then. As a result the traditional lagares took plenty of work and long, slow fermentations gave rise to prolonged skin contact and good extraction. As the wines were run off and fortified, the big guns could hardly conceal their glee at the prospect of a major vintage declaration.
Tasting the 1994s at an early stage, they were characterised by super-ripe fleshy fruit, which tended to cover up the underlying tannic grip. That ‘puppy fat’ that charmed tasters from the outset has fallen away to reveal some balanced, structured wines, all of which should now be drinking well.
