Cockburn’s to launch ‘lost’ 1977 vintage

Cockburn’s is set to release its 1977 vintage for the first time as part of work to restore the Port brand to its former glory.

Just 1,340 bottles of the vintage Port will be released this autumn by Symington Family Estates, which fully took over the Cockburn’s brand in 2010.

Although not declared at the time as part of a decision by then-owner Allied Breweries to focus on Cockburn’s successful Special Reserve expression, the vintage is understood to have been quietly bottled by workers and registered with the region’s regulatory body. While other unreleased vintages featured within the stock taken over by Symington Family Estates, few have been deemed worthy of bringing to market.

“It’s all part of our effort to bring vintage Port back into the heart of the brand,” explained João Vasconcelos, market manager for Symington Family Estates. He summed up the Cockburn’s style as being “close to Dow’s – dry and spicy but not as austere.”

Since taking control of Cockburn’s from Beam, the Symington team has reblended and repackaged the house’s Special Reserve, which with annual production of around 1.2m bottles – 80% of which is sold in the UK – is the group’s biggest volume expression and the largest reserve ruby style of any Port house. An important part of this stylistic overhaul included switching off the chill-filtering system, which was stripping flavour and texture from the Port.

Vineyards ready to be replanted with Alicante Bouschet and Sousão at Quinta dos Canais

While Cockburn’s vineyards were taken over in good condition, the Symington team is in the process of planting Alicante Bouschet and Sousão at the house’s flagship estate Quinta dos Canais in order to broaden the blending options at their disposal.

With Quinta do Tua reallocated to the Graham’s brand, Cockburn’s is currently produced with grapes from Canais, Quinta do Vale Coelho and Quinta do Cachão de Arnozelo, all in the upper Douro. The company has yet to confirm whether any other vineyards will be allocated to this particular brand in future.

For the moment, Symington Family Estate’s next major investment focus for Cockburn’s is to renovate winery facilities at Canais. A particular challenge is the “movimosto” system still in place here, which sees grape must sprayed on top of the cap in the region’s traditional lagares, or granite treading tanks. For now, ruby Port styles continue to be made here, although top quality expressions such as the well-received Cockburn’s 2011 vintage are made at other Symington wineries.

Despite the renewed focus on vintage Port at Cockburn’s, Paul Symington, joint managing director at Symington Family Estates, noted that volumes are set to remain relatively small compared to other major houses. Noting that just 3,000 cases were produced of Cockburn’s 2011, he remarked: “We will carry on making tiny quantities to try and get it back up there.”

Around 200 bottles of Cockburn’s 1977 vintage are due to be made available for the UK, although the release price has yet to be confirmed. Other Ports already on the market from the widely declared 1977 vintage are priced between £75 and £130.

The move marks the latest in a steady stream of high-end special release Ports from many of the major houses as many producers step up their focus on the premium end of the category, which has been driving growth for several years now.

For a more detailed look at these new releases and the strategy they represent, look out for July’s issue of the drinks business.