Deep ruby, black color; dark plum, dark cherry, strawberry, licorice, pepper on the nose and palate.
Sweet; very smooth and round, assisted by underlying tannins and acidity. Full, rich body. This does not have the power and depth of a serious vintage porto, but it is opulent, very fruit-forward, and delicious at far less cost. Some complexity but lacks some focus. It seems Symington-Cockburn shot for affordable and amiable rather than serious power and depth. That makes for a very tasty, fun porto that will please many porto fans, especially in casual situations with relaxed dessert settings. For that reason, Cockburn’s No. 1 Special Reserve Porto is the world’s most popular premium porto. Primarily made with touriga nacional grapes, a grape rescued from near obscurity by John Henry Smithes, the “Cowboy of the Douro,” whose work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped put Cockburn’s on the world wine map. 19.5% ABV
Cockburn’s created this porto category in 1969 to fill the gap between vintage portos and younger efforts. The wine matures in oak vats for four-to-five years before release, thus delivering a full bodied, velvety, luxurious experience without causing you a credit card crisis. Symington restored Cockburn’s to former glory after they acquired the house in 2010. The Symingtons dominate the porto market because they are so good at making wine and judging what the public wants. Charles Symington, Nuno Moreira, and Manuel Rocha were the winemakers of this effort.
Scottish brothers Robert and John Cockburn established the porto house in 1815. The family successfully ran the firm well into the 20th century, while other families joined the firm. By the early 20th century, Cockburn’s Vintage Portos commanded the highest prices of any porto house, but slowly lost momentum amid divided ownership. In 2006, the Symington family acquired full control of Cockburn’s, putting Cockburn’s back under the control of a single family.
Symington Family Estates is the unquestioned world leader in Porto and Madeira wines. The company was founded by Andrew James Symington, who arrived in Porto from Scotland in 1882. Symington initially joined Graham’s. In 1905 he was a partner in Warre & Co and in 1912 a partner in Dow’s Porto. In 1970, the family bought both Graham’s and Smith Woodhouse. In 1989 the family became a partner in the Madeira Wine Company, at that time controlled by the Blandy family. They now control Cockburn’s, Graham’s, Warre’s, Dow’s, Smith Woodhouse, Gould Campbell, Quarles Harris, and Martinez—by far the strongest porto portfolio in the world. They have the largest vineyard ownership in the Douro. Symington’s Madeira holdings include Blandy’s, Cossart Gordon, Leacock’s, and Miles—making them a major player in Madeira wine.
BTW: The port town and the wine became known as Oporto in older English references because of misunderstanding of Portuguese language. “O” is Portuguese for “the”; so “o Porto” meant “the Porto” in Portuguese. Today Porto is the name internationally for the port city of Porto. Porto is the Portuguese spelling of the fortified wine and the port town, while “port” or “port wine” is used for the wine not made in Portugal. The term “porto” is protected under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, the same as Champagne and Burgundy.
Cockburn’s No. 1 Special Reserve Porto NV is delicious and approachable dessert wine made by the inventor of the Special Reserve category. This is the world’s most popular special reserve premium porto. It can work slightly chilled—you can even pour it on ice—in warmer weather. Stars as a dessert wine enjoyed on its own. Pair with sweet desserts; roasted figs; chocolate and chocolate desserts; nutty desserts. Cheese—blue cheese is classic pairing, stilton, roquefort; mature, hard cheese; gouda, gruyere, romano, cheddar, parmesan, parmigiano-reggiano. $22-40
