A taste for ports

[Andre]

Port Wine Tasting

Special Reserve March 10th 2005.

Tasting a series of fine ports may prove problematic, as we are many times tempted to swallow these fine creations. The following is a recent tasting of randomly selected ports.

Ruby 1997 Wellington W.O. Bovelei Ko-Op RSA.

This poor port imitation is the reason why Oporto is struggling for world wide recognition of their area and strict rules.

Already showing signs of oxidation this pathetically sweet port imitation has nothing to display other than a potential for punch blending.

Port Fine Tawny Cockburn’s

This is a simple but well made port which lacks consistency as a blended non-vintage tawny. Oversimplified, the wine shows little depth of character while some of the blended wines in this port drag down whatever finer quality was added.

Port Fonseca Bin 27

This famous family blend from Fonseca, was never really my cup of tea. Harsher and younger flavors were added to softer ones creating a wave of more and less spots of concentration in the mouth that disturbed the balance of this wine.

Could have been more forgiving if the price of the 27 was just a bit higher than non vintage tawnys and not double the price.

Some fine quality is detected in this wine but the lack of harmony deriving especially from the oak dominated blends is disappointing.

Drink when recently bottled.

Port Cockburns Late Bottled Vintage 1990

This fine creation bottled back in 1996 showed little signs of degradation if it was not for the thick crust that was forming on one side of the bottle. Shaky hands and careless pouring converted the crust into sediments that took over nearly a quarter of the bottle.

Smooth gentle and very well balanced the wine showed as a pure enjoyment of a perfectly mature and ready to drink LBV port. Chocolate and concentrated dried plum juice mixed with fine spice to create a unique experience.

Perfectly drinking now – no further aging necessary.

Port Quinta de Mesquita Vintage 1992.

This 13-year-old masterpiece displayed depth, concentration and perfect harmony bringing to life and setting example of what a powerful term is “time in a bottle”.

Grand cru dark chocolates, Sultanina raisins, and spice falvored the ports fine texture leaving a full-bodied long slightly oily finish.

A perfect pleasure for drinking now or in the next five years.

Needs decanting.

Port Dalva 10 Years old

Brown golden in color, this 1992 bottled port shows a color that could be identified as an aged sherry.

The nose is quite gentle with a cacao powder and white raisins bouquet mingled with some mild spice.

Soft and harmonious texture, seductive and delicately enjoyable.

Perfectly drinking now with just a few more years to go. Drink by 2008.

Port Dalva Late Bottled Vintage 1995.

Bottled in 2001 this wine has already quite a bit of residue.

The concentrated flavors are backed up by some noticeable oak with full flavored palate and a medium long finish. Appealing sweetness with complimentary pipe [550-600l barrels used in Oporto] use yet has little depth or complexity.

Drink now- 2006.

Port Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage 1996

A good representative of this vintage doing its very first steps of development.

A semi developed wine with waves of open and closed flavors indicating a good quality full flavored wine that will gain complexity in the near 2-4 years.

A massive vintage well expressed in the Late Bottled Vintage begging for some more aging.

Drink 2007-2010.

Port Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage 1996

Amazingly consistent and balanced. A very professional wine in dire need of bottle aging.

The wine is closed but with plenty of flavors that will express this wines ability to impress three years from now.

The winemaker shows a great deal of expertise building an impressive wine with a consistency of a politician after the publics money.

Drink 2008-2010.

Port Barros Late Bottled Vintage 1997

An LBV ripe full flavored and ready for drinking. A definite choice I would make to enjoy now.

Dark chocolate, cassis and plenty of spice are perfectly blended with a long finish of chocolate liquer and nutmeg.

Drink 2005-2008.

Port Cockburn’s Late Bottled Vintage 1998.

None vintage year? This LBV may prove worthy of plenty of other vintages.

Big complex with layers of dried fruit liquers spice and a very bitter chocolate

Still has the roughness of a young vintage port along with a promising future.

Decanting the wine will sure help in this case.

Drink 2006-2009.

Not the first LBV 1998 I was impressed with.

Smiles, music, dancing …and the world is not such a bad place after all.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Port Wine Tasting

Special Reserve March 10th 2005.

Tasting a series of fine ports may prove problematic, as we are many times tempted to swallow these fine creations.

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Great notes! And pretty brilliant comment... in all the tasting I have been doing lately (which is a lot - upwards of 200 each week), I have been very good about spitting. Then comes the dessert wines which I never seem able to spit out figuring it is my lone indulgence!

Did you have a favorite?

[Andre]

Port Wine Tasting

Special Reserve March 10th 2005.

Tasting a series of fine ports may prove problematic, as we are many times tempted to swallow these fine creations.

←

Great notes! And pretty brilliant comment... in all the tasting I have been doing lately (which is a lot - upwards of 200 each week), I have been very good about spitting. Then comes the dessert wines which I never seem able to spit out figuring it is my lone indulgence!

Did you have a favorite?

←

Thank you Carolyn,

Amongst the ports tasted my favorits where the Quinta da Mesquita 1992 vintage and the Barros LBV 1997