Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 2004
Tasting revealed a rich and fruity port with deep plummy flavours and without any harshness or disagreable characteristics at all. It was sweet and redolent with fresh red berry tastes despite the fact that the berries had been picked twenty years ago. I raise my glass to the roga who brought these grapes in from the field so that it could bring me so much pleasure after the passage of twenty years.
Armilar 10 Year Old
This ten year old was ridiculously cheap in a certain discount supermarket. The colour was a deep amber with a hint of redness. The nose was light but contained a good mix of sweet spices and oak. Tasting revealed a full bodied richness with a good balance of sweet dried fruit flavours and astringent oak. This wasn't the most complex 10 year old port that I've tasted but it didn't disappoint. How they can sell it at such a bargain price I cannot imagine.
Inky dark ruby colour with a fruity and alcoholic nose. The taste was a balance between rich fruity flavours and a marked spiciness. This was a smooth and rich port which was eminently drinkable but lacked character.
Taylor's Golden Age 50 Year Old
Maynard's Colheita 2004 bottle in 2019
Deep reddish brown colour with a hint of amber on the rim and interesting woody elements in the nose. Tasting revealed and rich and full bodied port having a long finish. The flavour was a complex and satisfying mixture of sweet plummy and dried fruits mingled with deep dry oak flavours derived from the barrel. This was certainly a port to savour.
Well it looks like I last reported on this in 2009. We've found a supplier in the UK, which is great as we've always had a soft spot for Kopke's tawnies. This time we have a deep clear reddish brown colour with hints of amber. There is a hint of oaky richness on the nose. Tasting reveals what could be the ideal port for everyday drinking. It is smooth and sweet with plummy and dried fruit flavours nicely poised over a subtle dry oakiness.
