Niepoort LBV 2003

Niepoort LBV 2003

Deep ruby colour. This port gave a smooth tasty and fruity mouthful without any harshness.

Vasconcellos Reserve Tawny

Vasconcellos Reserve Tawny

Brown colour with an oaky woody nose. This port was a complex and harmonious combination of sweetness, wood flavours and vanillas.

Vasconcellos Tawny

Vasconcellos Tawny

Brown colour with a hint of red and a nutty nose. This was pleasantly sweet and oaky with vanilla tones.

Vasconcellos Branco

Vasconcellos Branco

This had a light yellow colour with little to note on the nose. This tasted like a typical medium white port being both grapey and pleasant.

Vaconcellos Branco Leve Seco

Vaconcellos Branco Leve Seco

Very pale colour with a light nose. This tasted grapey but lacking depth it came across more like a white wine that a port.

Graham's Tawny 20 Year Old

Graham's Tawny 20 Year Old

Brown colour with a hint of redness. The nose was nutty and woody. This port tasted sweet, smooth and woody matched with a degree of complexity.

Graham's Tawny 10 Year Old

Graham's Tawny 10 Year Old

Brown colour with a light nose. This port was typical of its class being smooth, sweet and nutty.

Graham's Tawny

Graham's Tawny

Rich brown colour with a hint of red. The nose was marked by woody nutty scents. This distinctive port had a lovely rich taste of toffee and nuts combined with fruit flavours and a contribution from the oak.

Graham's LBV 2001

Graham's LBV 2001

Deep ruby colour without much to distinguish on the nose. This was rich and fruity with hints of oak.

Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 1985

Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 1985

Typical rich ruby colour and fruity nose. This was smooth, grapey and very quaffable but didn't carry a lot of complexity.

Quinta do Vallado Tawny 20 Year Old

Quinta do Vallado Tawny 20 Year Old

Clear brown colour with a sweet woody nose. This one harmoniously combined sweet dried fruits with nutty and woody characters.

Quinta Santa Eufêmia Tawny 20 Year Old

Quinta Santa Eufêmia Tawny 20 Year Old

Clear brown colour which smelt just like the port wine cellar it had come from. The rich wood flavours were balanced by the fruity sweetness to give a harmonious port but without huge depth.

Ferreira Tawny 20 Year Old

Ferreira Tawny 20 Year Old (Duque de Bragança)

Clear rich brown colour with a complex nose of tary woodiness. There was a well developed balance of complex flavours like nuts, oak and sultanas in this warmingly rich port.

Ferreira LBV 2000

Ferreira LBV 2000

Deep ruby colour with a sweet fruity nose. This was pleasantly fruity with no harshness, a well crafted port.

Ferreira White

Ferreira White

Golden colour. Honeyish grapiness on the nose. This had a pleasingly fresh fruitiness being grapey with hints of honey.

Quinta Seara D'Ordens Vintage 2005

Quinta Seara D'Ordens Vintage 2005

Lovely deep purplish ruby colour. Well as it had only been in the bottle for a year I was surprised at how drinkable this was. It came across as very fresh and fruity but without a lot of depth so I would have my doubts about its cellaring potential.

Quinta do Crasto LBV 2001

Quinta do Crasto LBV 2001

Good deep purplish ruby colour with a grapey nose. Deliciously complex and full fruity flavour with well balanced sweetness ensuring that it was not too much like a fruit cordial. However the fruit was quite fresh tasting with noticeable tannins. This was the first tasting of what has become one of my favourite LBVs. It is usually a bit more expensive than most but well worth the extra.

Quinta do Javali LBV 2001

Quinta do Javali LBV 2001

Deep rich purplish ruby colour with a rich and fruity nose. There was a big grapey mouthful with satisfying floral notes and a hint of oak in the finish.

Andresen White 10 Year Old

Andresen White 10 Year Old

Light golden colour. There was a lovely blend of grapiness and wood with a distinctive character. I thought this had more complexity than the Quinta Santa Eufêmia equivalent.

Quinta Santa Eufêmia White 30 Year Old

Quinta Santa Eufêmia White 30 Year Old

Clear deep brown colour with a sweet and nutty nose. This was sweet, smooth and noticeable complex. The big contribution from the oak gave it a warming depth.

Quinta Santa Eufêmia White 20 Year Old

Quinta Santa Eufêmia White 20 Year Old

Mid brown colour with a nose of honey and oak. The flavour was marked by a sweet astringency with only a small contribution from fruit flavours. The oak came through even stronger in the aftertaste.

Quinta Santa Eufêmia White 10 Year Old

Quinta Santa Eufêmia White 10 Year Old

Light brown with a tawny like nutty nose. This tasted of dried fruits like sultanas with gentel oakiness and a long after taste.

Royal Oporto Tawny 20 Year Old

Royal Oporto Tawny 20 Year Old

Moderate clear brown colour with a hint of redness. Sweet and nutty nose. Sweetness balanced with dry oak flavours giving a complex, interesting and satisfying wine.

Royal Oporto Tawny 10 Year Old

Royal Oporto Tawny 10 Year Old

Dark reddish brown with a sweet and nutty nose. Not very fruity but pleasantly complex with a long aftertaste. Good balance of grapey sweetness and oak.

Real Companhia Velha Tawny

Real Companhia Velha Tawny

Red colour with just a hint of amber. Sweet and grapey, straightforwardly pleasant.

Real Companhia Velha Extra Seco Dry White

Real Companhia Velha Extra Seco Dry White

Golden colour and nicely grapey without being over dry. To appreciate it at its best do not over chill it.