Quevedo Colheita 1996 Bottled in 2013
A deep brown colour was matched with a rich christmassy nose of dried fruits and mixed nuts. The taste was marked by contrasting flavours of sweet dried fruits and the bitterness of old oak. The counterbalance of the sweet and bitter elements was reminiscent of a good quality dark chocolate.
Quinta do Portal 29 Grapes
At a recent visit to Quinta do Portal I asked for a couple of bottles of 27 Grapes as it is a reserve ruby to which I am particularly partial. I was informed that they didn't sell 27 Grapes but they did have some 29 Grapes! So now it contains another two grape varieties.
There was a deep ruby colour with a rich grapey nose. It had a rich smooth fruity taste coupled with a warm, deep body and a hint of spice. This remains one of my favourite examples of this type of port.
Vista Alegra LBV 2009
Dark ruby colour with a fruity nose. This port has good body combined with fresh soft fruity flavours. There was a slight tannic sparkle in the background.
Vista Alegre LBV 2005
Deep dark ruby colour with a rich fruity nose. This port was rich and full bodied yet soft and fruity at the same time.
Augusto's Tawny Reserve
Dark brownish red colour matched with a plummy slightly medicinal nose. The port itself tasted wonderfully rich with the flavour of plummy fruits predominating over dried fruits, nuts and spices.
Quinta da Prelada Tawny 10 yo
This had a quite dark brownish amber colour. The nose was quite striking reminding me of walking through damp chestnut woods as it was both woody and spicey. The taste was full bodied with complex wood flavours predominating. Dry oak was backed by hints of fruit, spice and orange peel.
Quinta do Pégo LBV 2010
The deep ruby colour combined with a fruity nose. This was rich and fruity with a fair bit of tannin showing.
Quevedo Colheita 1994
The appearance was clear with a dark reddish amber colour and was combined with a light nutty nose. The taste was rich and oaky with the fruit sweetness counteracted by strongly astringent wood flavours.
Quinta do Sagrado Tawny
This had a clear reddish brown colour with a light nutty nose. Sweet dried fruits and a good oak content meant it was like drinking Christmas with every mouthful. This would be a great wine for everyday drinking.
Quinta do Sagrado LBV 2010
A deep ruby colour accompanied a light fruity nose. This was smooth, rich and full bodied with just the right amount of fruity grape flavours and softness and a touch of tannin.
Quevedo Colheita 2000
There was a dark brownish red colour with a fruity and nutty nose. Rich plummy fruit flavours were perfectly balanced with those of dry oak.
Quevedo Vintage 2013
This had a deep inky colour with a fresh grapey nose. When I say fresh this was really fresh; it smelt just like the boxes of grapes we had seen delivered to the winery at the Quinta da Nossa Senhora do Rosário. It tasted like a full bodied and very alcoholic grape juice. Obviously this needs a good few years to develop into the wonderful drink it has the potential to become.
Porto Cruz Vintage 2000
There was dark brownish red colour with a fruity and nutty nose. Rich plummy fruits were perfectly balanced with dry oak flavours. Not being particularly intense it was easy to drink and savour at the same time. Typical of many 2000's it was quite a light wine for a vintage and clearly now ready for drinking with little potential for further improvement.
Porto Cruz Vintage 2007
Inky dark ruby colour matched with a moderate plummy nose. It had good body with fresh soft grape flavours predominating. It was still quite tannic so should be good for quite a few years of aging.
Porto Cruz Vintage 2011
Inky dark ruby colour with a hint of purple in the rim and a rich plummy nose. This was rich and full bodied redolent with fresh grape flavours and a moderate amount of tannin.
Royal Oporto Colheita 2000 (Bottled 2008)
This had a very turbid reddish amber appearance with a fairly rich nutty nose. The flavour was full bodied and sweet combining plummy fruit, dried fruit, and orange peel with underlaying oaky notes.
This was bought after tasting the same year but bottled in 2014 as it was packaged with two badged glasses. It wasn't possible to see the year of bottling on the back of the bottle until after it was unpacked. It was disappointing in the least to discover that this was old stock. The taste wasn't anything like as complex as the 2014 bottling. I guess this was a salutory lesson as well as an interesting investigation into the bottle aging of a colheita. Presumable the turbidity and significant deposits were caused by precipitation while the product stood on the shelf.
Quevedo LBV 2011
The colour was a deep inky ruby with a purple tinge. The nose was rich and fruity. Tasting revealed a full body of soft grapey flavours and very little tannin.
Augusto's LBV 2009
There was a deep ruby colour with an intense plummy nose. This port had robust grapey flavours with just a little tannin carried in a good body with depth.
Augusto's Tawny 20 yo
Clear dark brownish amber colour with an oily and oaky nose. This was full bodied and rich with dry oak to the fore backed with dried fruit flavours and citrus notes.
Augusto's White 20 yo
Clear amber colour with a rich nose of dried fruits and nuts. There was a clean taste of oaky wood with a hint of grapes and orange peel.
Augusto's Tawny 10 yo
Clear brownish amber colour with burnt sugar on the nose. There was a sweet combination of plummy fruit with oaky elements and citrus notes.
Augusto's Ruby Reserve
Moderate clear ruby colour with a soft grapey nose. This port was fresh and grapey with just a little tannic bite.
Augusto's White Reserve
Light amber colour with a light tawnyish nose. Good balance of gentle grape flavours and light wood elements.
Pacheca Ruby Reserve
There was a deep clear ruby colour matched with a soft plummy nose. This port was characterised by pleasant soft and rich plummy fruit flavours. Although nothing like as full bodied as the vintage this had similarities in style making it a great choice for any occasion.
Pacheca Tawny
The appearance was slightly turbid with a reddish brown colour. The nose was light and fruity. The taste was a combination of sweet plumminess with a slight oakiness. This was not as well developed as the tawny we tasted a few years ago but there is now a reserva available so that may explain why. Unfortunately the reserva had sold out so there was not the opportunity to see if it was closer to the tawny tried previously. Never the less this port was a good example of its type and suitable for every day drinking.
Pacheca Vintage 2013
There was an intensely deep ruby colour with a big plummy nose. The port had a full fruity flavour redolent with plummy fruits. It was rich, smooth and long lasting with surprisingly little tannin considering its youth.
Pacheca Tawny 40 Year Old
Deep brownish amber colour with a complex, oily and nutty nose. Dry astringent complex oak flavours predmoninated over subtle dried fruit and citrus notes. The woody aftertaste was long lasting.
Pacheca Tawny 30 Year Old
The colour was a clear darkish amber with a rich oily nutty nose. There was a rich and complex body of wood flavours married with notes of dried fruits and orange.
Pacheca Tawny 20 Year Old
Clear amber colour with an oily nutty nose. The flavour of sweet dried fruits was balanced with a gentle oakiness. Being slightly sweeter than other tawnies tasted recently the wood flavours were less pronounced allowing more expression of the fruit.
Pacheca White Port
The colour was pale yellow with a light honey nose. The wine was medium sweet in character so that the sweet grape flavours were tempered by a moderately dry body. As a result it had a character that set it apart from other wines of this type.
Quinta do Tedo LBV 2010
Deep ruby colour with a rich fruity nose. This was full bodied rich and smooth with plummy fruit flavours and a light tannin bite.
Quinta do Tedo Vintage 2009
There was a dark ruby colour with a light fruity nose. The taste was fresh and fruity with lots of tannin still showing.
Quinta do Portal Vintage 2011
There was a very deep ruby colour yet a light plummy nose. It was acceptably smooth and fruity but surprisingly light in character. Very little tannin was present, which was surprising in such a young wine.
Quinta do Portal LBV 2009 (Bottled 2014)
Deep ruby colour with a purple tinge and a fresh grapey nose. This was rich, soft and redolent with fresh grape flavours. There was a good balance of plummy fruit with subtle tannins.
Quevedo Blended White in Tonel
We were told that the tonel contained a blend of two white colheitas but it wasn't known what years they were from. A light amber colour combined with a sweet woody nose. The wine itself tasted sweet, smooth and grapey.
Quevedo White Colheita 1975 in Casco
This wine was pale yellow with an amber tinge. The nose was substantial and nutty, On tasting it proved to be intensely oaky with little fruit remaining. Apart from the colour I would have difficulty distinguishing this from some similarly aged red port. As you can see from the picture, a certain amount of gymnastics was involved in obtaining this sample.
Quevedo Colheita 1992 in Casco
This port has a deep clear brown colour with a rich nose of fruit and oak. It was full bodied and very rich in character. The main sensation was of drinking liquid sweetened wood with a lingering oaky after taste.
Quevedo Colheita 1995 in Tonel
There was a deep amber colour with a moderate nutty nose. The flavour consisted of hints of burnt sugar with dried fruits and oak. Being on the dry side, the wood flavours were emphasised.
Quevedo Colheita 2003 in Tonel
The ruby colour had a brown tinge while the nose was distinctly tawny in character. The taste comined plummy fruits with dry oak components. Some of this wine had already been used to produce an LBV.
Quevedo Quinta Val Agodinho Colheita 2013 in Balseiro
The colour was a deep purplish ruby while the nose was full and fruity. On tasting this young port was fresh and fruity with a fair amount of tannin present. It was hoped that this would be good enough to become an LBV in another three years.
Maynard's Fine Tawny
This had a dark reddish brown colour with plums and nuts on the nose. It was rich and sweet with a good balance of plummy fruit and dry oak.
Royal Oporto Colheita 1976 (Bottled 2013)
Clear amber colour. Subtle nose combining nuts and oranges. Rich full body with a dry oakiness to the fore. Other flavours were of dried fruits, nuts and oranges.
As it was a third of the price of the last 1976 we saw we bought a bottle for our ruby wedding anniversary next year. It was a nice touch that they had already but a ruby coloured cork seal on the bottle for us.
Royal Oporto Colheita 2001 (Bottled 2012)
Clear deep reddish amber colour, slightly darker than the 2000. Rich nutty nose. Rich flavour balancing oak and dried fruit flavours with a residual hint of grapey plummminess.
Royal Oporto Colheita 2000 (Bottled 2014)
Clear deep reddish amber colour with a light nutty nose. There was a full body of rich dried fruit and oaky nutiness with hints of crystallised orange peel and burnt sugar.
Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage 2004
Dark slightly cloudy ruby colour with a fresh grapey nose. This had the rich, full bodied and majestic qualities of vintage port but was sadly lacking in the fruit flavour department.
Dow's Quinta do Bomfim Vintage 2004
Dark slightly cloudy ruby in appearance with a good grapey nose. This was rich and full bodied having great fresh grape flavours with just a little tannin.
São Pedro das Águias Tawny
Deep reddish brown colour with a sweet woody nose. This port was both rich and sweet combining dried fruits with a rich pluminess.
Quinta de la Rosa Val do Inferno Vintage 1999
Clear deep ruby colour with a moderately plummy nose. On tasting it was apparent that this bottle was in peak condition. The fruit flavours were rich and jammy in character combined with a slight spiciness to pep things up. These elements melded together in a satisfyingly full taste with no hints of harshness. All traces of tannin have been removed by the ageing process. Having followed this wine for a few years it was a pleasure to find that the vision of its creators has been realised in the classic character that it had developed.
Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage 1974
The appearance was of a clear pale but deep ruby colour with a slight amber tinge. The nose was light with raw alcohol predominating. On tasting it became apparent that this did not have the deep richness of a classic vintage, which was not surprising considering that it didn't come from one of the classic years. Instead there was a pleasant balance between the moderate degree of sweetness and the warming bite of the alcohol accompanied by a tinge of lemon. There wasn't the slightest hint of any harshness, just a good balance of grape sugar and fortifying spirit. Although towards the end of its drinking life it was interesting to find out what a good experience could be obtained from a light vintage port after long ageing. It was different and unlikely to be reproduced by any other means.
