Quinta Das Carvalhas Vintage 2004

 Quinta Das Carvalhas Vintage 2004

We bought this over 18 years ago at the quinta for just around £20. Let's see if it was a worthwhile investment. I must say that I was pretty impressed with deep inky red colour when I started to decant it. In my experience most single quinta vintages have lost quite a bit of colour by the time they get to 20 years old. Not this one though, it resemble something at least four times what we paid for it.

 The nose had fruity hints amongst the smell of ethanol. On first tasting this was a rich and full bodied port with jammy fruit flavours underlaying a distinct spiciness. There were marked aldehyde notes as well, which you may or may not like. However after a couple of hours these had disappeared leaving a quite impressive classical vintage port..As was suggested by the original observations on the colour, this wine stands its own against much more expensive offerings from the classical port houses. Which just goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune to be able to enjoy a stunning vintage port but you may need a little patience waiting for it to mature. Now to sit back and thoroughly enjoy the rich plummy fruit flavours married to classical touriga spice.

Quinta do Crasto Vintage 2004

Quinta do Crasto Vintage 2004

Here we are with another Crasto Vintage from Sainsbury's that has been in our cellar for a good many years.

 

There was a dark ruby colour with a significant amount of oxidation. The nose was a mixture of plummy fruits and strong alcohol. The taste was rich and fruity with a long finish. A little spiciness remained from the tannins but in a beneficial way giving structure to the overall flavour.

Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 2004

 Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 2004

Despite two years in a balseiro and 18 years in a bottle this port still had a deep rich ruby colour with hardly any oxidation at all. This was probably helped by the quality of the cork which showed little sign of deterioration. The nose was redolent with rich plummy scents which led to anticipation of what was to follow.

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.

Quevedo Quinta do Vale d'Agodinha Vintage 2013

Quevedo Quinta do Vale d'Agodinha Vintage 2013

Intensely deep ruby colour with a hint of purple in the rim. The nose was rich with strong grape scents. Tasting revealed a rich and fruity port with quite a lot of tannin to the fore.

Quinta Ervamoira Vintage 2005

Quinta Ervamoira Vintage 2005

Dark ruby colour with a very slight amber tinge. The nose was full of plummy fruit scents. Tasting revealed a smooth and unctuous port full of plummy fruit flavours with an interesting aftertaste and just a hint of tannin.

Graham's Vintage 2000

Graham's Vintage 2000

Inky deep ruby colour with a good fruit nose. This was a full bodied port with a long after taste. The tannins had just mellowed out so it was plummy and soft with just a little bite remaining. If you have any drink it now!

Croft Vintage 2007

Croft Vintage 2007

Deep ruby colour with a good fruity nose. This was a full bodied port with loads of plummy fruit and a good tannic bite. Another five or so years in the bottle should soften the tannins to give an excellently classic vintage port.

Croft Quinta da Roeda Vintage 2012

Croft Quinta da Roeda Vintage 2012

Deep ruby colour with a lightly fruity nose. This port was a classically full bodied and fruity wine with rich plummy fruit flavours overlaying a rich but soft and long lasting aftertaste.

Croft Vintage 2009

Croft Vintage 2009

Deep ruby colour with a rich and fruity nose. This port was soft but rich and fruity. Plummy fruit flavours were carried on a lasting depth.

Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage 1998

 Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage 1998

The colour was a remarkably dark ruby while the nose was pleasantly fruity. Tasting revealed a harmoniously rich port combining lots of jammy fruit flavours with subtly spicy hints. The striking thing about this port was that it had good depth and quality without any one element being over predominant. Tanins were almost non detectable meaning that, whilst it was a full bodied vintage, it was also very approachable.

Quinta do Bomfim Vintage 1998

Quinta do Bomfim Vintage 1998

There was an inky dark ruby colour with a lightish nose of old fruit. Whilst this port did not have the great depth of some vintage ports it excelled in the balance that it achieved. Subtle tanins were noticeable, which reminded of the smell that I had experienced while walking along the track beside the quinta during the harvest time when a machine would be spitting out the sticky stalks from the grapes onto a big heap alongside the building. To be honest I was surprised by the admittedly modest level of tanins after 22 years. These were balanced with equally subtle plum jam fruit flavours and acidity to give a satisfyingly harmonious experience.

Taylors Vintage 2003

Taylors Vintage 2003

I bought a dozen of these when they first came out hoping they would come good around the 20 year mark. Well here we are after seventeen years so I guess it is time to find out how it is doing. The colour was a very inky dark ruby with a surprising amount of oxidation evidenced by the tawny tinge. The nose was mildly fruity with hints of a rich spiciness. Tasting revealed a soft fruitiness whilst the predominant future was the markedly rich spice element. Although there was some depth I was expecting a bit more from a Taylor's port. It will be interesting to see how this develops as the tannins mellow further.

Caves Santa Marta Vintage 2000

Caves Santa Marta Vintage 2000

We well remember buying this bottle. We were trying to get to Quinta do Valado but missed the turning and a good two hours later found ourselves at Caves Santa Marta. We had an interesting time there. It turned out they were in the process of rebranding so they were selling off there old stock at bargain prices. We came away with three bottles of vintage which poor muggins had to lug all the way back to our hotel.

I have never seen such a heavy deposit after decanting a bottle of port before. There was a ruby element to the colour but it was well on the way to developing tawny characteristics. The nose was vaguely fruity but was reminiscent of something much older than just twenty years. Tasting revealed a well integrated and harmonious combination of subtle plummy fruits with a rich spiciness. The body was acceptable if not exceptional. For the price paid this was a good vintage port but was probably nearing the end of its drinking life.

Quinta de Val Da Figueira Vintage 2000

Quinta de Val Da Figueira Vintage 2000

There was a moderately oxidised deep ruby colour with hints of amber at the rim. The nose was quite light with alcohol being the predominant feature. Tasting revealed a rich combination of subtle sweet plummy flavours against a strong and spicy background. Thus this proved to be quite a unique and thoroughly enjoyable port.

Cálem Vintage 2000

Cálem Vintage 2000

This was a souvenir of our first visit to the Douro region in 2004 when we brought home three bottles. Let's see if it was worth waiting sixteen years for. The colour was a dark and intense ruby colour; when you see a port like this you understand why they call red ports rubies. The nose was rich and spicey with a hint of fruitiness. On tasting the mouth was filled with rich and smooth fruity flavours backed by a tremendous body of mellowed tannins. The balance between the fruit and tannin was so enjoyable as the fruit flavours continued to come through long into the after taste. Having enjoyed some well crafted single quinta vintages recently it was good to have this reminder of what a classic vintage can offer with its fuller depth and longer finish.

Quinta de la Rosa Vintage 2000

Quinta de la Rosa Vintage 2000

The bright ruby colour was accompanied by a subtly fruity nose. Tasting revealed a vintage port at its peak. It was rich and full bodied with plummy fruit flavours. There was a perfect equilibrium between the sweetness of the sugars and the residual tanins. Put this all together and you have a great balance between the fruity, sweet and bitter elements. Although not as full bodied as some, every mouthful of this well crafted port was a pleasure to enjoy.

The cork was in excellent condition which probably contributed to the outstanding presentation from this bottle.

Quinta do Tedo 1999

Quinta do Tedo 1999

Deep deep ruby colour but clear like a tawny. The nose was pleasantly soft and fruity. Tasting revealed a full bodied yet subtly fruity port. Barely detectable tannins showed that this had reached the perfect point for tasting. Subsequent mouthfuls built up the feeling of the unctuous yet sweet plummy softness of a port in its prime.

Vista Alegre Vintage 2007

Vista Alegre Vintage 2007

With a deep and intense ruby colour and a rich plummy nose the omens were good. Typical of the Vista Alegre style this was a smooth fruity and rich port. Whilst not as bold as some of the more famous brands it was still very enjoyable and perhaps somewhat more approachable. At this age there were still some tannins coming through so in three or four years time this should prove to be an elegant contribution to any dinner party.

Quinta de la Rosa Val do Inferno Vintage 1999

Quinta de la Rosa Val do Inferno Vintage 1999

We learned earlier this year that Tim Bergqvist passed away recently so we will enjoy this rare bottle in his honour as he would have played a big part in its production. We last had a bottle of this port four years ago when it was in great condition. Now we have reached the twenty year mark it is time to see how our last bottle has done.

The port was clear having a very deep ruby colour and an amber tinge. The nose was quite light while hinting at a rich fruitiness. On tasting the first impression was of a rich sweet plum flavours backed with a subtle spiciness. The body was adequate but not as striking as some vintages; this is not surprising for a vintage made from grapes from such a compact location. It was beginning to taste old and did not have the freshness that was experienced a four years ago. If you are lucky enough to have a bottle you should probably enjoy it soon.

When I came to rinse the bottle out there was a considerable deposit. The colour and texture of it in the sink took me back to a time when we were treading in the lagar at La Rosa. Tim and his caseiro were taking samples from the adjacent lagar and plotting the results on a graph. Just as we were finishing about 11 pm they decided that it was time to add the aguadente to the port and to run it off for ageing. It was quite an experience to be able to watch the spirit being added to the must as it was run off. Then spirit was sprayed over the residue in the lagar filling the air with the strong alcoholic fumes. At the end of the process at around midnight a couple of guys had the hard job of emptying the gubbins from the lagar so that it would be ready for the next batch of grapes.

Dow's Vintage 1977

Dow's Vintage 1977

Clear red colour with a brownish tinge showing considerable oxidation. Warm rich nose with a hint of plum. A rich and sweet mouthful of plummy fruits was matched with a long spicy finish. This was a superb bottle of vintage port at its peak.