Vintage Port Tasting at Wine Watch

"I made wine out of raisins so I wouldn't have to wait for it to age."
- Steven Wright

We will be taking down some high alcohol wines on Friday November 13th.   And around the holiday season we start thinking about one of my favorite types of high octane wines like vintage Port. This type of wine was created hundreds of years ago to appease the English thirst for wine during their hundred year’s war with France during the 14th and 15th centuries.

There are several types of fortified wines but Vintage Port is considered by those in the know to be among the world's finest high octane grape juice elixir. The really old ports from the Duero River Valley are incredible today and they are getting harder and harder to find making this tasting qualify for our "Once in Lifetime" status with wines like the 1948 Taylor Fladgate.

A "Vintage" year is only declared 2-3 times a decade by most major port houses. This declaration happens two years after the vintage and the wines are bottled shortly after so they spend just 2 years in the oak casks. Most people consider these young vintage ports in need of more bottle age to drink them in their prime, so 10-20 years is a must but these old dogs tonight are all over 40 years old.

Join us as we experience this legendary 1945 vintage port along with 7 other vintage ports from classic vintages like 1955, 1963, 1970 1977.  Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few small courses to accompany the old dogs. The fee for this tasting is $275 + Tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Vintage Port Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, November 13, 2014
7:00 PM

1945 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port

One of the greatest old vintages of the last  century and one of the hardest to find.  This was the last year of WW2 and one of the rarest wines on the planet.

1955 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port

(The only vintage Taylor's declared in the 1950s. According to the Fladgate Partnership, ‘one of the most underrated vintages of the century’. Taylor’s own two great vineyards in the Douro, Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta de Terra Feita. Both are categorised grade A - the highest possible rating. In years when Taylor’s produces a classic vintage, wines from these two estates are blended together. As they are some 20 miles apart, and subject to very different micro climates, they combine to produce a powerful, long lived and complex vintage port. In 1955 there was a heatwave at the end of April and early May. Rain at the end of May was beneficial for the flowering. July and August were hot, and at the time of the vintage the bunches were in excellent condition. The general starting date for the vintage was on the 26 September, and a shower on the 22 September did a lot of good. Light rain fell on 2 and 3 October but did no harm, and helped cool the temperature.) Mid rose red. This somehow not only looks but tastes rose red. Lovely and lifted and fresh. There's a real core of excitement to this. How lovely! (19/20 points) (10/2013)  Jancis Robinson

1963 Croft Vintage Port

Rich and raisin. Light nose. More than a hint of those cough sweets - Fisherman’s Friend – about it. Fully mature. 19/20 points. (7/2007)  Jancis Robinson

1963 Fonseca Vintage Port

(96 points) This example was bottled in Porto and remained in the house’s bin until this tasting. The 1963 Vintage Port has a dark russet color. The nose is beautifully defined, perhaps this particular bottle less exuberant than other that I have encountered. It offers walnut, small cherries, juniper berries and a touch of spirit that expands in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful balance and fine tannins. It has tremendous weight matched by nigh perfect acidity. It is very harmonious, almost honeyed towards the finish with hazelnut and cloves infusing the decayed fruit and hints of menthol on the spicy aftertaste. This is a sublime Fonseca that will last another two or three decades with ease. Drink now-2030+. (NM) (2/2013)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1963 Sandemans Vintage Port

(96 points) This may be one of the most underrated '63s made. Its deep red color gives little indication of the wine's age, and there is an abundance of youthful, rich fruit on the nose and palate. Full tannins and an assertive finish back up everything. Will still improve with age. (12/1989) Wine Spectator 

1970 Fonseca Vintage Port

(95 points)  Tasted at the Vintners Company’s 650th anniversary celebration at Vintners Hall, the Fonseca 1970 was the finest bottle I have encountered. The bouquet opens beautifully with heady scents of clove, ginger, small red cherries, bergamot and allspice, displaying exquisite definition and harmony. The palate follows suit with lovely balance and poise in the mouth, notes of kirsch, shaved ginger and walnut building to an opulent, viscous finish that lacquers the mouth. Yet this bottle shows more control than the bottle tasted four years ago. The 1970 Fonseca is in a very nice place at the moment. You should join it. Tasted May 2013. (NM) (6/2013)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1970 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Price: $215.00    Sale Price: $175.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(96 Points) This house must certainly be the Latour of Portugal. Their ports are remarkably backward yet still impressive when young. Of all the vintage ports, those of Taylor need the longest time to mature and even when fully mature seem to have an inner strength and firmness that keep them going for decades. Their tawnys are also among the very best, though somewhat expensive. The 1970 fabulous, a broodingly dense-colored, backward port that has all the signs of future greatness, provided one is willing to cellar it until the early 1990s. Wine Advocate  Buying Guide, 2nd Edition, Jan 1989

1975 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port

 A wet winter in 1975 was followed by a long dry Summer with almost no rain with the exception of a heavy thunderstorm in May. The harvest started on 6th October. Due to the September rain, yields were generally higher than had been expected.

Reproached when young for being on the light side, the best of the 1975 Vintage Ports have defied their critics and have achieved great elegance and breeding maturity.

Menu

Selection of Cheese:  Stilton Blue, Hard English Cheddar, Beemster Gouda

Cracked pepper seared veal Carpaccio with sundried cherry and fresh basil blue cheese aioli

Crispy pork belly with orange marmalade glaze served with jalapeno honey buttered corn bread

The fee for this event is $275 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

All the Port in the shop today:

2011 Graham’s Vintage Port
Price: $130.5    Your Price: $114.84
Quantity in Stock: 5

(95-97 Points) beguiling scents of blackberry, wild hedgerow, tobacco and cloves. Straight-laced, very well-defined and compelling, the palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and supremely well-judged acidity. It is utterly harmonious, with a pure core of ripe black cherries, damson, marmalade, clove and spices, and the finish lingers long in the mouth... eRobertParker.com (Neal Martin)

2011 Croft Vintage Port
Price: $85.50    Your Price: $75.24
Quantity in Stock: 4

(97 Points)  Effusively juicy, rich and concentrated, showing plenty of snap to the crisp and well-spiced flavors of wild berry, dark currant and plum tart. Orange-infused chocolate notes linger on the exotic, mocha-filled finish. Best from 2020 through 2045. 5,000 cases made. –KM  Wine Spectator Issue: Oct 15, 2013

2011 Warre's Vintage Port (375ml)
Price: $39.00    Your Price: $34.32
Quantity in Stock: 11

2011 Warre's Vintage Port
Price: $79.00    Your Price: $69.52
Quantity in Stock: 2

Dark purple color with a cassis and dark currant liqueur like fruit dark cherry and an array of dark spices, sweet tobacco bitter coco and pretty floral notes. An intoxicating array of sweet berry and currant liqueur like fruit with dark coco and spice, a good amount of sweetness here but also has balanced acidity to match. Finish 50+ Most Excellent

2009 Croft Vintage Port
Price: $85.50    Your Price: $75.24
Quantity in Stock: 2

(95 Points) "Redolent of blackberry and dark fruits, this also features a fascinating mix of mocha, graphite and tobacco. Very juicy as well, which features into the finish of fine-grained tannins and spice. An exuberant and refined Vintage Port. Best from 2020 through 2050. 5,000 cases made."   Wine Spectator

2008 Graham's Late Bottled Vintage Port
Price: $26.00    Your Price: $22.88
Quantity in Stock: 2

Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port is a superb wine selected from the finest production of a very good year, but unlike a ‘declared’ Vintage Port - which is bottled in its second year, ‘LBV’ matures for an average of 5 years in seasoned oak casks prior to bottling (hence the term, ‘Late Bottled’). This wood - ageing encourages the wine’s development and it is therefore ready to drink sooner than Vintage Port. As with the latter, Late Bottled Vintage Ports are sourced primarily from the Malvedos vineyard.

Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage possesses attractive liquorice and floral aromas and fresh, ripe blackberry fruit flavours. It epitomizes Graham’s house style very effectively: great rich fruit concentration with spicy complexity and depth, held together by superb structure and balance.

Graham’s LBV is a leader in its category and highly prized by Port enthusiasts in the British Isles, traditionally one of Port’s most discerning and competitive markets.

2007 Fonseca Vintage Port 375ml
Price: $45.00    Your Price: $39.60
Quantity in Stock: 1

Cooked raspberry, with hints of lemon peel and leaf. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a beautiful density and a sweet fruity and tannic aftertaste. Balanced yet muscular. A little disappointing, but clearly outstanding. Score range: 92-95 “JS Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2009

2003 Fonseca Vintage Port
Price: $101.25    Your Price: $89.10
Quantity in Stock: 16

(96+ Points) Sporting an opaque, black-colored robe with dark purple trim, the 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port exhibits a nose of profound depth. Its sweet black mass of dark fruit and spice aromas leads to a character of immense depth, richness, and weight. Full-bodied, viscous, and almost impenetrable, this dense, backward port is powerful and exceptionally long in the finish. Possibly the most masculine Fonseca I’ve ever encountered, it coats the taster’s palate with licorice, jammy black fruits, and notes of chocolate that last for over a minute. This blockbuster will require at least three decades to fully blossom. Anticipated maturity: 2035-2060.Wine Advocate # 161 Oct 2005

2003 Dows Vintage Port
Price: $84.50    Your Price: $74.36
Quantity in Stock: 9

(94 Points) "The complex aromatics of the opaque, black-colored 2003 Dow Vintage Port display chocolate, dried oak, black cherries, blackberries, copious spices, and a myriad flowers. This fresh, backward wine offers a medium to full-bodied, deeply concentrated core of spice-laced dark fruits. Softly-textured and seductive in the mid-palate, it boasts abundant layers of candied Damson plums, blueberries, black cherries, molasses, and hints of chocolate before revealing its firm structure. Extremely youthful and primary, this exceptional effort demands patience. Projected maturity: 2025-2045+." The Wine Advocate p>

2003 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Price: $101.25    Your Price: $89.10
Quantity in Stock: 1

(98 points)The 2003 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port improved each time I raised it to my nose or mouth. It displays a black color and a salty, graphite-laced nose packed with sweet black fruits that is reminiscent of a stellar vintage of Chateau Latour. With air, notes of molasses, burnt sugar, spices, and jammy plums emanate from the glass. Full-bodied, hugely dense, immensely rich, as well as thick, this behemoth is also amazingly balanced and harmonious. Raisins, molasses, licorice, black cherries, plums, and a distinctive note of violets are found in its complex, seamless character. Its interminable finish reveals additional notes of chocolate, kirsch, red as well as black currants, dark cherries, and rose blossoms. Armed with exceptional power, depth, and purity, this Taylor will proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest ever crafted by the Fladgate Partnership. Projected maturity: 2035-2060. Wine Advocate #161 (Oct. 2005 issue)

2000 Croft Vintage Port
Price: $85.50    Your Price: $75.24
Quantity in Stock: 5

(90 points)  "A striking, individualistic nose of spring flowers, blackberries, blueberries, and lead pencil shavings emerges from this saturated purple-colored 2000. Evolved yet expansive, sweet, and generous, it admirably conceals moderately high tannins under a wealth of fruit and glycerin. The aromatic profile and attack merit a score in the mid-nineties, but the finish is short, thus lowering the overall rating. My instincts suggest there is more to this port than it revealed the days I tasted it. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025?"  The Wine Advocate

2000 Grahams Vintage Port        
Price: 110.00       Sale $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 11

he blend displays many of the typical Graham aromas of ripe plum and 'esteva' (gum cistus) and is pleasantly smooth on the palate despite its youth. It is full and rich in the mouth with fresh blackberry and red plum notes. Despite the hallmark Graham sweetness in the mouth the finish is long and clean.

As with all Graham Vintages, this is a wine made to last for years and the patience of laying down the wine for fifteen to twenty years will certainly be rewarded.

2000 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port Magnum
Price: $425.00    Your Price: $374.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(98 Points) Among the most saturated blue/purple/black-colored examples of the vintage, Taylor's 2000 tastes like a young vintage of Chateau Latour on steroids. Aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis and smoke jump from the glass. Spectacularly concentrated and enormously endowed, with sweetness allied to ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layer upon layer of fruit and extract, this is the leading candidate for the port of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.

2000 Warre's Vintage Port
Price: $79.00    Your Price: $69.52
Quantity in Stock: 6

(91 Points) Straightforward yet intense, ripe black raspberry liqueur and cassis scents are followed by a medium to full-bodied, elegant, restrained, balanced port with moderately high tannin as well as outstanding purity. It is a vintage port with impeccable finesse. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. Wine Advocate # 143, Oct 2002

1997 Fonseca Vintage Port
Price: $90.00    Your Price: $79.20
Quantity in Stock: 21

(93 Points) Somewhat of a lightweight for Fonseca, but undeniably charming, this dark ruby/purple-colored wine offers a floral, exotic, flamboyant bouquet, a sweet, fleshy style, but not a great deal of weight or massiveness. Heady alcohol, sweet tannin, and a velvety texture make for a gorgeous finish. While I would have preferred to have seen more weight, structure, and intensity, this is an outstanding, albeit lighter than normal Fonseca. Anticipated maturity: now-2020 Wine Advocate # 126 Jan 2000

1997 Niepoort Quintade Passadouro Port
Price: $62.00    Sale Price: $49.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

"The 1997 is an elegant Port, though having some good depth. Its tannins were melted and some secondary flavours were already starting to show, the fruit was chaging from ripe plums to candied figs. It is reaching its 2nd plateau of maturity.  Passadouro is an early drinker but this 1997 is one of the good port wines they made in the 90's.

1997 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Price: $90.00    Your Price: $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 19

(96 points)Saturated black/purple-colored, with stunning aromatics of blueberries, blackberries, licorice, and iron, this spectacular vintage port is one of the stars of the vintage. Extremely full-bodied, with silky tannin, spectacular concentration and purity, multiple flavor levels, and an evolved, forward personality, this is an exquisite yet precocious 1997 vintage port. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030. Wine Advocate #126 (Jan 2000 issue)

1996 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port
Price: $575.00    Your Price: $506.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(95 Points) Supple, with rich chocolate and dark plum flavors balanced by fresh, ferrous notes. A touch closed now, and filled with plenty of rich smoky and inky notes that take on an almost oily consistency. Very firm finish.”Non-blind Quinta do Noval Nacional retrospective (February 2011). Best from 2015 through 2030. 250 cases made. “KM Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2011

1995 Dow Vintage Port                 
Price: $70.00       Sale $50.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

1995 Fonseca Guimaraens                          
Price: $65.00       Sale $45.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

1995 Graham’s Malvedos                            
Price: $65.00       Sale $50.00
Quantity in Stock: 5

1994 Churchill's Vintage Port
Price: $87.00    Your Price: $76.56
Quantity in Stock: 1

(89 points) Although Churchill's 1994 is a rich, full-bodied, powerful port, it does not possess quite the complexity, richness, and overall dimension of the top wines of the vintage. It is made in a slightly drier style, with plenty of guts and tannin. Give it at least a decade of cellaring. It will be one of the more austere (I do not mean that in a pejorative sense) examples of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025. Wine Advocate #107 Oct 1996

1994 Cockburns Vintage Port                     
Price: $75.00       Sale $60.00
Quantity in Stock: 12

1994 Dow Vintage Port                 
Price: $100.00    Sale $85.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

1994 Gould Campbell Vintage Port                         
Price: $90.00       Sale $70.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1994 Graham’s Vintage Port                      
Price: 110.00       Sale $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

1994 Nieport Vintage Port          
Price: $125.00    Sale $100.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

1994 Offley Boa Vista Port                          
Price: $ 65.00      Sale $50.00
Quantity in Stock: 10

1994 Smith Woodhouse Vinatge Port
Price: $99.00    Your Price: $87.12
Quantity in Stock: 2

(90 Points) An under-rated producer, Smith-Woodhouse has turned out a port with an impressively saturated dark ruby/purple color. This powerful port is moderately sweet, forward, rich, and full-bodied, with nicely integrated alcohol and tannin. While it is not one of the vintage's blockbusters, it should be ready to drink in 3-5 years and keep for 15-20. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2018. Wine Advocate #107 Oct 1996 Reviewer: Robert Parker

1994 Passadouro Vintage Port  
Price: $75.00       Sale $60.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1994 Passadouro Vintage Port  
Price: $75.00       Sale $60.00
Quantity in Stock: 10

1994 Quinta de Eira Velba           
Price: $95.00       Sale $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1994 Ramos Pintos Port
Price: $65.00       Sale $50.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

1994 Ramos Pintos Port               
Price: $65.00       Sale $50.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

1994 Warres Vintage Port           
Price: $85.00       Sale $70.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

1992 Fonseca Vintage Port                         
Price: $125.00    Sale $95.00
Quantity in Stock: 8

1992 Passadouro Vintage Port                    
Price: $65.00       Sale $50.00         
Quantity in Stock: 3

1991 Dows Vintage Port
Price: $99.00    Your Price: $87.12
Quantity in Stock: 1

1991 Graham’s Vintage Port
Price: $98.00    Your Price: $86.24
Quantity in Stock: 1

1985 Dows Vintage Port
Price: $121.50    Your Price: $106.92
Quantity in Stock: 1

(89 Points) Dark ruby-purple. Powerful aromas of raisin, blackberry and dark chocolate follow through to a full body, with medium sweetness and a firm, slightly chewy finish. Good fruit. Even nutty. Drying a little. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2008

1985 Fonseca Vintage Port                         
Price: $125.00    Sale $90.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1985 Gould Campbell Vintage Port                         
Price:  $100.00   Sale $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 4

1985 Rebello Valente Vintage Port         
Price: $95.00       Sale $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1985 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Price: $138.00    Your Price: $121.44
Quantity in Stock: 1

1985 Warres Vintage Port
Price: $96.75    Your Price: $85.14
Quantity in Stock: 1

1983 Cockburn’s Vintage Port                   
Price: $120.00    Sale $100.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1983 Graham’s Vintage Port                      
Price: $125.00    Sale $90.00
Quantity in Stock: 9

1983 Graham’s Vintage Port      
Price: $125.00    Sale $90.00
Quantity in Stock: 9

1977 Croft Vintage Port                
Price: $100          Sale $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1977 Fonseca Vintage Port                        
Price: $215          Sale $170.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port                         
Price: $125.00    Sale $100.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1977 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Price: $195          Sale $150.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1977 Warres Vintage Port
Price: $113.00    Sale Price: $90.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(93 Points) Deep garnet. Very pretty plum and berry aromas, with hints of honey and toffee. Turns to custard. Full-bodied, sweet and fresh. Firm tannins, with elegance and balance. Will age for a long time, but ready. Generous, but subtle. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now. –JS Wine Spectator, Issue: Web Only - 2008

1970 Grahams Vintage Port
Price: $195.00    Sale $150.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1970 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Price: $215.00    Sale Price: $175.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(96 Points) This house must certainly be the Latour of Portugal. Their ports are remarkably backward yet still impressive when young. Of all the vintage ports, those of Taylor need the longest time to mature and even when fully mature seem to have an inner strength and firmness that keep them going for decades. Their tawnys are also among the very best, though somewhat expensive. The 1970 fabulous, a broodingly dense-colored, backward port that has all the signs of future greatness, provided one is willing to cellar it until the early 1990s. Wine Advocate  Buying Guide, 2nd Edition, Jan 1989

1970 Warre's Vintage Port
Price: $130.50    Your Price: $114.84
Quantity in Stock: 5

(88 Points) Wonderful fruit on the palate, but slightly one-dimensional. Medium to deep red, with earthy cassis and tomato aromas, full-bodied, with concentrated black cherry flavors, medium tannins and a long, sweet finish. Quite delicate. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 1989

1965 Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Port
Price: $300.00    Your Price: $264.00
Quantity in Stock: 4

During its five decades of aging in oak casks, this wine has taken on an attractive pale mahogany color with olive amber highlights. On the nose, the wine displays delicate oaky aromas, walnuts, figs, demerara sugar and hints of caramel intertwined with spicy, cigar box notes. The palate is silky smooth, with mocha and honeyed notes on the entry. Crisp acidity carries the wine to its long and richly textured finish. Finely constituted and beautifully balanced, this rare Single Harvest Tawny Port would be an exceptional tribute to any 50th anniversary or birthday.

1964 Taylor Fladgate Very Old Single Harvest Port
Price: $300.00    Your Price: $264.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

The first in the series is a 1964 Single Harvest of exceptional character. The 1964 Single Harvest release will be followed a year later by the launch of an equally rare and exceptional 1965. Further annual releases of 50 year old Single Harvest Ports will follow.   During its five decades of ageing in oak casks, this wine has taken on an attractive pale mahogany colour with olive amber highlights. On the nose the wine displays fine oaky aromas and complex spicy, nutty, cigar box notes against a warm mellow background of butterscotch and molasses. The smooth velvety palate is lifted by a crisp acidity which gives the wine an attractive freshness in spite of its age. The finish is immensely long with rich, spicy, black pepper flavours lingering on the palate. Finely constituted and beautifully balanced, this rare Single Harvest Port would be an exceptional tribute to any 50th anniversary.

1963 Grahams Vintage Port                        
Price: $360.00    Sale $300.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1937 Warres Tawny Port Reserve
Price: $399.00    Sale Price: $320.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1863 Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Port
List Price: $4085.00
    Your Price: $3594.80
Quantity in Stock: 1

The Taylor Fladgate 1863 Single Harvest Tawny will be offered in a specially-made crystal decanter presented in a superb wooden presentation box with a maple burl veneer. Each box contains a certificate personally signed by Taylor Fladgate’s Managing Director, Adrian Bridge.  98 Points, Wine Advocate

Dows 20 Year Tawny Port
Price: $49.00    Your Price: $43.12
Quantity in Stock: 1

Buller Tokay Tawny Port (375ml)
Price: $16.50    Sale Price: $9.75
Quantity in Stock: 41

(91 Points) Syrupy sweet, but not too rich, with lots of honey and spice flavors that persist appealingly on the long, delicately balanced finish. Drink now. 3,000 cases made. –HS Wine Spectator Issue: May 15, 2004

NV Chambers Rare Muscat 375ml           
Price: $230          Sale $180.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

NV Chambers Rare Tokay  375ml             
Price: $195.00    Sale $150.00
Quantity in Stock: 2