Berserkers,
After having retried the Six Grapes Port recently and then tried the Quinta Do Noval BLACK on Roy’s and Andy’s recommendations, I got an itch for Vintage Port I just had to scratch with the following two VPs:
WARRE’S 1983 VINTAGE PORT – My first Oh. My. God. of 2012 is here. An instant nominee for my 2013 Stickie Best Overall Sweet Wine award. Seriously. All other sweet wines this year have a very tough act to follow. So how is it?
Inky purple color, full body, a caramel, plum, and sweet black cherry nose with a fantastically mellow whiff of tannin and a very well integrated heat on the nose that is a good portent of what’s to come with the first sip.
In the mouth, this has an absolutely stunning and perfectly integrated taste of butterscotch and plums integrated perfectly –- and I mean perfectly -– with mellow tannins and soft gentle but warming heat. Not an alcoholic heat burn but more like a warm cozy fireplace in the plaate. This is awful close but just a tad shy of the 1977 Graham’s and 1985 Dow’s Vintage Ports, and like those two wines I honestly cannot see this getting better with age. I mean, really, how does perfection improve upon itself in these three cases?
I don’t want to mislead anyone and certainly invite the Port experts on the board who may want to chime in with their opinions if they think this can cellar longer but my own personal opinion is to not deprive yourself and drink this beautiful wine right now. 29 years is a long enough wait. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
DOW’S 1999 QUINTA DO BOMFIM VINTAGE PORT – Opened up this half bottle for UFC/Super Bowl weekend. Opaque purple color, full body, butterscotch and plum nose that combine with the alcohol vapours to give a nose of freshly baked plum pudding. It’s an olfactory illusion, really, but damn is it a good illusion. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the nose a bit more than the Warre’s 1983 above.
Tastes of caramel, plum, sweet dark cherries, with strong but not too heavy tannin and heat on the finish. Obviously not as well integrated as the Warre’s but this is still absolutely delicious and a fantastic QPR for a half bottle. Tannins and heat might integrate better if you let it cellar and my instinct is that you really probably should but I honestly have absolutely zero regrets about having opened this bottle now and intend to enjoy it all the way through. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Wow. What a combo. I deliberately chose a budget buster and a budget friendly pair of Vintage Ports for contrast and I am glad I did. I very much appreciate Roy and Andy encouraging me to be open-minded and enjoying Ruby Port for what it is, but you know what? DON’T LISTEN TO THE CRAZY MEN!!! Vintage Port is where it’s at!!!
Okay, at its price levels Vintage Port is not really an “everyday drinker” and more of a special occasion treat, true. Still, I have to point out that the single quinta Dow’s half-bottle is LESS than a standard icewine half-bottle! The very definition of high QPR value and at least a weekly drinker if not an everyday one.
Yep, I’m definitely a Port Fiend ™ now.