vintage port

A surprise from Portugal

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2001 Quinta do vale meao vintage port 19.5%
Portugal

The cork crumbled away, and my records didn’t tell me where or how much I paid (long ago, and probably not much) for this lone bottle. But it’s impressive. Very dense red/black colour; there’s a wonderful mix of violets, blueberries, red cherry, and some darker fruit notes. The palate has intensity, persistence and complexity. Red liquorice, cherry, blueberry, very fine chalky tannins – stylish and authentic. A producer to watch for the more widely declared years, as this one was a ripper. Likely to be terrific value too as it follows my rule of “hard to pronounce = better value”.

Drink to 2035, 93 points

Two sweet and one strong from Europe

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2015 DV by Ch Doisy Vedrines
Sauternes (second label) and not a wine I have tried before.

Pale gold colour with green tints- cumquat, vanilla, pure, fresh; light peach and apple on the palate, but there is not much persistence. Authentic but not  thrilling (served blind, from half- bottle)

Drink now, 88 points

2013 Ch Raymond Lafon 13%
Sauternes (80% semillon, 20% sav blanc)

Sauternes. Deeper gold colour, wax and honey; supple with much more texture – orange citrus and tropical notes. Apricots and light nuts – this is a serious wine, with vibrancy and conpelcoity (served blind, from half- bottle)

Drink to 2032, 92 points

2005 quinta do noval silval vintage port 19.5%
Portugal

Single Quinta wines from – generally – undeclared years can combine huge pleasure with VFM. Anyway, this shows delicious juicy blueberry and red cherry, there’s some “putty” in the spirit, a touch of almond meal. There’s substance and texture, but tannins are fully resolved and “diffuse”. Clear Portuguese style, but lacking the presence and intensity of a generally declared year. No complaints, buts it’s a drink soon proposition.

Drink to 2030, and 90 points

An Oz model VP

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Stanton and Killeen Vintage Port 19%
Rutherglen

Served blind. Medium ruby colour with clean spirit; blueberry, red liquorice, roses, sweet cherry liqueur, camphor and spices. Very concentrated, fresh VP style with integrated tannins – but with different tannins than Portugal, and a little sweeter. Setting origin aside, a marvellous wine, with some light chocolate vanilla crème, and plum adding to the intrigue. Australian – probably Stanton and Killeen – 2005? was my conclusion.

Unveiled, it proved older than anticipated, and clearly on a monster plateau. I last wrote about this wine in 2018, and I was delighted to taste it again. (60% Shiraz, 25% Touriga, 5% each of tinta cao, tinta barocca and Durif). The back-label had a litany of its well-deserved wine show successes. A piece of history, and a great success in provoking memories plus providing enormous drinking satisfaction.

Drink to 2035 or longer- 96 points

Surprises recently

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1972 Gayfers Durif Port
Rutherglen (Chiltern)

I wrote about this wine in June 2017, but this time – served blind- it presented very differently. Such is life, when dealing with a 50-year-old wine from a winery that made way for a highway. This time around, I was puzzled by the tawny, aged colour with an amber rim; sweet fruited (pulled me to Australia as its origin) with dried fruit peel and a lot of vanilla (pulled me away from a VP style), but missing the rancio/acidy to point at a tawny. Regardless, it provided genuine drinking pleasure and bafflement after the reveal.

Drink now (or sooner, based on this bottle) – 88 points

2007 Ch de fargues 13.9%
Sauternes
This was a hasty replacement for a 2005 Ch Doisy Daene that was a bit limp; faint TCA was suggested, but it looked quietly oxidised to me which robbed its vibrancy– cork frailty in both instances. But the de Fargues was a brilliant backup. Not easy to find in Australia, but the few bottles I have tasted have been memorable.

This was a deep burnished gold colour, with an unmistakable Sauternes origin- apricot, yellow peach, vanilla icing, orange blossom; lively with spices and bitter orange notes on the syrupy palate. Power with balance. A sublime and lengthy finish. While ravishing now, I would drink up if you are fortunate to have any bottles handy.

Drink to 2023, 95 points

Impressive Europeans from one dinner (all served blind)

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2010 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spatlese AP#8 7.5%
Mosel, Germany
Gold colour, still a touch of reduction, apple, cinnamon, and the palate is lush, delicate and balanced. This is an absolute delight, with poised sweetness (sweet for spätlese too) and acidity. A very high-acid year in Germany, and Zilliken achieved marvellous high sweetness levels.

Drink to 2035 (but irresistible now) and 95 points

2014 Ch Rayne Vigneau Sauternes 13.5%
Medium gold colour, then all sorts of tropical fruits – pineapple rind, dried paw-paw, crème brulee, almond; palate is stylish, with marzipan, citrus, pear, freshness and balance. Some other tasters thought this was fully mature and ready, but I see no need for haste. Serious wine!

Drink to 2033, 93 points

2015 ch Bastor-Lamontagne Sauternes 13.5%
Lighter gold colour; light apricots, and mealiness. Straightforward, easy (and ready) to drink,

Drink to 2028, 90 points

2017 Taylor’s Vintage Port 20%
Portugal

Vivid, astonishingly youthful black/purple colour – ultra fragrant – camphor, blueberry, cocoa, mulberry. Palate is supple, with drive, enormous concentration, strong defined tannins that the fruit power defies. Portuguese varieties for sure, and the savouriness is definitively Portugal. Then the liqueur cherry flavours meld with the blueberry and mulberry; the spirit is supportive. Drive and persistence. What a wine! And yet with a long, long way to go, this is insanely good.

Drink to 2045 (or more), 97 points – and will deserve more in time.

Another Rutherglen ripper

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1978 Morris Vintage Port
Rutherglen, 62% Shiraz, 17% Cab Sav, 17% Bastardo (touriga), 4% Durif

A recent auction purchase, the level was down slightly (but good for age), the cork was slightly raised, and proved soggy. But the wine was just fine.

Great colour for age- liquorice, plum, blackberry, camphor, mixed spices; palate powerfully packed with mixed dark fruit as above; mocha, and spirit seamlessly melded in. Clearly Australian, and a wine of depth and charm. Tasters were totally surprised by the final options question on its age “1978, 1982 or 1986”, as the colour in no way indicated a >40 y/o wine. Indestructible, given the less-than-perfect storage evidenced by the slight ullage and condition of the cork. My assumption is that the Cabernet and Durif components were to bolster the tannins, and the Touriga to add floral and spice notes; and a great result from the blend overall.

Drink to 2035, 93 points

Three blind beauties

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2011 sauternes pair

2011 Chateau Suduiraut 13.5%
2011 Chateau Raymond-Lafon 13.5%

This pair was served blind; and I was called on to describe and assess (towards the end of a terrific EOY dinner). Both were a healthy bright gold colour, and the apricot and vanilla notes instantly took me to Sauternes.

The first wine (Suduiraut) displayed just-ripe apricot, quince, dusty botrytis with terrific presence and drama; and a touch of floor polish. Lots of vanilla on the palate, honey, ginger, and abundant fruit power from a ripe year. Very sweet (138 g/l), but balanced. (93% semillon,  7% sav blanc).
Drink to 2035, 93 points.

The second wine (Raymond-lafon) had a slightly less developed colour, with greater tropical and pineapple notes. This wine had the magic combo of florals, citrus and balance (149 g/l rs); delightfully fresh and authentic. Pressed, I went for Barsac on this one – likely Ch Coutet – I was wrong but what a nice surprise!
Drink to 2038, 94 points

2007 quinta do vale meao

2007 Quinta do Vale meao 19.5%
Portugal. Also served blind, this was a vivid deep color. Blueberry, violets, dark cherry, elegant and with vivacity. Plus a producer I don’t recall trying. Portuguese for sure, early 2000s. But hard to concentrate at the end of a long night! Quality with aplomb.
Drink to 2034 . 92 points.

Two very different Oz fortifieds (inc one fail)

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seppelt 1983 para

1983 Seppelt Para Liqueur (single vintage Tawny) 20.5%
Barossa, released around 2004, with no further improvement once bottled. Grenache, likely with Shiraz (and maybe something else). A bit of breathing helps. Gosh this is good.

In the familiar bell-shaped bottle, the colour was a deep khaki with a telltale olive green rim,  Floral and decadent, displaying very fire brandy spirit; caramel, vanilla and almond. Fresh and delicious, mocha, spices, salinity, and citrus peel, with a generous, lasting set of flavours. I have reviewed the 1976 and 1991 before – the line provides marvels of consistent pleasure, with the 2003 available on the Seppeltsfield website for $105.

Drink now (but any decent unopened bottle will safely keep).  94. points.

1977 morris VP

1977 Morris Vintage Port
Rutherglen (70% Shiraz, 30% Bastardo -aka Touriga)
Faded label, with a marginally raised cork, and the level was high shoulder but no dramas.

Still a deep red/black colour! Mocha, brandy, sweet brambles and blackberry; palate is sweet and syrupy, but defiantly fresh, sweet fruit and mellowness. Indestructible.

There were – alas – some cork artefacts present – I struggled to disentangle cork taint from corky/woodiness, and about and hour later reluctantly conceded that that very low-grade TCA was present, But very few would still resist drinking the wine. Such is life under the arbitrary hands of cork deities. Despite this “fail”, other bottles are worth seeking out.

No score but drink to 2035.

Two from Portugal

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1975 Cockburn VP

1975 Cockburn Vintage Port

Served blind. Amber tawny colour, and clearly old (early 80s?). Roses, light mocha, sugared almond; palate less fragile than expected; spirit is holding this wine together. Unveiled – a modest VP year, a modest producer, but a triumph to have survived damn near 50 years. Certainly its been better in the past, but no shame, and no problems drinking my share!

Drink up, 91 points

2000 fonseca

2000 Fonseca Vintage Port 20.5%
Medium ruby colour; very floral with blueberry, roses and violets, spice notes too; palate is bright and crisp, very supple and civilized, dark red fruits, almond sugar, refined tannins and beautifully judged spirit. Enormous drinkability too. (This was a much better result than the bottles tasted in October 2023!)

Drink to 2035, 95 points

Just one masked wine

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2001 Peter Lehmann “the king” AD 2022 Vintage Port 18.5%
Barossa Valley, 63% Cab sav, 37% Touriga

Youthful colour; absolutely bursts from the glass- musk, raspberry, blueberry, dark cherry and red liquorice. Floral with clove notes, high quality spirit. Palate is deep and sweet with some attractive mocha notes. 2005? Comfortable, with dark fruits and abundant spices. Australian for sure with the sweetness, but with a reasonable whack of Portuguese varieties – likely Touriga. I guessed the main variety as Shiraz, but surprisingly it was Cabernet Sauvignon! Unusual, but probably included to bolster the tannic frame (sometimes the task of Durif in Australian VP styles).

The ”AD 2022” is the label’s confusing cue that the wine has the capability of maturing for 21 years (and suitable for a birthday occasion).

The wine is Just a bit straightforward for higher marks, but eminently enjoyable, and thought-provoking.

Drink to 2034, and 91 points