For The Love Of Port

2006 Vesuvio - Gorgeous deep, vibrant, huge dose of complex spices, wine of the tasting for me. I love the lesser ripeness (though 06 was supposedly a warmer vintage), and that melange of Vesuvio spice, a wine that anchors the other end of the spectrum from Graham's. 96 This tasting note is one of s...

2007 Smith Woodhouse - Expectations? don't know, but this was a bit unbalanced, moderately sweet, maybe a bit syrupy, lacking much complexity. 88

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2003 Smith Woodhouse - Deep and dark, though just starting to shed it's opaqueness relative to the 07s, huge, deep, medium sweet, a bit one-dimensional but enjoyable. 91

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2007 Warre's - Big and bold, medium sweetness, some anise and nice complexities. 93

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1985 Warre's - Medium bodied, intense, deep, lush, spices, excellent balance, long finish. 95. A reminder that every bottle is different, as this vintage was poured the last time Dominic Symington came around a few years ago. While good, it wasn't as good as this bottle, showing softer, with a bit o...

2007 Dow - Deep, intense, vibrant, bit of anise and spice, good finish. 94 points

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1994 Dow - Medium/light body, nice sweetness, some spice, decent finish. 91. Given that I tasted this early, and Richard showed up a bit later, I have to assume we tasted from two different bottles. I should have gone back, as I have to believe this was somewhat unrepresentative. Brought back some m...

2007 Graham's - Huge, lush, vibrant, typical Graham's with it's higher toned riper style. 94

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1980 Graham's - Medium/light body is a bit deceptive, giving way to a huge, intense, deep, lush wine, with a full bodied mouth feel and great balance. It would be nice to see a little more color intensity, but that's a minor nit. Drink this in a dark room. 95 points This tasting note is one of sever...

2007 Vesuvio - Deeply flavored, a touch raw relative to the other 07s, shows the more baritone house style with hints of anise, herbs, and lavendar. Always a favorite of mine. 94

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I think you and I are similar in age I'm planning on being around and drinking good wine/port in 40 years. 50? not so sure

Roy, I think Andy did a similar tasting in L.A., this was here in the Bay Area. I did like them, but in some ways they seem a little modern and forward. Obviously this was just a snapshot, so I should reserve some judgement, but I wonder if they're 50 year wines?
Cheers

Just catching up on some notes, this was back in October, at Beltramos with Dominic Symington. 2007 Dow - Deep, intense, vibrant, bit of anise and spice, good finish. 94 1994 Dow - Medium/light body, nice sweetness, some spice, decent finish. 91. Given that I tasted this early, and Richard showed up...

2003 Croft
Dark, brooding flavors, medium/moderate tannins, some nice garrique complexity on the finish. 93 points.

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2003 Smith Woodhouse
Noticeably sweeter, moderate tannins, quite ripe, but not grapey. Very nice, but too sweet for my tastes. 91 points.

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2003 Graham's Fairly simple, one-dimensional, moderate/low tannins, short finish. After some time in the glass this improved considerably, gaining complexity, and the finish lengthened a bit, but it falls well short of the incredibly explosive 2000 model, which was like a 4th of July fireworks fina...

2003 Quinta do Vesuvio
This is similar to the Dow's, but a bit less grapey, good tannic structure, wonderful finish, the best of the bunch for me by a nose. 95 points

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2003 Taylor The nose has a bit of distracting VA, but there is good dark fruit, medium sweetness, medium/moderate tannins, decent finish. If the Dow and Vesuvio are slider and curve ball, with their range of complexities, the Taylor is a straight fastball, right down the middle. Good wine, but noth...

2003 Fonseca Again, slight VA on the nose; not dissimilar to the Taylor, but there is a medicinal component that puts me in mind of cough syrup; only moderate tannins, with a medium-short finish that leaves quite a sweet aftertaste. Another wine that falls well short of its 2000 brother. 91 point T...

2003 Dow's Impressive entry, with dark blackberry, slightly grapey, nice undertones of herb/garrique, hints of anise on the finish. One of the better structured wines, with medium tannins. 94 points. This tasting note is one of several related tasting notes. Click [here] to see the original note in...