This wine was from the year my daughter was born and is the wine I have bought to give her on her 21st.
Thought I'd open my first bottle to see how it is doing at 11 years of age. As I decanted the wine, the room filled with an intense smell of sweet blackcurrant pie. There was some sediment, mostly fine but with a couple of larger deposits left behind in the bottle.
The wine is very dark, a deep and intense dark red. No browning on the edge but has lost the purple of youth. Thick and viscous, it clings to the edge of the decanter and leaves a stain on the glass that gradually fades away.
How am I going to resist tasting this for another 8 hours....?
Alex
1994 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port
Moderators: Glenn E., Andy Velebil
One of my favorites from the exalted 1994 vintage and the Vesuvio that really ratcheted up my opinion of this fine producer. You are in for a great treat. I bought a few cases of these and have been absolutely thrilled by this stunning young wine that nears perfection for my Port palate. Your mileage may vary.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
I couldn't resist a sip straight out of the decanter.
Not good. Very dry entry and very pronounced tannins. Sweet fruit, but not balanced. 81/100.
But I'm not worried. I know the provenance of these bottles as I bought them en primeur and they have been in my cellar since delivery to the UK.
I'll try it again after about 4 hours in the decanter.
Not good. Very dry entry and very pronounced tannins. Sweet fruit, but not balanced. 81/100.
But I'm not worried. I know the provenance of these bottles as I bought them en primeur and they have been in my cellar since delivery to the UK.
I'll try it again after about 4 hours in the decanter.
Now the serious tasting. 12 hours after decanting.
Very sweet wine, the drops I spilt pouring into the glass have dried to be very sticky.
Colour hasn't changed. Still an intense, deep red. No purple, no browning. Still very viscous, leaving a rim of colour when swirled in the glass - what an amazing boquet! Just swirling to see the colour on the glass fills my nose with blackcurrants from a couple of feet away. Wow!
A touch too much alcohol on the nose for my taste when sniffed in the glass, but I am being hyper-critical. Underneath all those blackcurrants is something else, a touch of mint perhaps.
Soft into the mouth, with a first impression of spearmint. Then wave after wave of sweet blackcurrant jam, developing into subtle hints of creamy coffee and chocolate behind all those blackcurrants. The unbalanced tannins from earlier are gone - in fact, all the tannins are gone! Finish is very, very long. At first it leaves an aftertaste of warm chestnuts, which fades into coffee and dark chocolate.
This is a lovely wine, which is extremely enjoyable now but which will be better in 5 years. This is still a wine where the fruit and primary flavours dominate. Overall, I would rate this today around 94/100.
Alex - off for some serious sipping of this wine now that I have finished my notes.
Very sweet wine, the drops I spilt pouring into the glass have dried to be very sticky.
Colour hasn't changed. Still an intense, deep red. No purple, no browning. Still very viscous, leaving a rim of colour when swirled in the glass - what an amazing boquet! Just swirling to see the colour on the glass fills my nose with blackcurrants from a couple of feet away. Wow!
A touch too much alcohol on the nose for my taste when sniffed in the glass, but I am being hyper-critical. Underneath all those blackcurrants is something else, a touch of mint perhaps.
Soft into the mouth, with a first impression of spearmint. Then wave after wave of sweet blackcurrant jam, developing into subtle hints of creamy coffee and chocolate behind all those blackcurrants. The unbalanced tannins from earlier are gone - in fact, all the tannins are gone! Finish is very, very long. At first it leaves an aftertaste of warm chestnuts, which fades into coffee and dark chocolate.
This is a lovely wine, which is extremely enjoyable now but which will be better in 5 years. This is still a wine where the fruit and primary flavours dominate. Overall, I would rate this today around 94/100.
Alex - off for some serious sipping of this wine now that I have finished my notes.
Alex,
Fabulous prose. I felt like I was sitting next to you sipping the wine. Isn't it incredible to see the morphing of VP over an exteded period and then to realize that there are some poor folks who pop the cork, remove the sediment and start drinking right away. So sad.
As mentioned above, this wine is killer and I think you got to see how great it is in its toddler stage, now that it is out of its "infancy." As I first wrote nearly nine years ago on the old AOL wine boards ... this wine will last 5 decades. Four more to go.
Fabulous prose. I felt like I was sitting next to you sipping the wine. Isn't it incredible to see the morphing of VP over an exteded period and then to realize that there are some poor folks who pop the cork, remove the sediment and start drinking right away. So sad.
As mentioned above, this wine is killer and I think you got to see how great it is in its toddler stage, now that it is out of its "infancy." As I first wrote nearly nine years ago on the old AOL wine boards ... this wine will last 5 decades. Four more to go.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
I had some of this left after last night - Elizabeth was tired and went to bed early so there was only me drinking.
I had some more this afternoon, 28 hours after decanting.
It is still superb. To my palate (which is not the greatest), it is just as good now as it was when I was drinking it last night, perhaps slightly better as some of the alcohol on the nose has integrated better in to the boquet of the wine.
This is still a stunning mouthful of fruit with a superb length. Oh, this is superb!
And, yes, I will save some of this for my daughter - I was far sighted enough to buy 2 cases en primeur. One for her and 11 bottles left for me.
I can also see some of my hard earned cash going on some more of this once Christmas is over and there is a bit of space in my cellar.
Alex
I had some more this afternoon, 28 hours after decanting.
It is still superb. To my palate (which is not the greatest), it is just as good now as it was when I was drinking it last night, perhaps slightly better as some of the alcohol on the nose has integrated better in to the boquet of the wine.
This is still a stunning mouthful of fruit with a superb length. Oh, this is superb!
And, yes, I will save some of this for my daughter - I was far sighted enough to buy 2 cases en primeur. One for her and 11 bottles left for me.
I can also see some of my hard earned cash going on some more of this once Christmas is over and there is a bit of space in my cellar.Alex
36 hours after decanting this wine was still singing, but was finally starting to change.
Still full of fruit and still a fabulous wine in beautiful balance, the acidity of the wine was starting to come through on entry. More dark chocolate/coffee flavours were coming through on the aftertaste with the tannins starting to show their presence.
But this is still a gorgeous wine.
Alex
Still full of fruit and still a fabulous wine in beautiful balance, the acidity of the wine was starting to come through on entry. More dark chocolate/coffee flavours were coming through on the aftertaste with the tannins starting to show their presence.
But this is still a gorgeous wine.
Alex
After 56 hours in the decanter, this wine is starting to decline. The nose is where that shows the most - lots of alcohol with the fruit being very much second to that. The fruit is still there, still sweet blackcurrants but is dominated by the alcohol.
Still the same deep, intense red colour - the colour of the blackberry juice that runs out of the pies that my wife cooks. Maybe a hint of brown just beginning to show, but perhaps that's my imagination.
In the mouth the initial flavour is coffee, but then the fruit comes charging in and overwhelms all else. The acidity has also come out strongly, with a spicy, curry flavour along the side of the tongue that is quite pleasant but was not there yesterday.
The chocolately length is shorter than yesterday and starts to show the alcohol through the burn on the back of the throat as you swallow.
However, this is still a darn sight better than some of the wines I have drunk at their peak. If I had to rate it, I would put it at about 90/100 - and holding well. I wonder if I can keep a glass until tomorrow...
Alex
Still the same deep, intense red colour - the colour of the blackberry juice that runs out of the pies that my wife cooks. Maybe a hint of brown just beginning to show, but perhaps that's my imagination.
In the mouth the initial flavour is coffee, but then the fruit comes charging in and overwhelms all else. The acidity has also come out strongly, with a spicy, curry flavour along the side of the tongue that is quite pleasant but was not there yesterday.
The chocolately length is shorter than yesterday and starts to show the alcohol through the burn on the back of the throat as you swallow.
However, this is still a darn sight better than some of the wines I have drunk at their peak. If I had to rate it, I would put it at about 90/100 - and holding well. I wonder if I can keep a glass until tomorrow...
Alex
And finally, 85 hours after decanting, I have a 1oz pour left in the glass in front of me.
As I sit here typing, I can smell the fruit from the wine. It has changed from the blackcurrants of three days ago to the smell of cooked morello cherries, very pleasant and very inviting. It is still a deep, dark red but there is a stronger hint of a rusty edge to the wine. Its still thick and full of glycerine, but no longer leaves a coating of colour on the glass after a swirl.
Sticking my nose into the glass does bring out the fruit, but also some dusty hints to the fruit and much more obvious alcohol than before. Nothing like as good as the nose yesterday, on a par with some of the lesser year single quintas I've had, like the Panascal 1986. OK, not great.
In the mouth the entry is of apple juice and lemon juice. The mid palate still brings lots and lots of fruit, but now it is the fruit of cherries and blueberries with a spicy, cinnamon overtone. The fruit on the aftertaste is much shorter, but the dark chocolate that comes through on the aftertaste lasts a very long time.
Still a good wine and on a par with a mid range SQ. Points - I would put this around 88.
Now I will enjoy the last few sips of this glorious wine.
Alex
As I sit here typing, I can smell the fruit from the wine. It has changed from the blackcurrants of three days ago to the smell of cooked morello cherries, very pleasant and very inviting. It is still a deep, dark red but there is a stronger hint of a rusty edge to the wine. Its still thick and full of glycerine, but no longer leaves a coating of colour on the glass after a swirl.
Sticking my nose into the glass does bring out the fruit, but also some dusty hints to the fruit and much more obvious alcohol than before. Nothing like as good as the nose yesterday, on a par with some of the lesser year single quintas I've had, like the Panascal 1986. OK, not great.
In the mouth the entry is of apple juice and lemon juice. The mid palate still brings lots and lots of fruit, but now it is the fruit of cherries and blueberries with a spicy, cinnamon overtone. The fruit on the aftertaste is much shorter, but the dark chocolate that comes through on the aftertaste lasts a very long time.
Still a good wine and on a par with a mid range SQ. Points - I would put this around 88.
Now I will enjoy the last few sips of this glorious wine.
Alex
Alex,
Thanks for giving us a bird's eye view of this wine, which I love very much. Way high in the pecking order of the 1994 vintage and the first GREAT Vesuvio in modern times.
When you provided an 88 pt. rating of this wine, I can only assume that was based on your last night's experience with the wine, after it was heading downhill.
What would you have rated this VP after it had reached the 28 hour mark (after decanting) and you had practically used up every superlative known to mankind?
Thanks for giving us a bird's eye view of this wine, which I love very much. Way high in the pecking order of the 1994 vintage and the first GREAT Vesuvio in modern times.
When you provided an 88 pt. rating of this wine, I can only assume that was based on your last night's experience with the wine, after it was heading downhill.
What would you have rated this VP after it had reached the 28 hour mark (after decanting) and you had practically used up every superlative known to mankind?
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Roy,
You are right. The 88 point rating after 85 hours of decanter time was for the wine as tasted at that time.
After 28 hours, I would have given the wine 95 points. That was probably its peak as I tasted it, but I have the distinct impression that it would have been at its best sometime between 12 and 28 hours - I just didn't have the chance to try it (family life got in the way)
I also note that I didn't put a score against the description after 36 hours of decanting time. For the sake of completeness, I would give it a 92 at that point - but then I love all those chocolately/coffee tones.
Alex
You are right. The 88 point rating after 85 hours of decanter time was for the wine as tasted at that time.
After 28 hours, I would have given the wine 95 points. That was probably its peak as I tasted it, but I have the distinct impression that it would have been at its best sometime between 12 and 28 hours - I just didn't have the chance to try it (family life got in the way)
I also note that I didn't put a score against the description after 36 hours of decanting time. For the sake of completeness, I would give it a 92 at that point - but then I love all those chocolately/coffee tones.
Alex
Derek,
If you've six in the cellar, I would say that it is well worth considering opening one now! Although it will mature and develop over the next dozens of years, you have enough to be able to open one every 5 years and see how it develops.
All I can say is that it is a fabulous wine today and I can't wait for an excuse to open my next one. Probably my daughter's 18th birthday in 7 years time
...or maybe her 12th birthday in 4 months time
Alex
If you've six in the cellar, I would say that it is well worth considering opening one now! Although it will mature and develop over the next dozens of years, you have enough to be able to open one every 5 years and see how it develops.
All I can say is that it is a fabulous wine today and I can't wait for an excuse to open my next one. Probably my daughter's 18th birthday in 7 years time
...or maybe her 12th birthday in 4 months time
Alex
Alex,
I am gaining respect for your palate even more. Your comment about this wine being at its best between the 12th and 28th hour is spot on. It really needs 12 hours IMO, but other folks might like it with even a bit more subdued tannins. I don't like to soften a young Port beyond recognition by OVER decanting them. I know folks who decant for 2 or 3 days and are very happy when there is still fruit yet the tannins have been dumbed down beyond recognition and all they get is fruit and softness on the palate. I am all for some grip in the youngsters, but do prefer to at least "tame" the tannins so it is pleasurable to drink. But that is the fun thing. What is pleasurable to me, might be painful to the next person. That is why it is best to try wines for yourself.
I was very high on some wines that other critics were not so crazy about in 2003. Dow, Croft and Niepoort come to mind. There are certainly critics out there that did not like or even panned them. That is why it is critical to find which person's palate you can align yours with.
For example, Nick A. and I have almost never agreed on a single Port. Does that make either of us wrong? Heck no! Does that mean my palate is better, just because I have most likely had lots more VPs over the years. A more emphatic NO. He likes what tastes good to him and he is therefore RIGHT. As long as someone has tasted the wine to back up their statements, cool. It is only when folks start touting or panning a wine that they've never had that I take them to task. 8) In almost every vintage review I have done, there is always a paragraph on making one's own assessments and not going solely by journo-critics.
I am gaining respect for your palate even more. Your comment about this wine being at its best between the 12th and 28th hour is spot on. It really needs 12 hours IMO, but other folks might like it with even a bit more subdued tannins. I don't like to soften a young Port beyond recognition by OVER decanting them. I know folks who decant for 2 or 3 days and are very happy when there is still fruit yet the tannins have been dumbed down beyond recognition and all they get is fruit and softness on the palate. I am all for some grip in the youngsters, but do prefer to at least "tame" the tannins so it is pleasurable to drink. But that is the fun thing. What is pleasurable to me, might be painful to the next person. That is why it is best to try wines for yourself.
I was very high on some wines that other critics were not so crazy about in 2003. Dow, Croft and Niepoort come to mind. There are certainly critics out there that did not like or even panned them. That is why it is critical to find which person's palate you can align yours with.
For example, Nick A. and I have almost never agreed on a single Port. Does that make either of us wrong? Heck no! Does that mean my palate is better, just because I have most likely had lots more VPs over the years. A more emphatic NO. He likes what tastes good to him and he is therefore RIGHT. As long as someone has tasted the wine to back up their statements, cool. It is only when folks start touting or panning a wine that they've never had that I take them to task. 8) In almost every vintage review I have done, there is always a paragraph on making one's own assessments and not going solely by journo-critics.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
As you may have spotted, this is one of my absolute favourite VP's. Now that I have an adequate supply of these, I decided it was time to open another one...I can feel a Christmas / New Year tradition starting!
This was the first of the bottles that I bought at Bonhams before Christmas 2006. Quinta do Vesuvio 1994 bottle number 24,660 has now left this world.
Very difficult to decant due to the very fine sediment in the bottle on top of the lumps in the bottom of the bottle - and this had been standing upright since before Christmas! Nose was fairly closed, with some coaxing, the wine showed a bouquet of blackcurrants and spirit. Superb in the mouth, a wave of ripe fruit around a rounded mass of tannins that caused the sweet fruit to leave a long, dry finish. Still my favourite ""everyday"" VP. Just astonishing in its quality. If I assume that I will taste or drink 100 bottles of VP in 2007, I have no doubt that this one will be in my top 15% but possibly not in my top 5 until it is more mature, so on the Tom scale I give this 9/10.
Tasted the following morning, the bouquet has opened up and is a well developed aroma of sweet, blackcurrant pie that just makes your mouth water when you smell it. Very sweet into the mouth, almost like blackcurrant flavoured fruit drops, just concentrated fruit juice. Immensely acidic structure but wonderful complexity in the mid-palate with the tannins taking a long time to make themselves obvious. Swallowing releases wave after wave of development on the aftertaste. This is just an amazing wine. How can this be anything except one of the best 5 bottles of VP I drink in 2007 so I have to give it 10/10 on Tom's scale.
Alex
This was the first of the bottles that I bought at Bonhams before Christmas 2006. Quinta do Vesuvio 1994 bottle number 24,660 has now left this world.
Very difficult to decant due to the very fine sediment in the bottle on top of the lumps in the bottom of the bottle - and this had been standing upright since before Christmas! Nose was fairly closed, with some coaxing, the wine showed a bouquet of blackcurrants and spirit. Superb in the mouth, a wave of ripe fruit around a rounded mass of tannins that caused the sweet fruit to leave a long, dry finish. Still my favourite ""everyday"" VP. Just astonishing in its quality. If I assume that I will taste or drink 100 bottles of VP in 2007, I have no doubt that this one will be in my top 15% but possibly not in my top 5 until it is more mature, so on the Tom scale I give this 9/10.
Tasted the following morning, the bouquet has opened up and is a well developed aroma of sweet, blackcurrant pie that just makes your mouth water when you smell it. Very sweet into the mouth, almost like blackcurrant flavoured fruit drops, just concentrated fruit juice. Immensely acidic structure but wonderful complexity in the mid-palate with the tannins taking a long time to make themselves obvious. Swallowing releases wave after wave of development on the aftertaste. This is just an amazing wine. How can this be anything except one of the best 5 bottles of VP I drink in 2007 so I have to give it 10/10 on Tom's scale.
Alex
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Jay Powers
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:48 pm
- Location: Pacifica, California, United States of America - USA
I decanted this bottle of the Vesuvio '94 on Saturday night and finished the last glass from the decanter on Thursday night, 5 days later. It was still a wonderful glass, with sweet inviting aromas and such a silky, smooth mouthfeel. Yumm.
Jay - those two extra six-packs you bought won't last you. Better instead to avoid the disappointment of running out. In fact, I'll do you a big favour and swap them with you for a couple of bottles of Tanzanian port I saw in a shop on my last trip. What d'you think?
Jay - those two extra six-packs you bought won't last you. Better instead to avoid the disappointment of running out. In fact, I'll do you a big favour and swap them with you for a couple of bottles of Tanzanian port I saw in a shop on my last trip. What d'you think?
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Guest
Superb
Alex -
Thanks so much for these time-lapsed tasting notes. Very educational on one my favorite Ports from the trip.
However, as I have yet to secure a significant quantity in my celler yet, I am going to edit your posts to say "Vesuvio '03" everywhere you said "Vesuvio '94" so that people don't read your notes and go out snatching up all the bottles
Thanks for the TNs - can't wait to start opening them...someday...
Thanks so much for these time-lapsed tasting notes. Very educational on one my favorite Ports from the trip.
However, as I have yet to secure a significant quantity in my celler yet, I am going to edit your posts to say "Vesuvio '03" everywhere you said "Vesuvio '94" so that people don't read your notes and go out snatching up all the bottles
Thanks for the TNs - can't wait to start opening them...someday...