Multi: 2000 Vintage Ports x 5

[Otto Nieminen]

All ports were double decanted between 7:00 and 7:45. The tasting commenced at 19:00 and lasted until 23:30. Apart from the Taylor's the length of decanting was sufficent, but not too much: it let the wines develop nicely in the glass also.

I like to start a tasting with something light and acidic. Valmiñor Albariño 2004 was just that, except with an amount of fruit that I would have thought it from 2003 instead! Valmiñor makes consistently excellent wines.

Dow's VP 2000

The scent had a delectable whiff of tobacco and damp earth, much plums and figs. The palate had soft tannins, relatively high acid and moderate sweetness. The aftertaste was fairly long. This wine is very stylish and harmonious. Very good, indeed.

Warre's VP 2000

The opulent scent was almost over-ripe with strawberry jam, dried figs, a hint of dark-roasted coffee. The palate was also very fat and rather too opulent for my taste: jammy, very sweet, very soft tannins - but the components were in good balance thanks to the moderate acidity which carried the aftertaste for a good length. Good, indeed.

Taylor's VP 2000

This wine was schizophrenic! It ranged from thick, fruity, with blueberry, stewed figs, very alcoholic to woody, closed, brutal and raw. The palate was ferociously tannic, superbly fruited (moderate in sweetness) underneath the wall of tannin, lifted by high acidity, long but at the moment marred by too obvious alcohol which made the whole seem harsh and stern. Judging by the components this wine has excellent potential, but it is not much fun drinking it now. Is it perhaps a little closed?

Fonseca VP 2000

The scent is dominated by blue notes: blueberry, violets, chocolate, even a little malty. The palate is very smooth with opulent very sweet fruit, again blue-tinged, but on the mid-palate there is also a good concentration of acids lurking beneath the fruit and much soft tannin. The aftertaste is very long, but perhaps carried more by the sheer force of fruit rather than lifted and carried by the acids. Excellent.

Graham's VP 2000

If the Fonseca was dominated by blue, Graham's is by red: The scent has an array of red berries (especially lingonberry-like savouryness and wild strawberry -like sweetness causing a delighful polarization by balancing each other), lightly roasted coffee, milk chocolate. The palate was also red: with very sweet fruit, strawberry, more overtly tannic than the Fonseca, with high acid which carries the aftertaste almost interminably. Excellent.

I cannot say whether I prefer Graham's or Fonseca. After them, I liked Dow's best. Warre's was a very good wine, but a little eclipsed by the company - it is certainly an elegant wine, but perhaps lacking the depth and complexity of the others. Taylor's left me puzzled - probably a bad time drinking it - but the pieces in the wine were so fine that it might develop to be on the level of Graham and Fonseca.

The tasters didn't object when I pulled out one more wine to serve them blind. Monte Real Gran Reserva 1981 (Bodegas Riojanas) was a fine example of aged Rioja. Highly acidic and fruity enough that it didn't suffer much from coming after the ports and, also, guesses to its age ranged from 1996-2001!

Cheers,
Otto