1996 Quinta do Portal LBV Port

[Todd Pettinger]

Quinta do Portal Late Bottled Vintage Port – 1996 [bottled in 2001]
Unfiltered, short, driven cork, about 1.25 inches. Decanted off a fair amount of clumpy sediment.

Rich, deep red, with some purple towards the center. Plums in the nose, but none apparent on the palate. Some spirit was present a few hours after decanting, but blew off the nose within 4-6 hours.

Hints of chocolate with cherry, grape and blackberry in the fore-palate. Middle has some decently strong tannin-pucker with a touch of heat on the medium-length finish which is nice, not too dominant. Spirit is integrated in the approach and through the middle, showing up only on the finish. A touch of acidity in the middle helps to hold this all together and balances the nice sweetness present in the Port.

A very good LBV by Portal, my first, but it will definitely prompt me to seek out more of this, and other offerings from Portal, when available. I would rate this traditional, unfiltered LBV at 93.

[Andy Velebil]

Good TN. Portal makes some really nice VP's and LBV's and they have a wonderful vineyard with some great views of an old church nearby

[Todd Pettinger]

I'm taking Roy's word and will be picking up some Portal 2003 VP soon - they just brought it in to a local store. I wanted to try prior, but of the ones he has recommended to me thusfar, I have enjoyed every single one of them. And this Portal LBV solidifies my (perhaps preconceived) notion that this will be a VP I like. (Although I have never tasted a Graham's VP yet, I have a feeling I will really enjjoy those ones as well as I like a big, bold cherry, sweet flavour to my port, which many Graham's fans here and elsewhere seem to report time after time with those VPs. :)

[Frederick Blais]

Todd, you might also want to copy your tasting note in the Virtual Tasting tread of this month.

[Todd Pettinger]

Right - I knew I had missed one place! Thanks Fred!