2008 Robert Hall Winery Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

Another partial bottle from Roy, and another California port. This bottle had been open 4 days when I first tasted it. The label says that it consists of 37% Tinta Roriz, 24% Souzao, 14% Alvarelhao, 13% Touriga (presumably Touriga Nacional), and 12% Tinta Cao. Robert Hall Winery is in Paso Robles, CA.

2008 Robert Hall Winery VP

Color: Dark magenta and purple. Fades through pink to clear at the rim.

Nose: Dark fruits and some alcohol. A high-toned blueberry or perhaps something floral is front and center.

Palate: Some blueberry along with other dark berries. Very good acidity, though not to the level of the Miller Teodoro. Good structure. A bit of a bitter note, but that could be from being open 4 days. Despite having lots of dark berry flavors, it's not as rich as I expected. The layers just aren't there.

Finish: some tannins, some heat, and the resolution of the dark fruits. The bitter note from the palate is more prominent here, but fades fairly quickly. There's just a hint of something like green pepper in the latter parts of the finish.

Score: 88 points. I'm not sure that I would pick this out of a lineup as being the "ringer" in a flight of real Port. Stylistically it is much closer to real Port than the Miller Teodoro is, and for my palate it is also nicer just as a fortified dessert wine. I suspect that the strong acidity comes from the relatively high proportion of Souzao, and I'm beginning to think that that might also be where the green pepper/Zinfandel-like note comes from.

[Rob C.]

Score: 88 points. I'm not sure that I would pick this out of a lineup as being the "ringer" in a flight of real Port.

In a "real flight" of what type of port?

2008 VPs? Or something more modest?

[Glenn E.]

Either 2008 VPs or 2008 LBVs. Anything of approximately the same age. I suspect I would simply pass this off as a smaller or lesser-known producer rather than thinking it was from California. In a flight of VPs I might think it was an LBV.

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[Rob C.]

Either 2008 VPs or 2008 LBVs. Anything of approximately the same age. I suspect I would simply pass this off as a smaller or lesser-known producer rather than thinking it was from California. In a flight of VPs I might think it was an LBV.

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Ok...so a serious effort then!