For The Love Of Port

Had a blind tasting of 5 ports last night ......notes are a little thin--just having too much fun. Three 2004's including two from Q. do Crasto.

Quinta do Crasto VP 2004: Well integrated tannins; mellow short aftertaste. Nose fruity with hints of rose petal. Decant 24 hrs. Paid $48. 91 Points

Royal Oporto LBV 2003: Decant 24 hrs, Paid $14. Kaboom! Alcohol not integrated and a little gritty. Did better after much glass swirling--still a spotty result. Think there are better options. 87 points.

Quinta do Crasto LBV 2004: Decant 24 hrs. Paid $16. Cherries, black berries & currants. Just seems to dance on the tongue and a decently long and good aftertaste. Well blended tannins. WOTN. 93 points

Quinta da Romaneira VP 2004: Decant 24 hrs. Paid $25. This wine did not show that well (looks good--very dark magenta). Lots of stuffing here but unruly. Believe this has entered awkward years and needs long beauty sleep. Not giving points, I had this before and I would have scored a 92--last night a lot less, but it has potential. Hang on...

Noval Black: Paid $18, 4 hour decant: Bold--yet smooth and well integrated--seems a little viscous. A bit jammy; full bouquet. Pleasing. 93 points

Oddly enough two LBVs beat out the VPs although the Romaneira did not show well and gets a pass. Nearly everyone guessed the two Crasto's were from the same producer.

John M. wrote:Oddly enough two LBVs beat out the VPs although the Romaneira did not show well and gets a pass. Nearly everyone guessed the two Crasto's were from the same producer.

Well the VPs are youngsters, and while the LBVs are too, they've had an accelerated life.

Glad to see you enjoyed the Noval Black so much. It is a very sound Port and great value for the money too.

Looked like a fun evening for the Port Club. Yes, the Noval Black is solid bottle and they did a great job on it. Not surprised the Crasto LBV showed a bit better than their VP. they do make some very good LBV's which often are overlooked, although harder to find here in the States. Their VP's are getting better each year and the 2007 was one of their better efforts in recent years.

I've been looking for more Crasto LBVs; I got 4 from WTSO and really enjoyed it; so I know what you mean about hard to find. Wish WTSO would do another round...especially since now I'm out

John,

There is also some fine 2005 Quinta do Crasto LBV on the market. In fact, I had some on Monday and gave it 91 points. Very solid but I prefer the 2003 LBV for its distinctive profile and impressive structure.