For The Love Of Port

I thought I should "re-calibrate" my palate before the tasting this weekend, so opened one of these. The '99 Roriz was one of the first (if not the very first) Ports that I ever rated, and I was so pleased to have given it a rating similar to Roy's that it lodged firmly in my mind and now serves as my reference Port. This is typically an 89-91 pointer for me, so in order to rate in the 90s I have to like a Port better than this one.

This Port usually has a short window 2-3 hours after decant where it's very nice, but after that needs extended decanting (a couple of days) to really shine. This note is from 3 hours after decanting.

1999 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port

Color: Very dark red, almost purple in the glass. Opaque center.
Nose: Wood smoke - unusually strong - along with some alcohol and a medly of purple berries. Possibly even some blackberries or blueberries.
Palate: Nice firm tannins, but not mouth-puckering. Some initial tart cherry quickly followed by some tart blackberry and blueberry. The fruits are very rich. Good acidity, too. There's an edge to the tartness that borders on being bitter.
Finish: Good grip, but then a bit of a bitter edge. The alcohol leaves a hot impression as well.

Score: 90 points. I'm projecting with that, though - I know that this is usually better on the 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th day so I'll reserve final judgement until then. As-of right now it's probably only worth 88 or 89.

(if not the very first) Ports that I ever rated, and I was so pleased to have given it a rating similar to Roy's that it lodged firmly in my mind and now serves as my reference Port.

So, you think it is a good thing to come up with a score similar to mine? If I were you, I'd head for the hills!

Roy Hersh wrote:

(if not the very first) Ports that I ever rated, and I was so pleased to have given it a rating similar to Roy's that it lodged firmly in my mind and now serves as my reference Port.

So, you think it is a good thing to come up with a score similar to mine? If I were you, I'd head for the hills!

Well it felt like an accomplishment at the time... now I'm not so sure!

I'll stick with my predicted 90 points, but just barely. Yesterday (D+24 hours) I just had a quick taste and it wasn't pleasant - hot and very edgy. But given previous experience, I'd expected that. It has recovered today (again as expected) but hasn't peaked as high as I'd hoped. The bitter edge is still present though not as forward. The fruits are very nice, though, having resolved as very black and nicely sweet. The tannins are firm but not too grippy. The finish still isn't anything to brag about - a little on the hot side and too much of that bitter edge. Significant grape stem as well. All that sounds more disappointing than it really is, though, primarily because I'd hoped for better. It goes great with a steak.

It is 11 years old, which is an age where Ports don't usually show well to me. So perhaps my expectations were too high.

Re-calibration complete... bring on the 1980s this weekend!