For The Love Of Port

We had a few interesting Ports in our yearly WinExpo in Helsinki. S. Leonardo is a producer I had not heard of before, but I did rather like the wines even though they are in a rather bigger and less elegant style than I would normally like. The Vesuvio was just lovely - I'm not sure I liked it enough to call it a legend, but I did fall in love with it anyway. I hope Antti (aka Nevski) chimes in with his impressions as he understands Ports much better than I do.

S. Leonardo 10YOTawny was quite a hefty wine for a 10YO Tawny. It is savoury yet very sweet with more of an aged character than the years would indicate. Very nice if you like a very sweet and heavy style.

S. Leonardo 40YO Tawny was quite a revelation. I rarely like 40YO because they are so easily too woody. This wasn't. The fruit was lovely and it was very sweet and muscular. This is not an elegant style of port, but it is a very impressive one. I like it, but this isn't the style of port I will most often turn to.

Quinta do Vesuvio VP 1994 is a lovely wine. It is savoury with some nice earthy notes and a great mix of both bright red notes and heavier darker tones. This isn't a blockbuster, but rather a perfectly harmonious and lovely drink. I find this very impressive.

Krohn 20YO Tawny was decent. It is earthy and savoury, but it isn't terribly elegant. It lacks the brighter tones that would bring into focus.

Krohn Colheita 1976, on the other hand, was all about those bright focused tones. This is all I could ask of a Colheita. Sweet, but not overly powerful, savoury and even elegant if that word can be used with Ports.

Otto,

I have tried the 20, 30, and 40 years of the S. Leonardo and I was very impressed. I only wish could get them here in the States

The 40 year is from an approximate 60 year blend, so it is quite older than most other 40 year tawnys. All his tawnys are aged up in the Douro. They are produced by Mario Braga Herdeira and they come from Quinta do Mourao. Check out the main page and Roy's Harvest Trip #2 report for more on these and his TN's (if your a PP)

I agress on S. Leonardo tawnies! It is easy to understand that they are so good. For many years they where included in Sandeman Tawnies blend.

I'm working to make them imported in Québec :o Hopefully it will work!

Frédérick Blais wrote:It is easy to understand that they are so good. For many years they where included in Sandeman Tawnies blend.

Aha!! It's always a pleasure to see things click in my mind. :) I used the words "rather bigger and less elegant than I would like" to describe Sandemans' Tawnies, and I see that I use the same words here. I was impressed by the quality of Sandeman, though I didn't want to buy any for myself and likewise with the S. Leonardo. It's good to see that at least I am honest with my tastes.