2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Capela Vintage Port -- (cask sample)

[Glenn E.]

Tasted blind at Roy's house, July 17, 2009. (With a follow-up for the cask samples on July 20, 2009.)

9 Vintage Ports, 7 Tawnies and Colheitas, and 2 Madeiras. 5 guys. 1 night. Port heaven!

Bottle #1: 2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Capela Vintage Port (cask sample)
Bottle #2: 2007 Niepoort Vintage Port (cask sample)
Bottle #3: 2007 Croft Vintage Port (cask sample)
Bottle #4: 2007 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port (cask sample)
Bottle #5: 2007 Graham Vintage Port (cask sample)
Bottle #6: 2007 Warre Vintage Port (finished bottle)
Bottle #7: 2007 Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port Vinha Velha (cask sample)
Bottle #8: 2007 Fonseca Vintage Port (cask sample)
Bottle #9: 2007 Duorum Vintage Port (cask sample)

2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Capela Vintage Port (cask sample)

Day 1
Color: Primarily purple with a slight tint toward red. 2/16" fade at the rim, so quite opaque.
Nose: Blackberries, red raspberries, and some good heat.
Palate: Mellow red fruits with some fresh purple fruit highlights. Slightly bitter note that hides in the background. A bit hot. Seems on the dry side, with a medium to light body. Good acidity, though.
Finish: Some red fruits including fresh strawberries (which seems odd in a cask sample), and plenty of heat.

Initial score: 84-87. Right off the bat I was afraid that my palate was off, because this just didn't seem quite right. And that was while it was still blind - I didn't find out what this was until 3 days later. As I moved through the 9 cask samples that slightly off feeling persisted, and reminded me of my experience with the 2nd flight I tasted with Roy (Smith Woodhouse, Sandeman, Niepoort Pisca, and Gould Campbell).

Day 2 & 3 - I didn't taste due to prior commitments

Day 4
Color: The slightly redder tint has faded, leaving a nice solid purple. It seems somewhat more transparent, though, for about a 3/16" fade at the rim.
Nose: Tangy raspberry with some soft blueberries thrown in for good measure. Alcohol, but it's faint. Also some faint black pepper.
Palate: Blueberries and black raspberries, but tainted by a faint bitter note. Good grip, but not chewy. Medium dry and medium bodied. The core impression on the palate is of fresh purple fruits, so fairly bright. Faint heat and good acidity.
Finish: Tannins and tart fruits, followed by that same faintly bitter note during the fade out.

Final score: 88-91. Much better on Day 4, but I wish I'd been able to see what happened on days 2 and 3.

Reveal: 2007 Vesuvio Capela. Wow, what a shocker... after hearing about the Capela I never would have guessed it would be this bright. I was expecting a dark, brooding monster of a Port. At the price you'll likely have to pay to get the Capela, I think the regular Vesuvio will be a much better deal.