Have you purchased any 2004 VPs yet?

[JanTore]

I've only just started buying 2003's. I think the only 2004's available here yet, are Roriz and Vale Meão.

[Todd Pettinger]

I have bought the single bottle of Roriz 2004 that I tried in the June Virtual Tasting.

Quinta de Roriz VP – 2004
Opened on Saturday afternoon, 13:00 hrs. Interesting to find a full plastic shrink wrapping underneath the foil cap. Guarantee strip ran over the plastic and under the foil. Not sure if any air would have been able to make it through in the unlikely event of a cork failure. Silver foil button under the plastic wrap, I assume made to simulate the lead that some producers used to or still use.

Unsurprisingly, decanted cleanly with no sediment. After washing the bottle out, a small amount came unstuck from the side of the bottle, but aside from this minuscule amount, the wine was clear.

Deep, dark purple, with a black center. Swirling a small amount in a glass shows thick, dark tears with a thin. Clear meniscus.

A bit of spirit present but the nose is dominated with dark cherry, ripe raspberry and huge amounts of black berry.

The palate yields some medium tannins alongside the huge cherry and blackberry. A touch of blueberries mixes in and although the alcohol is a tad noticeable, it certainly not as pervasive as the nose suggests. Medium bodied mouthfeel. Very good, even at this very early stage.

+2 hours
The alcohol seems to be integrating fairly nicely, although the palate and nose have changed very little. A touch of anise on the mid-palate and the ending is glorious – glowing warm but not unpleasantly hot. Very nice. One small sip leads to a watering mouth and a distinct desire to continue sipping.

+5 hours
So smooth, exquisitely silky tannins that support the port but do not overpower any of the solid fruit. Raspberries, blueberries and dark cherries are the most prevalent with a touch of licorice on the mid-palate and a slight bit of a spice note. A touch of jammy plums, usually something I do not like if it is too strong, in this case it is very smooth and supportive. The alcohol is integrated at this point.

+7 hours
A bit of raw green peppers appears on the palate. Aside from this new flavour, everything else is pretty much as described above. The black cherries would be the dominant palate at this point. The alcohol is still very well integrated. Sweet and sumptuous, this port appeals to me immensely and now that I have poured the first proper glass, I suspect the decanter will empty rapidly. I will try to keep some around for a tasting over the next 48, but no promises!

Edited to keep continuity:

+10 hours
No noteworthy changes except to the level in the decanter – this stuff is very good and drinking very well right now.

+12 hours
A post-midnight awakening by my two year old hearkened me to the decanter after a brief diaper change and rocking her back to sleep. Still extremely silky and smooth. Any spice that may have been present has disappeared. Plums are taking a back seat to the black cherries.

+21 hours
The fresh fruit explosions are beginning to dull out, but the silky smoothness is still there. Tears are still flowing a solid purple that stain the sides of the glass. The spirit is still completely integrated.

+25 hours
The plumy seems to have come forward on the palate, dominating the richer flavours of the dark cherries. This gives the impression that the port is losing steam and is dulling out. Anise and cassis on the mid-palate, with a shorter, more clipped finish than previously.

+28 hours
Tannins seem to be pronouncing themselves on the palate as time goes on. This definitely makes the port not quite as smooth and nice as yesterday, or even earlier today. It does change my opinion of the lifespan of this Vintage Port, which previously I may have been tempted to say would be a shorter-term drinker. Now the fact that the tannins are and much more present than previously, leads to me to believe there is still room for much improvement ahead once this young’un heads down for a long sleep and some necessary evolution.

+32 hours
A quick glass before heading off to bed is paired with some aged Canadian cheddar and the sharp tang of the cheese is actually a decent accompaniment, being as bold and strong as the ripe tannins, which have all but masked the fruit experienced in earlier experiences.

I would have rated this port much higher during the first 12 hours after decanting. If you are going to open one of these early, I would heartily recommend a short decanting time – the optimal drinking window I found was between 2 and 8 hours. Prior to 2 hrs was decent, but with some spirit present, after 12 hours the tannins started taking over and were more dominant than I prefer.

The score:
Between the 2 hour and 8 hour mark: 7 or possibly 8 for immediate enjoyment. This hovers just in and out of the top quartile for ports I have tried this year. Ten years from now, I do imagine this guy will be extremely closed so I would have to go with a 7-2 or 8-2.
After 10 hours of decanter time: this falls at least 2, and 3 notches from the 8 to a solid middle of the pack (for a young VP). That places it at a 5-2 as in ten years the drinkability will be worse than it is today (I suspect). Given 15 to 20 years however and this port could rate very highly. Perhaps a 7 for the long term. (just a guess)

Edited to keep continuity:

+3 days
A small glass today proves that the port has gone downhill, becoming worse than the previous couple of sips. The evolution is towards the raw, vegetal side of things. Still, the tannins are pronounced.

+4 days
The decanter was poured back into the clean bottle and left in the basement (cooler temperature) until I could get to the rest. This is horrid at this point. While difficult to describe, it tastes as though someone took all the grape stalks, stems and seed and tried making something that they called port after the grapes have been used to make real port. Yikes, raw and vegetal. Strong green peppers, fermenting green beans and something else equally nasty but unidentifiable.

I will re-state: if you plan to drink this port this early, do so before 10 hours of decanter time is reached. It is excellent up until this point. Beyond a day, it goes worse quick and gets to the undrinkable state that I find it in now. Sadly, I still have at least a 3 oz pour remaining. Perhaps 2 more smaller tastes left to see if anything changes (oh how I pray!)

Todd

As an after-thought to this TN (which I will have to go back and edit to complete the picture) the port went back to very drinkable with about two weeks in the bottle in the basement. The nasty, vegetal element disappeared and while the wine did seem a bit tired after two weeks, it was a lovely drink still. The fruit almost disappeared, but left a trace of its former 4-8 hour glory behind.

Todd

[Moses Botbol]

As long as the 80's port is the same price 2000's+, I don't see any reason why I would spend on 2004's?