2004 Quinta de la Rosa Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

A mistaken order by the wine steward at my local grocery store, so she gave me a nice discount on the bottle.

2004 Quinta de la Rosa Vintage Port

Color: Very dark red fading to garnet and then ruby near the edge. Not quite inky, but very dark.
Nose: Sweet, dark cherries and lush, ripe raspberries struggle with some aromatic alcohol for dominance. A little dusty, and occasionally a whiff of a very sweet candy-like grape.
Palate: An initial hit of Welch's Grape Juice is rapidly overpowered by an intense cran-raspberry-like flavor. The tannins seem a little astringent, but are solid. Good acidity, but it has an edge to it that blends with the alcohol to form a hot feeling very early in the finish. A little on the drier side to me, but with good (medium) body weight.
Finish: The aforementioned hotness mellows evenly to a pleasant warmth. Early tannic grip fades fairly quickly. The fruits, mostly red raspberries, are slightly harsh with a bit of a green tone to them. The tail shows grape stem.

A little on the red fruit and dry side to me, but a fine Port. I think it has the backbone and acidity to last, but I'd check back regularly to make sure that the fruit doesn't disappear as it seems a little light. It might be worth another point or two if you enjoy primarily red fruits in a young Port and/or a Port on the dry side, but for me a respectable 89 points.

One further note: at only 6 years of age it needs a good 24-hour decant. On the first night with only 2-3 hours it was quite rough, and now at roughly +48 hours it is still holding very strong. Last night (+24 hours) was not significantly different than tonight, though it might have been every so slightly richer.