Tasting notes for the Ports and Madeira are posted:
Dow's Trademark Finest Reserve Porto
Graham's Six Grapes
Dow's Crusted Porto
2003 Taylor Fladgate LBV
2000 Quinta do Infantado LBV
2006 Dow's Quinta Senhora da Ribeira SQVP
1991 Warre's Vintage Port
Quinta do Infantado Medium-Dry Tawny Porto
Dow's 10-yr Old Tawny Porto
Porto Rocha 20-yr Old Tawny Porto
1987 Kopke Colheita
Kopke 30-yr Old Tawny Porto
Blandy's 5 Year Old Malmsey Madeira
Since we don't really have a section for non-Portugese drinks, I'll include those three wines here:
2006 Thurston Wolfe "JTW's" Washington State port
Red toward purple in the glass. An average nose. Fruity and floral in the mouth. After tasting, the nose starts to develop and shows some generic chemicals and a strong juniper note.
Much better than I expected, but still not Port.
Livio Pavese Barolo Chinato
I failed to make note of Bob's explanation, but he said that since this is fermented with botanicals that it's technically not a fortified wine and is instead something else.
Brownish in the glass with just a tint of red. It looks like a Madeira. Minty nose that goes beyond any single mint... Ben Gay? Some mentioned menthol and eucalyptus, but I didn't think either of those were quite right. After a bit in the glass, the nose starts to show some anise. Some mentioned tamarind, but I'm not familiar with that spice so I can't confirm or deny its presence. Tastes like it smells, point for point.
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat
Light tan/orange in the glass, almost flowery and light compared to the other wines. The nose is dominated by orange blossom, with some orange peel to help keep it from being sickly sweet. Very rich, very velvety in the mouth. Again dominated by orange blossom and orange peel, but smoother, softer, and sweeter than on the nose. Definitely a dessert wine, the richest and most syrupy of all the wines tasted tonight.