Minerality in Port

[Luca C]

Being a fan of minerality in wines, I was wondering which Port house is more likely, across different vintages, to produce wines with mineral notes...Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am starting to build my Port stock but, being a recent enthusiast, I still find it pretty hard to recognize the different House styles. Thank you for your help!

[Eric Menchen]

Hmmm ... I can't say I recall minerality in any of my tasting notes, but a search through the database turned up two, 1975 Cockburn VP and 2000 Quinta do Vesuvio VP. I searched for schist and granite too, without a mention found. I just don't think this is something you find in Port all that much, given all the other flavors going on. Maybe it shows up in a young white Port on occasion?

[John M.]

I taste it all the time...try some American/Aussie/So African version of Port versus Port and it becomes apparent (talking rubies here). I believe it is one of the things that makes Port so good. But I cannot say any Port is laden with mineral qualities over others.

[Glenn E.]

Port often hides minerality behind fruit and sugar, but I would say that Vesuvio, Gould Campbell, and maybe Smith Woodhouse would be good places for you to start. Eric's suggestion of Cockburn also rings true to me. Possibly also Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas. (But for some reason not a regular Taylor, at least not for me.)

What you're looking for is a more austere style that retains its black fruit flavors, as I find that red/purple fruit flavors tend to overwhelm any minerality that might be present.

[Luca C]

Thank you for your valuable inputs! I agree that minerals is not the first thing one would expect from Port, being young or at peak, but I started thinking about it after I had a 2000 Quinta dos Canais last Xmas and was really surprised to find a clear mineral stroke towards the end...I would describe it as "iron-ish", which made it very smooth and in line with my personal taste...I guess I will miss Gould Campbell as it is no more produced as a VP since a while now, right?

[Al B.]

I find Roriz to be the Port with the most minerality in the flavour profile.

[Tom Archer]

You only really perceive the minerality in Port when you compare real port with wannabe fortified red wine from other countries.

Where the minerality really stands out is in the Douro white wines - although these tend not to age well, for some reason..