October 2007 VT: Unfiltered "traditionnal" LBV

[Frederick Blais]

I think it has been a while since we visited the LBV category. Some new releases have hit the market from vintages between 2000 and 2003. The symington's have release some with bottle age.

I've pick 1995 from Smith Woodhouse, I should open it over the week end and post my comments here.

[Todd Pettinger]

It'll be interesting to read your comments Fred, I have the exact same bottle standing on Death Row ready for the Ah-so executioner.

I might wait until after I have done my own TN and posted to read yours, just so I don't receive any type of external influence.

Todd

[Frederick Blais]

Smith Woodhouse LBV 1995 bottled 1999

One of those bilingual tasting notes

Garnet color with tawny edges, the nose is expressive on tobacco, red licorice, dried figs and red fruit presence dominated by ripe plums. On the palate, the tannins have melted, the flavours are similar to the nose with more intensity from the plums. The finish is acceptable from this category of Port, slightly alcoholic though. 16.5/20 Excellent LBV


Très beau nez, sur les note de réglisse,tabac, figues et un fruit dominé par la prune. En bouche, le vin est souple, les tannins sont fondus, les saveurs sont similaires au nez avec une présence de prune plus intense. La finale est de bonne longueur pour le type de Porto, légère touche d'alcool. 16.5/20 Un excellent LBV

[Todd Pettinger]

Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Port - 1995
Bottled 1999. Unfiltered, driven cork. Decanted at 13:45 hrs on Thanksgiving Monday (Canada’s Thanksgiving. I know that American Thanksgiving doesn’t come for another month or so.)

First impressions upon decanting
Very dark red colour with a touch of brown. Nose is dominated by cherries and dark fruits. A touch of alcohol is found on the nose, but nothing on the palate – well integrated. First sip was very sweet, medium-bodied and rich. I like it already and look forward to seeing the evolution of this.

Over the next four days I sampled this Port repeatedly and enjoyed it very much. The worst it showed was likely the 4 to 9 hour mark, during which a brash alcohol took over and took away some enjoyment. After that it tamed down and allowed the fruit to return to the forefront.

While there was a touch of menthol at times, the first 2-3 days was dominated by the cherries and fruits such as blackberries, some dark raspberries and at one point, an over-ripe strawberry. The Port itself is medium-bodied, not as full and rich as I would have liked, but it was a decent example of an unfiltered LBV.

Not overly sweet, it did have some jammy plums, fruity cherries and candied blackberries. Interesting to see the alcohol feature prominently for around 5-6 hours and die down and re-integrate itself into the Port.

One I will drink again and hope to get a half case of so I can watch it evolve over a few years. I suspect that this Port will evolve positively over a few years and rate it a nice 92 for LBVs.

Todd

[Kris Henderson]

1995 Warre's Late Bottled Vintage Porto

Unfiltered. Bottled 1999. I've tasted this over a dozen times. Needless to say, this is one of my favorite LBV's. The color is still dark red and not really showing any signs of age. The nose is showing some high-toned alcohol, maybe a touch of VA. It's in the background though and there is a lot of luscious fruit. Blackberries, raspberries, dried cherries, and plums. Some cinnamon and clove too. The palate is well balanced. An arrow of acidity glides across the tongue followed by sweet supple tannins. Monolithic on the palate but it tastes so good I don't see this as a fault, maybe just a sign that there's still room to improve. Long persistent finish. This wine is improving and I can see it going for another decade or longer. 50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 8 = 91

[Todd Pettinger]

Quinta do Portal Late Bottled Vintage Port – 1996 [bottled in 2001]
Unfiltered, short, driven cork, about 1.25 inches. Decanted off a fair amount of clumpy sediment.

Rich, deep red, with some purple towards the center. Plums in the nose, but none apparent on the palate. Some spirit was present a few hours after decanting, but blew off the nose within 4-6 hours.

Hints of chocolate with cherry, grape and blackberry in the fore-palate. Middle has some decently strong tannin-pucker with a touch of heat on the medium-length finish which is nice, not too dominant. Spirit is integrated in the approach and through the middle, showing up only on the finish. A touch of acidity in the middle helps to hold this all together and balances the nice sweetness present in the Port.

A very good LBV by Portal, my first, but it will definitely prompt me to seek out more of this, and other offerings from Portal, when available. I would rate this traditional, unfiltered LBV at 93.

[Todd Pettinger]

New to my local grocery store’s sister liquor store, is this, the
Warre’s Late Bottled Vintage Port – 1995 [bottled in 1999]
Unfiltered, driven cork. A nice feature of this was a silver foil ‘button’ under the inner plastic cap wrap which indicated “LBV 1995/99.” The cork, when extracted, indicated Warre’s LBV 1995, bottled 1999. I like this “little” thing – if the label were to peel or decay,you’d be able to identify fairly accurately what you were about to open. Only problem is with the use of extremely dark-smoked glass, which would make cork-identification impossible, even with an extremely bright light. Decanted off a very small amount of fine sediment. I have a feeling that this is due to this particular set of bottles just arriving at my local liquor store and not having enough time to recover from their shipping. Two bottles were purchased so as to lay one down for a bit longer term storage.

At first, spirituous in the nose and on the palate. The nose was a bit closed but the palate produced nice medium cherry flavours with plum and tannins in around the mid-palate. Warm alcohol-y burn on the medium-length finish.

Very nice at about 8 hours of decanter time, it took on nuances of raspberries with slight hints of vanilla and all-spice. Some chocolate appeared on the finish. The tannins integrated themselves but provided a good backbone to a solid LBV. Some acidity was present, but not as much as might be needed to carry this particular Port for 15-20 years. The optimal drinking window appeared to be between 7 and 11 hours after opening; after 18 hours the Port became a bit tired with a regressed, closed nose. The fresh fruit was overshadowed by a dusty tone and it was not nearly as good as the first day.

Overall, a solid LBV offering from Warre. While I am not head-over-heals about this one, it is a good example of an unfiltered LBV and based upon the solid tannic structure, should age for between 5 years and a decade nicely. 91 pts.

Todd

(Okay, I've done my part at three unfiltered LBVs this month... someone else's turn!)

[Todd Pettinger]

1995 Warre's Late Bottled Vintage Porto

Unfiltered. Bottled 1999. I've tasted this over a dozen times. Needless to say, this is one of my favorite LBV's.

I can see why this is a favourite of yours Kris. I enjoyed this one a lot as well - TN further above in the thread.

I found the Portal 1996 better, but this Warre's was fantastic in it's optiomal drinking window (IMO between 6 and 12 hours after decanting.)

Todd

[Kris Henderson]

I found the Portal 1996 better, but this Warre's was fantastic in it's optiomal drinking window (IMO between 6 and 12 hours after decanting.)
Todd

Todd,

I'll keep a look out for the '96 Portal LBV. I've been impressed with some other stuff from Portal so based on that and your note, it seems like a safe bet. I haven't seen in on any retailer's shelf but I might be able to special order it.

[Todd Pettinger]

Roy seems to really like their VP from after either 2000 or 2003 (can't remember which ) and I found this (an LBV) fantastic, so I really look forward to trying their VP. It is difficult to find here. I've only seen the LBV in one retailer and VP in one other.

[Todd Pettinger]

2nd bottle of
Warre’s Late Bottled Vintage Port – 1995 [bottled in 1999]
This was so good and a very decent deal at the local liquor store that I went back and picked up another half case of this. Opened one up as it is showing very nicely right at the moment.

Unfiltered, driven cork. Not as spirituous in the early hours as the last bottle I tried of this, but definitely more tannic and disjointed.

After 4 hours of decanter time, it took was great and at 6 hours was perfect. Raspberries and grapes dominate the palate, with some plum, vanilla, and touches of chocolate mixed in on the mid-palate and on the finish. The tannins integrated themselves but provided a good backbone to a solid LBV. A touch of acidity was present but definitely did not distract from the drinking pleasure.

Overall, a solid LBV offering from Warre. Last time I had this Port, I decided I was not head-over-heals, but I think I have changed my mind. This will definitely take its place in my top 5 unfiltered LBVs. I still think that due to the solid tannic structure, this should age for between 5 years and a decade nicely. 92 pts.

Todd

[Kris Henderson]

Todd,

It looks like we're holding down the fort this month. Here is a quick taste note on the 2000 Ramos Pinto L.B.V. (bottled 2005, unfiltered). This is my second time with this vintage of the Ramos Pinto LBV. I have also tasted the 1998 Ramos Pinto LBV which I enjoyed very much. The color is dark cherry red. The nose is inviting with brambly fruit and spice. The palate is smooth and rich with supple tannins and good balance. Nicely sweet with a long warm finish. Excellent QPR, good potential for improvement. 90 The more I drink this one the more I like it. I could see this replacing the 1995 Warre as my favorite LBV in a couple years.

[Todd Pettinger]

Kris, it is too bad Ramos Pintos is nearly unheard of around these parts. Their unfiltered LBVs actually sound pretty interesting, but a cheap Ruby is about all I can find around here...

Todd

[Al B.]

I'm hoping that Andy and I will be able to make a late entry to the Virtual Tasting tonight. If I listen carefully, I'm sure I can hear the sound of Andy pulling corks out of bottles...

[Derek T.]

I just got in under the wire by 39 minutes

+4 Hours
Very purple and sticky in the glass. Raw nose - very young. A little heat on the nose as I take the first sip from a huge red wine glass (the only one available in the hotel room). Mouthfeel is mid-weight. Very tannic, which seems to be hiding lots of nice black fruit. The finish mellows into a lovely fruity sweetness that makes the cheeks water and goes on and on for a long time.

At this point this is not far away from a <5 yr old VP. Very impresive but not something I would buy again to drink now. Needs years.


+24 Hours
Still raw on the nose and still has some heat. Now has a softer and thicker mouthfeel but still very young tasting. A very nice fruity aftertaste which goes on for a long time. This seems to be a wine to try again in 5 years time.

[Frederick Blais]

But Derek, quick your forgot to tell us what you are drinking!

On my clock, you still have 4,5 hours

[Andy Velebil]

But Derek, quick your forgot to tell us what you are drinking!

Derek, do tell what you are drinking

[Al B.]

My note from the same bottle that Andy has written about slightly earlier in this thread. A freshly labelled and "sello-ed" bottle that looks to have been a recent ex-cellars release. Decanted off a large amount of heavy sediment. Noted that the wine was bottled in 1988 so only 1 year later than would have qualified to be released as a vintage port. Ruby red in colour, turning orange at the rim. Some bottle stink at first but this blew off over the evening and revealed some lovely raspberry juice although the alcohol was a little unintegrated. Sweet entry and plenty of body with lots of the liquorice you would expect in a bottle in is secondary stages of life, some contamination from the bottle stink flavours but this faded over the evening. Plenty going on in the mid-palate. The length is good and interesting, showing nice Angostura Bitters or Quinine tones that last quite a while after a bit of heat on first swallowing. The mid-palate and aftertaste are strong features of this wine. My wine of the night with 91 points.

[Andy Velebil]

At the "Alex comes to Los Angeles" offline on October 31, we had this LBV....made it just in time by about 4 hours before midnight.

1984 Smith Woodhouse LBV Unfiltered (B.1988):
This was served blind. After all we gotta through a curve ball in there somewhere right? A solid red center with some slight fading at the edges. A touch of bottle stink at first, which blew off. The palate shows some lively red raspberry fruit. Its meduim bodied and sweet strawberries made this quite the hit at the table. Not to mention the guesses of early 1990's vintage Port or a younger LBV (Jason and Alex R. were getting warm at least). The finish on this was quite long. I must say this really impresses me, and I dare say the rest of the table too. 92 points.