Multi: 2003 Vintage Port horizontal tasting

[Andy Velebil]

First, sorry if this is a bit long. On Saturday January 21, 2006 I attended the 2003 Vintage Port tasting at the Wine Exchange. Being rather new to ports and since I have not had any Vintage Port younger than a 1986 Dow’s Quinta do Bofim, this was going to be an experience I will never forget. The tasting consisted of 12 VP’s. From what I was told most were decanted between 6-18 hours. The reason for the big difference was the store had to open more bottles the day of the tasting. The first 5 I sampled were decanted the night before and the remaining 7 were decanted about 6 hours. The ports were tasted blind, so I challenged myself to try and guess which one was which. I have had other older vintage ports or LBV, tawny, etc. from most of the houses represented and a few (Vesuvio, Romariz, Noval) I have never had any of their ports, yet! It appeared that most were shutting down. The fruit was very subdued in most and those tannins, ouch! Here we go:

1- Dow’s:
Rather dark purple, a light nose of blackberries, rather light and chalky on the palate and the fruit seems really subdued. Tannins are there but not very strong. Finish lasted about 40 seconds. Overall, this seems really light, too light, and seems like it would be better in the shorter term. (I guessed it was the Romariz).

2- Fonseca:
This was a really dark ink all the way to the rim. Nice berry nose. This one had a thick silky feel on the palate, making it quite enjoyable. Tannins are very well integrated with a medium length finish. This one was quite feminine and sexy (if I can use those terms). (I guessed it was the Dow’s)

3- Churchill’s:
A very strong nose of fresh berries. Lots of tannins on this one, but again very well integrated. Loads of fruit dancing all over the tongue. A super long finish made this one a pleasure to sample. This one will be great in 30-40 years. (I guessed it was the Grahams).

4- Quinta do Vesuvio:
Really dark to the rim, “WOW! what a great port” was my next thought as I tasted this beauty. That nose just jumped out at me, so much so I couldn’t stop smelling this one for about 3-4 minutes. Although it seemed a bit lacking right now (shut down?) This thing is packed with berry fruit and under those powerful tannins is a silky beauty that I am sure will come around with time. It is longing to be cellared for 30-40 years. (I guessed it was the Smith Woodhouse)

5- Romariz:
Dark as motor oil, slightly muted nose with a bit of heat showing through. This thing was a tannin bomb, making it quite hard to drink. The fruit was a quite muted, again shut down? But it did have a really long finish. I think this one will need a long time to come around. (I guessed Taylor’s).



6- Graham’s
This one was dark as night with a nice nose of grapes and a bit of alcohol. This one coated the mouth with wonderful warm berry flavors. The finish was well over a minute. The best so far. (I guessed it was Fonseca).

7- Delaforce:
Again another really dark purple with an overwhelming blueberry nose that had no heat what so ever. Other than that this one didn’t have a large amount of tannins, yet, I sensed there was something that just needs some time to come around and show its stuff. I think this one needed a lot longer in the decanter to really show its stuff. (I guessed Quinta do Vesuvio)

8- Quinta do Noval:
Darkest so far, and ended up being the second darkest off all 12. I have never had a Noval port before, but after reading all the TN’s here I knew what this one was as soon as I dove in. That nose was incredible, the only detractor was a slight bit of heat and tannins that will blow off in due time. Boy, that first taste grabbed me by the balls (pardon the term) and held on tight. OMG! Is this one great. This is loaded with fruit and spices that just won’t let go. The finish seems like it won’t end. This thing will last 40+ years. (I guessed correctly that this was the Noval).

9- Smith Woodhouse:
A lot of alcohol on the nose, which made it a bit unpleasant, compared to the others. This one had loads of heat that was covering what little fruit was there. This one seemed a bit thin and lacking. Even the finish was short. This was probably my least favorite of the day. (I guessed Delaforce)

10- Croft:
A wonderful powerful nose grabs you first then a blast of fruit on the palate that turns into a heat wave. Those tannins are big, yet it has a silky smooth feel that was wonderful. A long chalky finish that just grabs your tongue. This one is very well integrated and I think this one will last for a really long time in the cellar. (I guessed Churchill)

11- Taylor Fladgate:
A very dark inky color, with a strong scenty nose. Again lots of tannins but they were very well integrated. The fruit was closed down and very muted, but my impressions were that this one will blossom into a great VP in due time, like 20-30 years. (I guessed Niepoort)

12- Niepoort:
This one was the darkest one of the tasting. The nose was a bit muted and had a bit of heat. But you could still sense there was something there. It was rather dry and chalky compared to the others and seemed kind of thin. Not sure if this was a bad bottle or just really young and disjointed. Had a long finish with a lot of heat and tannins. Now I think this is just super young and really disjointed right now. I feel this one will need a really long time to come around. But when it does I think it will be great. (By default Croft was the only one I had not yet picked).


I can honestly say that tasting that many young VP’s is no easy task. Those tannins really start to get to you after a while. I was actually really tired after I got done with the tasting. I have a new respect for Roy and others that have to wade through all those young ports. But the experience was wonderful. A few really took me by surprise. The Romariz and Grahams did much better than I expected. If you have never done a tasting of super young VP’s I suggest you do so soon. It was quite the learning experience.

[Mike Kerr]

Great notes!

If I could find something in this area with a similar horizontal, I'd jump at it! Doing something like that on my own, even gradually, is cost-prohibitive at the moment. Even having friends buy a bottle each to bring is expensive because none of them are really port drinkers so the experience would be lost on them. (I'm planning a 2000 LBV horizontal for them in a few months to correct this...)

I love reading about the experiences of you guys across the country in tastings like this. Keep posting those notes!

Mike.

[Alex R]

What a shame that I missed that event, I go to wine exchange often (it's near by my job).they have the best prices on 20yr fonseca tawny. Do know if there planning to do another port tasting event like this again? Thanks in advance

[Gustavo Devesas]

Excelent post!
All the TN are amazingly nice to read and understand!
So far all I ever tasted of VP 2003 was,by chronological order:
:arrow: ROMARIZ
:arrow: QUINTA DE BALDIAS
:arrow: CASAL DOS JORDÕES

This three I tasted at my bar, altough we have the Taylor's,Noval,Rozès Quinta do Grifo,São Pedro das Águias, and Niepoort in stock to be tasted and to sell!

But, last December I went to a Tasting Event in the Palácio da Bolsa , Oporto called the PortoVintageShow were I had one of the times of my life :twisted:
First I let my father Jean Philippe go first in the afternoon(to select the really best ones!)and after I ran out of the bar and went with him to have lot's of fun!
The jewel of the exposition was the presentation of the 2003 VP, but there was much more and much older then that!Ohhhh I still whisper for the Taylor's Vargellas 1977 and the Burmester 1970 that I tasted there, it is now lunch time here in Oporto, and I have the jam and red summer fruits flavours coming out of my memory!!!
So other VP 2003 I tasted there:
:arrow: NOVAL
:arrow: TAYLOR'S
:arrow: NIEPOORT
:arrow: PINTAS
:arrow: BURMESTER
:arrow: CROFT
:arrow: NOVAL SILVAL
:arrow: FERREIRA
:arrow: SAO PEDRO ÀGUIAS
:arrow: OFFLEY BOA VISTA
:arrow: MESSIAS
:arrow: VISTA ALEGRE

All ordered by my preference of actual presence of flavours in the mouth, aftertaste, and tanins width so longer period of improvement in the bottle!
The surprise of the show was for me, the Pintas wich had a special mint and peppery taste very curious and outside the standard flavour for a "baby" Vintage!
I would say that the tradition it's still strong, what I mean is that the Noval,Taylor´s and Niepoort confirmed what I espected, extremely good and if we you alow me to use this word ... reliable!
A Vintage Year to keep in your primary memory, for sure!

[Andy Velebil]

What a shame that I missed that event, I go to wine exchange often (it's near by my job).they have the best prices on 20yr fonseca tawny. Do know if there planning to do another port tasting event like this again? Thanks in advance

I don't think have any plans in the near future. They did this same tasting last year. I was unable to make that one due to work. I will check with a friend that works their and get back to you. But, If you check their website, http://www.winex.com they list their upcoming tastings.

[Steven Kooij]

Great notes, Andy - thanks!

[Alex R]

thanks again,andy

[Al B.]

Andy

Thanks for the notes, great to read them.

Like you, this vintage is the first time that I have tried drinking wines that are so young. I'm really looking forward to being able to follow these wines through their evolution and have promised myself that I will open at least one bottle of the Vesvio 2003 vintage every year for the next 20 years.

Care to choose one of the wines and do the same?

Alex

[Andy Velebil]

I would love to do the same. However, I am going to need to save a bit of cash before I buy a couple of cases of one thing. I would want the storage to be the same for all to do it right. Plus, if I drink one a year for 20 years, I want some left over at the end to enjoy for a while. 8)

[Roy Hersh]

Sorry for the long response to your long post.


Andy,

I read your posting of these excellent TNs immediately upon your posting them. I did not want to respond until they were up for a few days to allow others to comment before taking my turn. Thank you for the insightful notes.

Should you choose ot match Alex's "one bottle for the next 20 years" experience, I suggest waiting until the wines hit five or better yet, ten years old. There is not going to be significant change in the early years. These take time and the variance of organoleptic nuances are slight at best. The pace of change is glacial and from one year to the next, especially while young the difference is almost impossible to detect. Since many of these will require 30 years to be great, I'd suggest starting at 10 years old and having a bottle every two to three years (if you buy ONE case of a particular VP). That way, you'll see greater differences over the course of your lifetime and appreciate many when they are young as well as when they are mature.

As to your tasting of the VPs from 2003:

The Dow is a big surprise as the Dow has been described most often, as very big and never light in 2003. I wonder if it was a decanting issue having been open 18 hours? I can't say, but that facet of your note is a mystery to me. (please do not take this as ANY issue with your palate WHATSOEVER!).

Fonseca sounds right on with the exception of the length of finish. Again, so many factors could effect one's experience and perception of an aftertaste and not tasting together side by side we can only say that our impressions were different.

Churchill's - in recent vintages, this producer deserves more credit than it obtains, yet the 2003 was a good but not great VP ffrom my viewpoint.

Vesuvio - your passion came out best in your writing of this TN.

Romariz - interesting take on this one that rang true to me. But, too early for a "shut down" situation IMO.

Graham's - it's hard not to love this one when it delivers such early and sweet pleasure.

Delaforce - nowhere near as big as the Vesuvio but usually enjoyable early on.

Noval - one of the greats of the vintage and should NOT be overlooked by anyone serious about 2003s. Exc. TN and glad to see how much you enjoyed this too.

Smith Woodhouse - does not show well without significant air time. My first day with the cask sample was very painful. It improved dramatically the 2nd day.

Croft - I can't wait to try this particular Port again. I had it last in October and loved it all over again. That nose! It too, needs lots of time to show its best. We certainly agree on its ability to age.

Taylor - very similar impressions on this one. It can be an enigma when young.

Niepoort - a brooding monster lies below that dark opacity, make no mistake about it.

As you note, tasting young Vintage Port is a pain vs. pleasure thang. I love doing it, but have seen many folks tire after 3-4 cask samples or just released VPs. It surely takes some time to get used to doing this and more importantly, the time required to decant properly for such a tasting and the ability in a large setting to know the size of your audience and decant well ahead of time ... sacrificing bottles in the name of science.

Andy, I applaud your efforts. I look forward to meeting you and hope that someday, you will join Mario and me on one of our trips. I think you would gain tremendously from a week of tasting with us and have one of the greatest times of your drinking life!

During our visit in May, we'll be trying early cask samples of the 2004 and at that VERY early stage, it will be insightful and challenging.

[Andy Velebil]

Roy,

When the tasting was over and I found out the first one was the Dow I was very surprised, actually shocked. I would probably have to agree with you that it was probably a decanting issue. Since this is the first one served I wonder if this was the first one they decanted the night before. Or maybe just an off bottle? I've had numerous bottles of LBV's, tawny's, and SQVP's from Dow and, even though I'm not a big fan of thier LBV's, even those had more body. But I am glad to hear that it is not typical.

It was funny, with regard to the Niepoort, it was all over the place on my palate. I will say it was the hardest one to try and figure out where it stood now, and where it would be in the future. But like my notes said, when it does come around it will be awsome!

"I'd suggest starting at 10 years old and having a bottle every two to three years"....sounds good too me 8)