Do you find "heat" or too much alcohol in your Por
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:33 am
I am very picky about the alcohol in Port.
There are many reasons a Port can show alcohol, since in all Port the ratio remains the same. There are 4 parts grape juice to one part aguardente (brandy/neutral spirits) in the blend that prematurely stops fermentation by killing the active yeast cells during fermentation. This process is called "fortification" and is fun to see in action, but I digress.
The alcohol can show up in Vintage Port in the following ways (from young to old):
* In a cask sample, the parts have not integrated yet, meaning that there is no symmetry between the fruit and alcohol and it comes off as disjointed on the nose and especially the finish. You feel the heat of raw alc.
* In a young Port ... from release until 20 years of age) it is not uncommon to find alcohol on either the nose or on the palate, possibly both. I find this is common with Graham's, Ferreira and Taylor in almost every case. These producers normally take longer to come together than others and especially the integration of the alcohol (although there are other producers that fit this mold too).
In mines beginning to gain maturity at 20-30 years of age, the alcohol should no longer be noticeable and when it is, I consider it a flaw (in most cases). If it is very minor and does not distract the taster from enjoying the other aromatics, flavor profile and especially the finish (void of heat) it can be forgiven. In cases where it detracts from the nose by giving off a wafting spirity character, or the heat is felt once the wine is swallowed, in my evaluations I then deduct 2-5 points, depending on how prominent it still is. Rarely do I deduct more than 3 points unless this is a very significant flaw.
* In mature wines, it is assumed that the alcohol would have fully integrated. But there are some wines that are past their prime at this point and the fruit has started to fade or recede, leaving the alcohol to protrude. This is not a flaw, but typical of the life cycle of a Vintage Port. Whether this happens at 35 years old or 75+ years old, depends on the greatness of the VP.
There are many reasons a Port can show alcohol, since in all Port the ratio remains the same. There are 4 parts grape juice to one part aguardente (brandy/neutral spirits) in the blend that prematurely stops fermentation by killing the active yeast cells during fermentation. This process is called "fortification" and is fun to see in action, but I digress.
The alcohol can show up in Vintage Port in the following ways (from young to old):
* In a cask sample, the parts have not integrated yet, meaning that there is no symmetry between the fruit and alcohol and it comes off as disjointed on the nose and especially the finish. You feel the heat of raw alc.
* In a young Port ... from release until 20 years of age) it is not uncommon to find alcohol on either the nose or on the palate, possibly both. I find this is common with Graham's, Ferreira and Taylor in almost every case. These producers normally take longer to come together than others and especially the integration of the alcohol (although there are other producers that fit this mold too).
In mines beginning to gain maturity at 20-30 years of age, the alcohol should no longer be noticeable and when it is, I consider it a flaw (in most cases). If it is very minor and does not distract the taster from enjoying the other aromatics, flavor profile and especially the finish (void of heat) it can be forgiven. In cases where it detracts from the nose by giving off a wafting spirity character, or the heat is felt once the wine is swallowed, in my evaluations I then deduct 2-5 points, depending on how prominent it still is. Rarely do I deduct more than 3 points unless this is a very significant flaw.
* In mature wines, it is assumed that the alcohol would have fully integrated. But there are some wines that are past their prime at this point and the fruit has started to fade or recede, leaving the alcohol to protrude. This is not a flaw, but typical of the life cycle of a Vintage Port. Whether this happens at 35 years old or 75+ years old, depends on the greatness of the VP.