Hundred Acre Can of worms

[Edward J]

I came across this article while trying to figure out what makes a Hundred Acre Fortification $350 a bottle for a California wine or egads $950 for a RP100pt. 2007! I missed the cult winery explosion so until recently I had no idea. The winemaker makes some rather strong assertions about Port wine production and the current regulations. However after reading what he is doing, why not own it? He is not so much building a better port mousetrap rather than creating a new wine, Califortification? I searched here on FTLOP but came up with no hits, any one ever had it?

http://layercakeanadventureinwine.blogs ... -acre.html

[Eric Menchen]

1. I think he is off in his understanding of why Vintage Port needs to be aged.
2. Despite all his grumbling about the EU and regulation of the term Port, he uses it throughout the article capitalized, which to me is an acknowledgement of its regional origin. If it were just a style, it would be port now wouldn't it? We don't drink Red wine, Sparkling wine, and Mulled wine do we?
3. Fortification might be an interesting drink, but given the treatment of the brandy and the winemaker's discussion of it, it is better off not called Port.

I've thought about buying Fortification before, but I think I'm less inclined now.

[Andy Velebil]

This is good case of someone with too much money that doesn't truly understand what he's trying to copy. Using Cabernet grapes to make a "port", gross!

[Edward J]

This is good case of someone with too much money that doesn't truly understand what he's trying to copy. Using Cabernet grapes to make a "port", gross!

Not just using the Cabernet to make the wine but also making the brandy from those same grapes. Does it provide for a superior wine overall? What could the folks who have been doing this for the last few centuries know? These same people when shipping dry red wine label it Douro D.O.C., not Port, yet Port comes from the Douro, and with pedigrees beyond question. The issue is then a "brand" issue for marketing purposes and to me a big "so what". Yet you don't survive let alone thrive without marketing. Where I see this going is the continuation of turning the best vineyards into high end "single quintas" like Stone Terraces along with similar release prices. Are there enough collectors who will pay? Will more houses try to have their own "Nacional" level release? Beats me but it's fun to speculate.

[Bradley Bogdan]

His first premise is that the must and grape blend being used to make port is not something that would make great table wine. Fair enough. The great dry reds from the Douro are more than just diverted juice that was destined for Port production. They are purposefully made from bud break to harvest and beyond. He seems to mistake that fact for an indication that good table wines are the basis for all wines.

In this case, I see Port as similar to Champage and other sparkling wines, where the production is geared from bud break to produce wine that is less than ideal for table wine consumption, but perfect for these other styles of wine. None of us would ever want to drink the base wines of Champagne, but we all enjoy the finished product. While I imagine the juice that eventually makes Port would be a substantially more palatable table wine than Champagne's base wines are, they're still geared to be even better Port. Taking juice geared to be great table wine and fortifying it is not an improvement of the process.


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[Bradley Bogdan]

Further more, his lack of understanding of the sources and role of the fortifying spirits in Port is disappointing as he seems to make that his largest point in explaining how he will have a superior fortified wine. While I'm sure not many, if any shippers, use spirits so carefully crafted, they clearly nowadays use high quality grape spirits that leave much cleaner, smoother and usually more enjoyable wines. I have my doubts that there is much room for improvement on the spirits side of the equation.


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[Andy Velebil]

Further more, his lack of understanding of the sources and role of the fortifying spirits in Port is disappointing as he seems to make that his largest point in explaining how he will have a superior fortified wine. While I'm sure not many, if any shippers, use spirits so carefully crafted, they clearly nowadays use high quality grape spirits that leave much cleaner, smoother and usually more enjoyable wines. I have my doubts that there is much room for improvement on the spirits side of the equation.


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True, but then he won't have a great story to tell those people who will buy it regardless simply because it's "Hundred Acre"

[Edward J]

True, but then he won't have a great story to tell those people who will buy it regardless simply because it's "Hundred Acre"

I think you have it ! More than a couple wineries here in Ca offer up a "dessert" wine mostly for fans of the label and often times only available at the winery. Label bias is, in my opinion, not easily (if ever) overcome. A reason I like blind tastings is often time "lesser" wines often outscore the heavyweights.