Advice on the 2004 Quinta de Roriz VP

[Mahmoud Ali]

I am considering buying a bottle of the 2004 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port that has appeared on the shelf of a local retailer at a tempting price. I have no idea of provenance but assume that it has been languishing on their shelf for quite some time. Ports tend to be more sturdy than other wines so I suspect it could be a good buy. One thing though, I can find nary a critical review of the '04 Roriz except for Roy's initial 2004 Port Forecast. Some time ago, Tom Pettinger wrote an admirable but exhaustive epic tasting report that charts the trajectory of the port almost by the hour over the course of several days. Back then Tom had a newborn to attend to so he had to space out his sips while in my place a bottle of port disappears within an evening.

The price is right so perhaps there is no reason to ask for advice but it would be nice to know if there are some critical reviews around. Based on Roy's report my understanding is that the '04s should be rather approachable while still retaining the ability to age. Any comments and advice would be welcome and appreciated.

Cheers ............................... Mahmoud.

[Mahmoud Ali]

The silence has me thinking that perhaps the 2004 Quinta do Roriz, at 12 years of age, might not be faring as well as Roy thought when he gave it a fairly high preliminary score back in about 2007 and people are too polite to say anything. Perhaps at C$42 (US$31.50 at today's rate) it is not a wise purchase for what it is.

Cheers .......................... Mahmoud.

[Andy Velebil]

The silence has me thinking that perhaps the 2004 Quinta do Roriz, at 12 years of age, might not be faring as well as Roy thought when he gave it a fairly high preliminary score back in about 2007 and people are too polite to say anything. Perhaps at C$42 (US$31.50 at today's rate) it is not a wise purchase for what it is.

Cheers .......................... Mahmoud.

It's cheap enough to take a flier on and try. It's also a Port where not a lot was made and not a lot is easily available to buy, so why I suspect you see no notes on it. I know I've had it at least once, but in which tasting note book I wrote it in is anyone's guess at this point, LOL.

[Glenn E.]

The silence has me thinking that perhaps the 2004 Quinta do Roriz, at 12 years of age, might not be faring as well as Roy thought when he gave it a fairly high preliminary score back in about 2007 and people are too polite to say anything. Perhaps at C$42 (US$31.50 at today's rate) it is not a wise purchase for what it is.

Cheers .......................... Mahmoud.

I don't have any experience with it, either, but I do like the 1999 Roriz. For a very long time the '99 was my "reference Port" that I used to calibrate my palate. I typically gave it ~90 points, which seemed to be pretty much the consensus, so every once in a while I'd open a bottle to remind myself of just how good a 90-point Port could be, and thus help prevent score inflation. That was my story, anyway.

[Mahmoud Ali]

It's cheap enough to take a flier on and try. It's also a Port where not a lot was made and not a lot is easily available to buy, so why I suspect you see no notes on it. I know I've had it at least once, but in which tasting note book I wrote it in is anyone's guess at this point, LOL.

Advice taken, bottle bought, opened, decanted, tasted and note posted in the tasting section. In brief, ready to drink, elegant, and with plenty of reserve in the tank. Will buy a few more.

Cheers .................. Mahmoud.

[Roy Hersh]

Actually, I originally had it in 2006 and almost exactly two years later again in 2008. Notes are in the data base.