Dominic Symington visit's Los Angeles and bring lots of Ports
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:12 pm
On 10/27/09 I, and many others, battled strong blowing winds as we all made our way to The Wine Country in Signal Hill, California. The occasion that drew us out into such wild weather that night was Dominic Symington arrived in town and was show-casing his 2007 Vintage Ports. Not to stop there, the owner of the store broke out some really old bottles to pair with such young beauties, something I must compliment him on.
I arrived and immediately noticed this was going to be a sit-down type of tasting. Not exactly my favorite type of tasting for these events. People don’t ask as many questions with every eye on them and it’s hard for the producer to keep people enterained for so long. While not a lot of questions were asked, Dominic did a fantastic job keeping us entertained and attentive with lots of informative information for over two hours.
Other than the format, I wasn’t too pleased to see large Bordeaux type wine glasses being used. Each person had three glasses, two for Port and one with water to drink. I had a hard time getting a good nose on the 2007’s as a result of such a large glass and the corresponding small sample pours. Being the “Port Boy-Scout” that I am, I ran out to my car and got a real Port glass from my trunk before we started on the older Vintage Ports, a very wise decision on my part I may add.
Before I move on to my tasting notes I have noticed that many of the 2007 Vintage Ports from the Symington’s have improved since I first tasted them in April. June was when I first noticed they had made some nice strides and I am amazed to see the improvements in such a short time. Another good reason why anyone should take their time and try Vintage Ports as often as possible after they are initally bottled. Of course, these tasting notes are quick snap shots as I generally spent about 3-5 minutes, or less, with each. My notes are in the order the Ports were served.
2007 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
A deep purple color but not what I’d call the proverbial “Squid Ink.” Up front this showed lots of eucalyptus that gave way to moderate tannins and solid acidity. A nice amount of cedar showed up mid palate and some blueberries came late. A bit of heat on the moderately long finish wrapped this up nicely. I was quite impressed with this bottling from a house that doesn’t get enough respect. 89-90(+) points
2007 Warre’s Vintage Port
The color was a little darker than the Smith Woodhouse. There fuller fruit on this one and bigger tannins as well. Lots of silky black cherries on a full bodied palate and a long finish made for a very nice bottle. Warre’s, in all it’s elegance, never fails to impress. 92-93 points
2007 Dow’s Vintage Port
A tad darker than the Warre’s, but still just shy of Squid Ink. I will say this one had one powerful nose as even in the Bordeaux glass it gave nice aromas of blackberrys and tobacco. The palate was a little tight but still showed leather, cedar, moderate tannins and solid acidity. I wasn’t impressed this time as I’ve had far better showings of this bottle so take the score with a grain of salt. 90-92 points.
2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port
This is what Squid Ink is all about. I was struck by the aromatics of this one. Huge blueberries and cedar that assailed the nose. Hugely massive blueberries and blackberries engulfed the mouth and just at the point of almost being cloying a wave of acidity cut it and balanced it out. Full throttle fruit on the finish rounded out what is, and will be, a stellar 2007 VP. 94-96 points
2007 Graham’s Vintage Port
Now this is a good example of Squid Ink, nice deep and glass staining. It was a very floral nose full of blackberries and eucalyptus. The massive acidity dominate the palate and almost overwhelms the big black fruit. The big furry tannins come late and hit me like a ton of bricks. A finish full of tobacco and rich dark fruit make this one heck of a Port. 95-97 points.
2006 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port
On the border of being as dark as the Graham’s. The nose wasn’t as big as the Graham’s, it was leaner and was a bit “fresher.” Of course that could have been from the large glass to. Softer on the palate than the Graham’s, which I found consistant with other vintage of Vesuvio. Lots of cherries, violets, and chocolate are tempered by strong acidity to help carry this for many years. I enjoyed the silky blueberries on the finish. I should add, I and several others from FTLOP helped tread these grapes when we visited Vesuvio in 2006. 92-94 points
1994 Dow’s Vintage Port
Still opaque and not showing age on the color. I was struck by the aged violets on the nose, something normally associated with older VP’s. While there was solid acidity and some juicy fruit, I also noticed the fruit was stewed and had some wisps of cigarette butts. I’ve had this a number of times over the years and something wasn’t right with this one. N/R
1985 Dow’s Vintage Port
The color was as dark as the 1994 Dow’s and still holding extremely well. I loved the nose of blackberries and some beginning hints of violets. It seemed younger than the 1994 Dow’s on the nose. Loads of cigar box jumped out at me on the palate which were quickly doused by juicy black fruit and big tannins. This was still such a baby and one every Port lover should own. 94-95(+) points
2003 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
Typical dark opaque color on expects from such an extracted year as 2003. The nose however was very tight and didn’t give much up. The palate was also very tight, but with softer raspberries and moderate tannins. I quite enjoyed this and am glad I own some. It will make a solid mid term VP. 91-92 points
1980 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
Showing some ruby red on the edge, this was starting to show some age. Plenty of floral violets, cassis, and licorise on the nose. A youthful palate of red fruit, licorise, and some cedar are balanced by good strong tannins and acid. There is no hurry to drink these if you own them. A well done job by Smith Woodhouse in a year rarely talked about. 92-93 points
1980 Graham’s Vintage Port
The color was much lighter than the Smith Woodhouse. The nose was also more evolved with the characteristic Christmas cake spice and violets. Softer on the palate and also more evolved, it still showed nice tobacco, cedar, and leather on the palate. The one thing that really hurt this was it was a bit hot on the finish with soft fruit. 90-91 points
1977 Graham’s Vintage Port
A light ruby to a pink edge, this was a bit more advance in color than other bottles I’ve had. The nose was very woody, but underlined with raspberries. Very silky on the tounge, that Christmas cake spice again jumped out at me. There was some heat on the mid palate, which is less than I’ve had before and something that would have been less with a longer decant. This is showing better than a couple of years ago when that heat was far to excessive. 91-92 points.
1970 Graham’s Vintage Port
A light ruby center was showing lots of age. While the nose didn’t with it’s chocolate and floral raspberries. While the palate was a bit soft, it was also vibrant with its acidity keeping it fresh. Still plenty of tannins, spices, and white cherries lead into a long finish full of decadent fresh cherries. There was a touch of heat on the finish which I have no doubt would have dissipated with more decanting. 94-95 points
1985 Warre’s Vintage Port
Still solid dark purple with a redish/pink edge. Lots of ripe raspberries on the nose don’t indicate it’s 24 years of age. Very thick licorise at first then the fruit gave way to silky tannins and acidity. A bit of pine tar on the back palate was the lead into a long well structured finish. 92-93 points
1963 Warre’s Vintage Port
Argh, one smell told me all I needed to know…Corked!! I got a couple drops from the second bottle poured to the back half of the room, but it wasn’t even enough to wet the whistle. N/R
1960 Warre’s Vintage Port
A light brown to a pink edge. Lots of cigar and strawberries on the nose were enticing. While the tannins were fully resolved there was plenty of white cherries, cedar, tobacco, and strawberries that kept me coming back for more. A bit of heat on the finish was only slightly distracting. This is at peak and I’m not sure how much longer it will hold there. I’d suggest to start slowly drinking these up for optimal taste. 91-92 points
I arrived and immediately noticed this was going to be a sit-down type of tasting. Not exactly my favorite type of tasting for these events. People don’t ask as many questions with every eye on them and it’s hard for the producer to keep people enterained for so long. While not a lot of questions were asked, Dominic did a fantastic job keeping us entertained and attentive with lots of informative information for over two hours.
Other than the format, I wasn’t too pleased to see large Bordeaux type wine glasses being used. Each person had three glasses, two for Port and one with water to drink. I had a hard time getting a good nose on the 2007’s as a result of such a large glass and the corresponding small sample pours. Being the “Port Boy-Scout” that I am, I ran out to my car and got a real Port glass from my trunk before we started on the older Vintage Ports, a very wise decision on my part I may add.
Before I move on to my tasting notes I have noticed that many of the 2007 Vintage Ports from the Symington’s have improved since I first tasted them in April. June was when I first noticed they had made some nice strides and I am amazed to see the improvements in such a short time. Another good reason why anyone should take their time and try Vintage Ports as often as possible after they are initally bottled. Of course, these tasting notes are quick snap shots as I generally spent about 3-5 minutes, or less, with each. My notes are in the order the Ports were served.
2007 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
A deep purple color but not what I’d call the proverbial “Squid Ink.” Up front this showed lots of eucalyptus that gave way to moderate tannins and solid acidity. A nice amount of cedar showed up mid palate and some blueberries came late. A bit of heat on the moderately long finish wrapped this up nicely. I was quite impressed with this bottling from a house that doesn’t get enough respect. 89-90(+) points
2007 Warre’s Vintage Port
The color was a little darker than the Smith Woodhouse. There fuller fruit on this one and bigger tannins as well. Lots of silky black cherries on a full bodied palate and a long finish made for a very nice bottle. Warre’s, in all it’s elegance, never fails to impress. 92-93 points
2007 Dow’s Vintage Port
A tad darker than the Warre’s, but still just shy of Squid Ink. I will say this one had one powerful nose as even in the Bordeaux glass it gave nice aromas of blackberrys and tobacco. The palate was a little tight but still showed leather, cedar, moderate tannins and solid acidity. I wasn’t impressed this time as I’ve had far better showings of this bottle so take the score with a grain of salt. 90-92 points.
2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port
This is what Squid Ink is all about. I was struck by the aromatics of this one. Huge blueberries and cedar that assailed the nose. Hugely massive blueberries and blackberries engulfed the mouth and just at the point of almost being cloying a wave of acidity cut it and balanced it out. Full throttle fruit on the finish rounded out what is, and will be, a stellar 2007 VP. 94-96 points
2007 Graham’s Vintage Port
Now this is a good example of Squid Ink, nice deep and glass staining. It was a very floral nose full of blackberries and eucalyptus. The massive acidity dominate the palate and almost overwhelms the big black fruit. The big furry tannins come late and hit me like a ton of bricks. A finish full of tobacco and rich dark fruit make this one heck of a Port. 95-97 points.
2006 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port
On the border of being as dark as the Graham’s. The nose wasn’t as big as the Graham’s, it was leaner and was a bit “fresher.” Of course that could have been from the large glass to. Softer on the palate than the Graham’s, which I found consistant with other vintage of Vesuvio. Lots of cherries, violets, and chocolate are tempered by strong acidity to help carry this for many years. I enjoyed the silky blueberries on the finish. I should add, I and several others from FTLOP helped tread these grapes when we visited Vesuvio in 2006. 92-94 points
1994 Dow’s Vintage Port
Still opaque and not showing age on the color. I was struck by the aged violets on the nose, something normally associated with older VP’s. While there was solid acidity and some juicy fruit, I also noticed the fruit was stewed and had some wisps of cigarette butts. I’ve had this a number of times over the years and something wasn’t right with this one. N/R
1985 Dow’s Vintage Port
The color was as dark as the 1994 Dow’s and still holding extremely well. I loved the nose of blackberries and some beginning hints of violets. It seemed younger than the 1994 Dow’s on the nose. Loads of cigar box jumped out at me on the palate which were quickly doused by juicy black fruit and big tannins. This was still such a baby and one every Port lover should own. 94-95(+) points
2003 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
Typical dark opaque color on expects from such an extracted year as 2003. The nose however was very tight and didn’t give much up. The palate was also very tight, but with softer raspberries and moderate tannins. I quite enjoyed this and am glad I own some. It will make a solid mid term VP. 91-92 points
1980 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
Showing some ruby red on the edge, this was starting to show some age. Plenty of floral violets, cassis, and licorise on the nose. A youthful palate of red fruit, licorise, and some cedar are balanced by good strong tannins and acid. There is no hurry to drink these if you own them. A well done job by Smith Woodhouse in a year rarely talked about. 92-93 points
1980 Graham’s Vintage Port
The color was much lighter than the Smith Woodhouse. The nose was also more evolved with the characteristic Christmas cake spice and violets. Softer on the palate and also more evolved, it still showed nice tobacco, cedar, and leather on the palate. The one thing that really hurt this was it was a bit hot on the finish with soft fruit. 90-91 points
1977 Graham’s Vintage Port
A light ruby to a pink edge, this was a bit more advance in color than other bottles I’ve had. The nose was very woody, but underlined with raspberries. Very silky on the tounge, that Christmas cake spice again jumped out at me. There was some heat on the mid palate, which is less than I’ve had before and something that would have been less with a longer decant. This is showing better than a couple of years ago when that heat was far to excessive. 91-92 points.
1970 Graham’s Vintage Port
A light ruby center was showing lots of age. While the nose didn’t with it’s chocolate and floral raspberries. While the palate was a bit soft, it was also vibrant with its acidity keeping it fresh. Still plenty of tannins, spices, and white cherries lead into a long finish full of decadent fresh cherries. There was a touch of heat on the finish which I have no doubt would have dissipated with more decanting. 94-95 points
1985 Warre’s Vintage Port
Still solid dark purple with a redish/pink edge. Lots of ripe raspberries on the nose don’t indicate it’s 24 years of age. Very thick licorise at first then the fruit gave way to silky tannins and acidity. A bit of pine tar on the back palate was the lead into a long well structured finish. 92-93 points
1963 Warre’s Vintage Port
Argh, one smell told me all I needed to know…Corked!! I got a couple drops from the second bottle poured to the back half of the room, but it wasn’t even enough to wet the whistle. N/R
1960 Warre’s Vintage Port
A light brown to a pink edge. Lots of cigar and strawberries on the nose were enticing. While the tannins were fully resolved there was plenty of white cherries, cedar, tobacco, and strawberries that kept me coming back for more. A bit of heat on the finish was only slightly distracting. This is at peak and I’m not sure how much longer it will hold there. I’d suggest to start slowly drinking these up for optimal taste. 91-92 points