For The Love Of Port

An interesting question. When I first read it, I thought that it seemed like an easy one to answer: of course I’ve had a port here and there that I didn’t like. After considering it more closely though, I realize that I am hard pressed to come up with a bottle that I truly didn’t like; and here I am...

Thanks for the thorough review. I almost bought this bottle tonight, but after a lackluster showing of the 95 vintage from this single quinta at my girlfriend's apartment last night, I opted to pass it by. After reading your notes I think I might have to go back and give it a shot!

I drank the Vesuvio 03 last month. This was my initiation to this producer, and it rocked my world. Does anyone else feel that this wine is exceptionally awesome?: This is a beautiful looking port - dark eggplant purple in the core transitioning to a glowing oxblood colored rim - very vibrant. After...

Although this recent bottle that I drank showed a lot of that volatility, the one I popped some years back had none of it. I think I'm going to sit on the couple of bottles that I have and just hope that they turn out like the first one I drank and not the second...good luck!

First off, I have to say that I agree with Roy: the idea of a port “season” just doesn’t work for me. Though there are those hot and super-humid summer nights (especially here in NYC) when the thought of popping a rich, sweet bottle of VP just doesn’t feel right. But save for those particularly swel...

A rather flat purple hue with a wide burgundy rim showing a brownish tinge. The nose has a slightly baked and meaty character to it and displays notes of prune, cherry, dried blueberries, and some noticable spirit. Pleasant dark berry fruit on the palate, moderately sweet, and showing just a dash of...

I've had the Warre's 94 a couple of times over the past 2 years. I also found it to be an excellent port. It's velvety, elegant, and really well balanced. Delicious! I can't help but like it even more for the fact that it goes for such an affordable pricetag compared to many of the other 94's. The o...

To date, I've only sampled three vintages from Smith Woodhouse: 85, 97, and 00. I had the 85 about 7 or 8 years ago (big, dark and plummy) and the 97 a few months ago (a lighter bodied, more open style). Both were very enjoyable, but the 03 was my favorite so far. Here were my notes on it: Royal pur...

For my birthday this past February my girlfriend decided that it would be a cool idea for us to drink a VP from my birth year: 1975. Not only had I never had a port from this vintage, but I couldn't even recall ever having seen one in a shop before. On top of that, I've never read anything more than...

Thanks for the heads up Frederick. I'm sorry to hear that this seems to be a common assessment of this wine.

I had the Passadouro 94 a number of years ago, probably 6 to 8 years ago by now, and though I can't find my notes on it, I do remember my general impression. I also found it quite one-dimensional, on the light side, and frankly disappointing, especially considering the fact that it was coming from N...

I first drank the Niepoort 97 back in 2000, just a year after it's release, and it was massive; dark, brooding, and impenetrable. I had it again just a couple of nights ago and it was definitely quite a different wine. It had lightened considerably to a bright purple/raspberry color and the nose was...

I drank the 94 Croft about two months ago. Here are my notes... Deep burgundy color with just a hint of maturity beginning to show on the rim. It took quite a while in the decanter before the nose opened up, though it still seems to be holding something back. It shows notes of smokey prune, raspberr...