2000 Quinta do Vale Meão Vintage Port

[Todd Pettinger]

Quinta do Vale Meão Vintage Port – 2000
This port had been decanted prior to Cristiano arriving at the store, about two hours. When they had been opened/poured, they had been done so from 375 mL bottles, which Cristiano explained advanced the aging of the port. The smaller the bottle, the more quickly it ages. I am pretty sure this has been discussed elsewhere on this forum, but it was interesting to hear it coming from a professional port producer himself – not that I doubt the advice of the expert port consumers on this site, but the forum is what it is; having someone whose livelihood depends on the port that he produces tell me this fact almost seemed to cement it for me.

Slightly tarry nose, with full-bodied fruits, primarily raspberries, black currants and a touch of what may have been a spice of some sort. The port is a dark ruby with a touch of lesser red on the rim. On the palate, the fresh fruit is complemented by a hint of mint, but the alcohol is pronounced enough that I would avoid the wine for several years, 375 or not.

After 45+ minutes, I revisited this port and was impressed to find the licorice had subsided somewhat and the tarry nose dissipated. The heat remained a touch, but the port was drinking fairly enough now. I would still cellar it for at least another 5-7 years before trying this one again. I will purchase some of this to revisit, perhaps in 2015.

While it is drinking okay now out of several 375 mL bottles, I wouldn’t recommend opening this one in a 750 mL or larger format. I would score it a 4-7 as it should improve dramatically in a decade or more.