1994 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port

[Kris Henderson]

Very dark red/purple. Completely opaque, nearly black. Lovely complex nose of flowers, ripe fruit, cinnamon. The palate is sweet and full bodied with firm tannins and well integrated alcohol. Decant this for 12 to 24 hours for best enjoyment. Wonderful finish with good complexity. Big structure, moderate sweetness. Intense fruit. I can't imagine a 14 year old Vintage Port being better than this but I remain open to the possibility which is why I don't score it 100. 97 points

[Roy Hersh]

If you don't like this one ... go drink Fino Sherry!

Thanks Kris.

[Andy Velebil]

If you don't own any of this, there is a serious hole in your 1994 VP collection...and it still can be found regularly for under $100 (US). You can't touch a Taylors or Fonseca for anywhere near that price.

[Roy Hersh]

I had a bottle of this during a 1994 tasting with Todd Pettinger, Rich Beeken and others, two weeks ago and I must say ... the Vesuvio was a show stopping VP. Then again, the Graham's was probably the favorite of the entire group. I really liked it too, just not as much as the Vesuvio.

[Todd Pettinger]

This was an absolute show-stopper is right. One of the guys described it as having "gotten out of the glass and slapped [me] in the face with fruit and berries..."

The power and opulence was an epiphany for me. Unreal and so tasty. I have (sadly) only two bottles in the cellar and could easily want 2 CASES more.

Someone once asked if you could only have one VP to drink for the rest of your life in unlimited quantities, what would it be. It is drinking so beautiful and perfect now at only 14 years. Imagine being able to track it for the next 40 or so years! Amazing! I doubt it will go downhill in that time, but is drinking perfectly now which is why it would be one of my top 2 or 3 considerations for that honour.

Todd

[Roy Hersh]

Agreed. It IS drinking amazing now and I have a feeling that it always will ... for the next 4 decades anyway, if not longer. This is not only gorgeous today but filled with extraordinary promise for many tomorrows. This is one bottling you can never own enough of.

[João Rico]

Had it two weeks ago. One of the most perfect port i have had the oportunity to drink. Really amazing stuff that is not so expensive, at least yet....

[Moses Botbol]

Been looking for a footlocker of this one and haven't seen any. Would like to expand on my Vesuvio's and this is suppose to be the one to have...

[Otto Nieminen]

I am another fan. But I have never found it powerful and opulent (when against other '94s) but rather an elegant Port with grace and poise - which is exactly what endeared it to me.

[Scott Anaya]

Um yeah...WOW and i say that in the moment, as i am "tasting" a bit more out of the decanter right now. Right out of the bottle this was amazing. Maybe my single best Port of the year, cetainly one of the top 3 fo sure. I had to have two glasses right away. It was a showing just a tad slight bit of heat at the 12 hr decanting mark. Am looking forward to the 24 hour mark after Christmas dinner tonight!

[David Spriggs]

This is certainly one of my all time favorite Vintage Ports. It's incredibly impressive. There is plenty of structure here, but the fruit buries most of it. The most amazing thing is that it has never closed up -- and it appears that it never will. I continue to buy cases of this when I find a good price - mostly in the UK, but also at auction.
-Dave-

[Todd Pettinger]

Solid strategy David. If it didn't cost an arm and a leg plus my first-born I would probably have picked up more of this by now. It is literally the closest I have come to rating a Port as 'perfect' in my limited exposure to VPs (98+)

Todd

[Todd Pettinger]

After re-reading this, I should mention that I was SO tempted to open one of my two bottles of this for Christmas, but in retrospect am glad that I resisted the temptation... I am sure I will thank myself in a couple of years (or decades)

T