2005 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port

[Lamont Huxley]

Having sipped a glass at about 2hrs and 16hrs and finding the port quite tight, I took these notes after roughly 24hrs decant time and found my impressions to be consistent after finishing the bottle on day 3.

The color is a dark, eggplant skin color with a bright purple rim. The nose is fairly expressive for a baby VP, though still tightly wound, showing dense and perfumed aromas of boysenberry, blueberry, chocolate and a dark floral/herbal quality reminding me of violets and lavender.

Viscous and quite sweet rasperry fruit on entry, almost honey-like, followed by a huge wave of warm cinnamon/pepper spice on the mid-palate that grips the throat and keeps hold through the very long and lush finish. Though the spicy heat was quite prominent on the middle of the palate, the wine doesn't come off as unbalanced, just rather large in structure and needing some years to integrate all of its elements together. There is substantial tannin as well, but at this point it's only discernable on the finish, as the sweetness of the fruit is hiding it well. At this stage I'd give it a 93+ though it's obviously very tight still. Great port that looks to be an excellent candidate for longer-term cellaring.

[Andy Velebil]

Excellent tasting note

Having sipped a glass at about 2hrs and 16hrs and finding the port quite tight, I took these notes after roughly 24hrs decant time and found my impressions to be consistent after finishing the bottle on day 3.

Glad you got to experience why doing quick "snap shot" tastings of these young VP's right after opening doesn't always give the drinker the true potential of the Port.....so decant, decant, decant

[Lamont Huxley]

Excellent tasting note

Thanks Andy. It's been a strange year for me, without a lot of port tasting, but I seem to be headed back into a major port bender so there should be plenty more TNs to come soon...

[Andy Velebil]

but I seem to be headed back into a major port bender so there should be plenty more TNs to come soon...

What I like to hear

[Roy Hersh]

I liked the 2005 quite a bit. It has great potential, but is a pretty baby too.