1999 Quinta do Vesuvio VP

[Ray Barnes]

Very pleasant wine, to my taste anyway. Apart from some very pleasant red fruit notes, this wine had some earthiness and some licorice on the bouquet, not unlike the old red Twizzlers. It is a drier style and not as concentrated as the other VPs I have tried over the last year or so, but still very well balanced and flavourful. Some VPs have been reminiscent of Pauillacs, this one was closer to Graves. I liked its elegance and restrained power. This was served with double chocolate cake at the end of a long funeral reception dinner, and everyone thought it was superb. The somewhat drier style was very well received. It is very reasonably priced for the quality, and I would buy it again without hesitation. Not classic or blockbuster stuff, but excellent for sure.