For The Love Of Port

Producer: Calem

Grapes: 50 % TOURIGA NACIONAL, 25 % TINTO RORIZ, 25 % TOURIGA FRANCA Bottled in 1982

Color: dark red with some brown, still a young and brilliant color. Medium depth.

Nose: Dried cherry, some dried fruit like sultana raisins, nice balsamic wood, flowers going on light honey, some dried figs, spices, some nuts and tea.

Palate: medium to full bodied, very good concentration, good balance, good structure, fine tannins but they are still firm, good acidity, fruit all the way, very long intens finish. Sweetish.

Foodmatch: Cheese, nuts, chocolate, marsipan, dishes of game.

Cellaring: 0-10 years.

Very good wine at a good price. Perfect balance, just yummy.

Bjorn,

Good to have you back and I hope you are happy to be in Norway again. I enjoyed your TN and have never had this particular Vintage Port so I enjoyed reading about it.

In mid-October I spent a day with the Calem family at Quinta da Foz. Warm and inviting with such a sense of history for the region. It was like being with old friends. I tried more DOC wines than Port that day, but both show shades of brilliance, especially the VT. Listening to Mr. Calem a great reconteur tell stories of the old firm was truly one of my highlights during that trip to Portugal.

I look forward to trying more of their Ports in the future and spending more time at Foz.

Quinta da Foz sounds familiar... is it in Pinhao? We stayed at Quinta de la Rosa, which is about a mile outside of Pinhao, but there was another Quinta right on the edge of town as we walked in and I think it was Foz.

Roy.
I think its nice that you enjoy my TN`s. I always try to write with my own words and use my own associations when reporting on a wine. After I make my notes I maybe read other comments and TN`s to compare. I guess thats why many people dont agree with what I write.

I guess I would rather live in Mexico under the palmtrees, but here at least in the cold winter months, I can taste a lot of wine in my work.
I have many responsabilities so thats why I am not so active on your site. I try to when I have the time. This year I will study Spanish wines with an exam in November, in addition to that I am in a food and wine group in my work so I travel to many of our stores to teach the staff about food and wine combinations. This I do after the stores close for the night.

This wine Quinta da Foz 1980 was a bargain, and a big hit in Norway

Ok fellow FTLOP'rs, i think a trip to Norway is in order one day

I just bought a few bottles of this wine after a recommendation from a friend, and I'm looking forward to enjoying a bottle tomorrow while following "Super Tuesday" on TV with a friend. I read in a review that it was still quite young for it's age, and I was wondering if it could benefit from a slightly longer than usual decanting? How long did you decant it before drinking?

Currently it' sold out, but it's supposed to be available again in two weeks or so. It's probably the best deal for Vintage ports in Norway right now at NOK 295,50 (app. USD 54, which is a good price taking into account Norwegian alcohol taxes and cost of living-levels ).

I decanted for about 3 hours.