For The Love Of Port

Cross-posting from http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... f=1&t=5917

Ferreira Duque de Braganca 20-yr old Tawny
Tasted at Roy's house on 8/31/2008

Very deep amber in color, blending to orange and then yellow near the rim. There's no green tinge at the rim.

Some VA on the nose and not much else. The bottle was in a wine fridge at 55 degrees until almost 7:30 (tasted at 8:00), so it's still cooler than I would normally drink a Tawny. When warmed in the glass by hand, some dark (but not spicy) wood shows on the nose.

There's a hint of almond that's almost-but-not-quite marzipan, along with a vanilla that reminds me of creme brulee. Strong citrus notes, but not as overwhelming as the last bottle of the Duque that I tried. Can't tell if that's a bottle difference or if my palate has just been affected by Bottle #1 (blind tasted, Ferreira 10-yr old Tawny).

The finish is very smooth, but isn't as long as Bottle #1. The Duque is noticeably sweeter than Bottle #1, though, and I commented that tasting 1 then 2 works fine, but tasting 2 then 1 really doesn't leave you with a good impression of #1. Overall this is a fuller (is that a word?), more well-rounded Port than #1.

One of my favorite 20 year old tawny's... I'm glad Roy did this blind, it really shows why serving order is so important. But the wrong Port first and it distorts the profile of subsequent Ports.

More red than some tawny's I've had, but had the blending to orange that Glenn mentioned. The aroma at first was of alcohol, but not straight up hot. It was more of a cognac with hint of armagnac/wood aroma. What's VA? I presume some sort of alcohol. Taste was fruity to start, with raspberries and strawberries. Finish had nice (mild?) tannins, and then some dried cherry tang.

Almonds? Maybe. Last night I thought it was a little nutty, but more of a mild pecan and caramel flavor. My food may have biased that, so I was tasting this evening without anything else in the mix. Yeah, I'll buy almonds.

-Eric

Volatile Acidity, which can refer to a variety of different aromas but for me is usually something like nail polish remover.

I didn't notice ethyl acetate, but I still have some left, so I'll check again next time.

Sometimes people also describe it as shoe polish. Another form of VA smells vaguely vinegar-like and is caused by excess acetic acid.

I probably use the term more often than I should, but it's one of the few things that I can regularly identify. It's not always a bad thing, either, at least for me. It's just one of the things I can smell so I write it down. :)

I'm always impressed at tastings by other people's notes, because I typically can't identify the things they're describing until AFTER they mention them. Then all of a sudden it's there and very obvious.

Glenn E. wrote:...I'm always impressed at tastings by other people's notes, because I typically can't identify the things they're describing until AFTER they mention them. Then all of a sudden it's there and very obvious.

I once had a person, whose taste I've come to trust, say that he didn't taste and try to name the tastes and aromas in the wine. He has a mental list that he runs through with every sniff and every sip: "Does it smell like fruit; does it smell like spice; does it smell like... Then he does the same for the tastes. He does this all through the progress of each sip, over and over, from the attack to the finish. If he gets a "hit", he elaborates: if the aroma is fruit, he asks himself, "Is it red; is it black. If it's red he elaborates further: cherry, strawberry, raspberry, currant, and so on. He says going through the options brings the mental image of each possibility to his mind so that he can compare it with what he is currently experiencing.

This sounds very like what you describe: you can sense a taste or aroma after someone brings it to your mind. Now all you have to do is recite the possibilities to yourself.

I wish it worked for me; only rarely does the word bring a strong enough mental image for me to compare it to the wine.

Peter W. Meek wrote: This sounds very like what you describe: you can sense a taste or aroma after someone brings it to your mind. Now all you have to do is recite the possibilities to yourself.

I wish it worked for me; only rarely does the word bring a strong enough mental image for me to compare it to the wine.

Flavor wheel does a similar thing but also includes flavors that you know, but fell off the radar and may not be a part of your normal selection of flavors. I get stuck with same old flavors I am use to describing wine. I have been to tasting where after 3 wines it's quite appearent what the others' "go to" flavors are.

I am not one to have very detailed tasting notes assuming I took any.

Mike, one of my port buddies in the Gang of Port, recently introduced me to this (the Ferriera). I quite like it, in some ways similar to my favorite: Nimrod. Distinctly tawny, with the usual palette of flavors. Eva picked up the almond, but described it as more of a 'bitter almond'. A little reddish for a tawny (like the Nimrod) and still a bit of fruit.

Peter W. Meek wrote:Now all you have to do is recite the possibilities to yourself.

That's something that I started doing while tasting this year, but without keeping a book of notes with me I tend to forget all of the possibilities!

I actually do it for three parts of the tasting - the nose, the palate, and the finish. I tend to be pretty good with colors, so don't really need to run through options while looking at the Port in the glass.

It's hard to believe, but this old thread is one of my first few TNs.

Yeah, the good ole' daze!

Peter W. Meek wrote:Mike, one of my port buddies in the Gang of Port, recently introduced me to this (the Ferriera). I quite like it, in some ways similar to my favorite: Nimrod. Distinctly tawny, with the usual palette of flavors. Eva picked up the almond, but described it as more of a 'bitter almond'. A little reddish for a tawny (like the Nimrod) and still a bit of fruit.

Glad your buddy showed this one to you. This is one of my favorite 20 year old Tawny!