1999 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port
Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 11:46 am
Decanted at 11:00 am for Memorial Day festivities starting at 2:30 pm and dinner at 4:30 pm.
An interesting note about the capsule - I used a foil cutter to remove the out metal capsule (is that aluminum? tin?) and discovered that there was an additional plastic capsule under it. The plastic capsule had a metal insert over the cork, and that metal insert had a '+' shaped cut in it to allow the cork to breathe.
The bottle, cork, and capsule were all in pristine condition. The cork removed easily and had (for a cork) a bright red stain on the bottom. I thought it was unusual because those stains are almost always purple, even in younger VPs.
The bottle and cork smelled like a lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia... there's a distinct profile to that aroma that I can't put into words, but which is really obvious. It's probably old Port-soaked oak or something like that. It has a very faint cedar tone to it.
My first impression from the Port itself (can't let those drips go to waste!) is of tart cherries.
In the decanter it smells like a hodge-podge fruit medley, mostly red. The dregs, which I poured into a Port glass this time instead of my usual lowball, show signficant alcohol and a faint hint of what I'd call "greens." It's not vegetal... more like the greens used to dress up a vase of flowers with a hint of mint tossed in with it. The fruit medley is less powerful in the glass, and I can make out some brightly ripe raspberries.
There's quite a bit of very fine sediment in the glass, so my first sips are somewhat compromised. However there is a good amount of bright red fruit along with carrots (no, really) and some smokey oak. A shot of heat follows, and then the finish starts with some whole grains like oats. It then vanishes completely, or seems to, before returning 10-15 seconds later with some mellow red fruits and apples.
All-in-all, very nice so far. But it's fresh out of the bottle, so we'll see what happens with some air time.
An interesting note about the capsule - I used a foil cutter to remove the out metal capsule (is that aluminum? tin?) and discovered that there was an additional plastic capsule under it. The plastic capsule had a metal insert over the cork, and that metal insert had a '+' shaped cut in it to allow the cork to breathe.
The bottle, cork, and capsule were all in pristine condition. The cork removed easily and had (for a cork) a bright red stain on the bottom. I thought it was unusual because those stains are almost always purple, even in younger VPs.
The bottle and cork smelled like a lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia... there's a distinct profile to that aroma that I can't put into words, but which is really obvious. It's probably old Port-soaked oak or something like that. It has a very faint cedar tone to it.
My first impression from the Port itself (can't let those drips go to waste!) is of tart cherries.
In the decanter it smells like a hodge-podge fruit medley, mostly red. The dregs, which I poured into a Port glass this time instead of my usual lowball, show signficant alcohol and a faint hint of what I'd call "greens." It's not vegetal... more like the greens used to dress up a vase of flowers with a hint of mint tossed in with it. The fruit medley is less powerful in the glass, and I can make out some brightly ripe raspberries.
There's quite a bit of very fine sediment in the glass, so my first sips are somewhat compromised. However there is a good amount of bright red fruit along with carrots (no, really) and some smokey oak. A shot of heat follows, and then the finish starts with some whole grains like oats. It then vanishes completely, or seems to, before returning 10-15 seconds later with some mellow red fruits and apples.
All-in-all, very nice so far. But it's fresh out of the bottle, so we'll see what happens with some air time.