For The Love Of Port

Tasted blind at Roy's house, July 1-4, 2009.

Bottle #1: redacted
Bottle #2: 2007 Quinta de Valle Longo Vintage Port (Cask Sample)
Bottle #3: 2007 Magalhães Vintage Port (Cask Sample)
Bottle #4: 2007 Porto Rocha Vintage Port (Cask Sample)

edit: this thread originally labeled Vista Alegre by mistake.

Bottle #2

Day 1
Color: a pretty standard medium purple with a 3/16" fade at the rim
Nose: blueberries (strong), blackberries, and just some faint heat. Very nice nose, and very rich.
Palate: a nice full body, definitely sweet, with decent grip. Lots of blueberries - easily the dominant flavor. Acidity might be a bit weak.
Finish: blueberry pie, some tannins, and some heat. It has a good, long fade that is reasonably even. A bit of a bite at the end.

Initial score: 90-93 points. Wonderful for drinking today, but I'm not sure how long it will age. Hopefully it will show more structure over the next few days.

Day 2
Color: no change
Nose: not much change except for the addition of some purple fruits (boysenberry and marionberry). Those help round it out, though, and give it a richer overall tone.
Palate: still full bodied and sweet, though the tannins seem like they might be a bit weaker. Still primarily blueberries, with some added blackberries. Sadly the purple fruits from the nose don't carry over into the mouth. Acidity is still worrying me - there just doesn't seem to be enough.
Finish: not much change other than the bite at the end has bled into the rest of the finish as a faint, lingering bitterness.

New score: 90-93. The improved nose is dragged down by a less satisfying finish. The palate didn't change enough to warrant a change in score. Still very worried about the perceived lack of acidity.

I commented to Roy that it wouldn't surprise me a bit if this were the Graham, because the sweetness and body remind me very much of a bottle of Graham's 20-yr Old Tawny that I had at a tasting in NYC. It also wouldn't surprise me a bit if it isn't the Graham, though, because the structure and richness don't seem up to Graham's normal standard.

Day 3
per tradition, I did not taste on Day 3

Day 4
Color: medium purple, almost murky in texture. Slightly less than a 3/16" fade, so quite dense.
Nose: alcohol, some of which is thankfully aromatic. Black raspberries and some faint blueberries, but overall significantlly brighter and more tangy than previous days.
Palate: the sweetness is much better integrated, but it's still definitely a sweet (vs dry) Port. The body seems slightly less full, so call it medium full today. Some heat has appeared today. The grip from the tannins is much improved, though still not what I'd call grippy, and the acidity is also much improved. That's a relief, as the acidity seemed weak on the previous two days.
Finish: moderate tannins and fruits, some grape skin, and some late heat beyond just a pleasant warmth.

Final comments: a moderate improvement today, as the tannins and acidity finally showed up like they might be around for the long haul.

Final score: 90-93.

Reveal: 2007 Quinta de Valle Longo Vintage Port (Cask Sample)

Well done Glenn. A worthy bottle for 2007. Miguel Martins shoots and scores!

IIRC it was 2006 when I first met Miguel, on the Harvest Trip. I've seen his Ports increase in quality over the past few years and he is a producer to keep your eye on for sure. Not to mention his LBV's and 30/40 year tawny's are wonderful juice! Sadly I don't see them in my area, nor do I know if they are even imported to the US right now. If not, I hope they are soon as I would surely buy some. Hopefully I can try this 2007 sometime soon for myself.

Roy, what was the actual name on the bottle? I'll correct the thread title and references to it just to have it listed accurately.