With vacations, post-COVID travel all of the normal Summer activities, it is sometimes hard to get people together for a Port tasting. But I can always find one or two people who are game for an impromptu get together to taste some ports. In this case, I my good friend Glenn Elliott came over to taste some wines, BBQ some burgers and catch up. As a bonus, Glenn also had a sample bottle of 10 Year Old Tawny Port from a little-known producer that neither he nor I had ever heard of before. A friend of ours in Portugal met the producer at a farmers’ market, tried their wines, and sent a bottle over for us to try.
Vieira de Sousa 20 Year Old White Port -500ml bottle. Amber-brown in color. Rich nose of tropical fruits, caramelized banana, and honey. Smooth flavor profile with refreshing acidity. Notes of vanilla and some light butterscotch on the palate. This is a slightly drier style of White Port, so there is noticeable acidity on the finish that provides a little grippiness to the wine. Long finish. 91 points. 7/22/2022
S. Leonardo 30 Year Old White Port -Bottled in 2019. Yellow-amber in color. As this wine warms up from the fridge, I am starting to get notes of varnished wood, light vanilla, and vinegrenio. A little time in the glass begins to reveal a complex nose of confectioners’ sugar, similar to the DipStick used with the Fun Dip powdered candy. Very sweet flavor profile with Kraft caramel cream swirl on the palate – a mixture of caramel notes and the sweet crème sugars. Great acidity on this wine, and a really rich flavor profile. Because of the noticeable sugary sweetness of this wine, it seems like the sugars are not quite in balance with the acidity on the finish, but still a stellar wine. 93 points. 7/22/2022
2011 Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2015. Dark, almost opaque purple-black in color. There are violets, dark fruit, herbs, and some light mint on the nose. Rich, intense, fresh crushed blackberry on the well-structured mid-palate. Some red currant and bright red fruits appear on the nice, long finish. 93 points. 7/22/2022
Vale do Tabua Douro 10 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2020. This bottle came to us from a friend in Portugal who found this producer at a local farmer’s market, so he sent us a bottle to taste and evaluate. Amber-brown in color. On the subtle nose I get some light stewed cranberries and red currant, and some herbal and nutty notes. On the entry, it has a nice, balanced flavor profile but not a lot of complexity. There is a sweetness on the entry that slowly gives way to more complex notes of dried figs and dates on the mid-palate. This wine vaguely reminds me of wines that have “Douro Bake,” a condition where wines have been exposed at some point to excessive heat in the hot Douro Valley. While this wine seems a little simplistic overall right now, I think it has a little potential to develop a more complex flavor profile. 88 points. 7/22/2022
While photos of nice, perfectly lined up bottles of Port or photos of two smiling Port drinkers toasting the camera makes all this look easy, this photo gives you a peek at the reality of our tasting sessions – tasting isn’t always neat, but it helps when you love doing it!
