These notes are based on visits to Symington and Fladgate in September 2007 – the first fruit of the 2007 vintage was coming in and the air was thick with excitement based on the colour and perfume of the fruit. [Post script - quite right as it turns out because the vintage was declared in 2009]
Taylors 1985 – plenty of muscle with lots of fruit, gum cistus and liquorice and impressive length. Its sinewy structure suggests stash this away for some years yet.
Croft 1991 – drinking well now with lots of sweet fruit cut with menthol notes/eucalyptus and an attractive café créme character.
Delaforce 1992 – deep colour, tightly packed fruit with spice and café créme; lots of vigor –good.
Croft 2003 – exuberant black cherry fruit with cinnamon – fleshy, pure and svelte – a delight.
Fonseca 1963 – shows dried fruit, spice, menthol and coffee notes but what really stands out is its wonderful freshness and vigor – still firing on all cylinders – very long, layered finish. Fab.
Taylors 1977 – very fresh, mineral nose, this is intense, spicy, layered and very long. Very good.
Fonseca 1985 – gutsy with a great depth of sweet dark fruits and lots of liquorice – a keeper though approachable now.
Cockburns 2000 – deep colour, grippy tight nose with lifted white blossom notes with a hint of tar, very good concentration of fruit on the palate with a slatey undertow – great potential.
Cockburns 1955 – attractive plum and red fruits, a touch jammy with lovely dried spice notes of cassia bark, anise, clove and sandalwood. Fully mature and very enjoyable.
Cockburns Quinta dos Canais 1998 – very sturdy, with good depth of red and black fruits, smoke, liquorice and menthol notes; good length.
Quinta do Vesuvio 2000 – iron fist in velvet glove – terrific depth of juicy black fruit of great purity with a tight mineral seam; fine and focused.
Quinta do Vesuvio 2003 – a broader wine from this big vintage – great heft of peppery red and black fruits on the attack supported by ripe but firm powdery tannins; tightens up for the finish – a big wine.
Dows Senora da Ribeira 1998 – very fleshy yet peppery black cherry fruit, expansive and warm with savoury coffee notes gum cistus.
Dows Senora da Ribeira 2001 – inky wine with opulent black cherry and juicy cassis fruit, hints of raisin, mint and gum cistus supported by firm tannins – very good.
Dows Senora da Ribeira 2005 – lots of finesse here with violets, black berry and cherry, crushed rocks, dark chocolate, mint and coffee. Utterly seductive.
Grahams Quinta dos Malevdos 1996 – spicy, floral nose with great depth of chocolate cherry truffle and sweet plum fruit on the palate cut with liquorice, clove and minerals notes. Firm backbone of tannins. Very good.
Grahams 1970 – very tight, mineral, elegant and long. Excellent.
Warres Quinta da Cavadinha 1996 – lovely nose of sweet fruit with delicate eucalyptus notes; delicious persistent red and black fruits wed to fine, powdery tannins make for a long, elegant finish. Very good.
Warres Otima 20 Year Old Tawny – Good depth of flavour with expansive orange peel and walnut flavours, spice and a pleasurably granular texture. Long.
Smith Woodhouse 1977 – a real star of the vintage with tons of vigor – a real drive of blackcurrant fruit with smoke, earth and mineral nuances – still going very strong.
Delaforce His Eminence’s Choice Tawny – mellow, rich palate with orange, marzipan and walnuts; soft as kid gloves – lovely.
Fonseca Guimaraens 1988 – rumbustious take no prisoners port and terrific with it – great thrust of blackcurrant, berry and cherry fruit with dried fruit, wood spice and eucalyptus animated by a lovely persistent acidity; nice textured tannins.
Taylors LBV 2002 – very good concentration and purity of blackcurrant and berry fruits with very well balanced acidity and tannins make for an elegant, focused LBV.
Taylors 40 Year Old Tawny – as soft and darkly sweet as demerara sugar, rich but structured with a lovely balancing dry edge of walnutty tannins.
