October 13, 2017
Theme: 2011 Late Bottled Vintage Ports
2011 Ramos Pinto Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2015. Amber-red in color. Dark fruit with a slightly dusty nose. A full-bodied wine with chalky tannins, with dark fruit, boysenberry, and nice acidity on the palate. Long finish. 89 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Dow Late Bottled Vintage Port – Dark ruby in color. Peanut M&Ms on the nose, giving way to some vegetative, musty notes on the nose. Not what I expected from an LBV, so it is possible that this might be a slightly off bottle. Those detractors didn’t seem to carry over to the palate, though, where there was an intense mouthfeel with tart cherries and red fruit. A touch of spice on the very long finish. 90 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Quinta do Portal Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2015. A reluctant nose, but I was able to coax out some chocolate notes and purity of grape. Pomegranate and red fruit on the palate, with a little bit of bitterness at the end of the mid-palate. Nice long finish. 93 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Quint de la Rosa Late Bottled Vintage Port – A hint of Band-Aid on the nose. After swirling the glass, some lifted notes on mint and potpourri emerge. Dark fruit, licorice and pronounced tannins on the mid-palate. Very long finish. 92 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Offley Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2015. This bottle was corked. N/R 10/13/2017
2011 Porto Rocha Late Bottled Vintage Port – Dark amber-purple in color. Chocolate, blackberry and woody notes on the nose. Dark fruit, plum, and cassis on the balanced palate. Well-balanced finish as well, with structured tannins. 90 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Quinta das Carvalhas Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2012. Medium purple in color. Some dark fruit and a touch of clove on the nose. Rich, coating mouthfeel on the palate with balanced red fruit and tannins. A touch of heat on the long finish. 94 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Vista Alegre Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2015. Dark amber-purple in color. Elegant mouthfeel with dark fruit notes of boysenberry and black plum. Great intensity and mouthfeel. The medium tannins on the long finish made this feel like a structured elegant wine. 91 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Port – 375ml half-bottle. Bottled in 2015. After the first half-bottle appeared to be corked, this one was much better. Dark purple in color. Black fruit, floral notes and herbs on the nose. Cassis, black plum and a touch of licorice on the palate. Very long and lush finish. 90 points. 10/13/2017
2011 Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port – Bottled in 2016. Floral notes with just a touch of tankiness on the nose. Purple fruits and good acidity on the palate. Black currants and some spice on the medium-long finish. 89 points. 10/13/2017
Quinta da Romaneira 40 Year Old Tawny Port – NR 10/13/2017
