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saturday afternoon port tasting
Binny's Highland Park, Highland Park IL
Tasted February 9, 2008 by KeithAkers with 1,458 views
Introduction
my store had a port/fortified tasting today and luckily I was off. Because of that I was able to taste as much as I wanted. I looked at this as a good chance to get some serious education on this area as I have very little knowledge about port and fortified wines
Flight 1 - table 1 (7 notes)
Red - Fortified
N.V. Trevor Jones Jonesy Old Tawny Port
88 points
nose: real nice nutty notes on the nose with some cola aspects and raisins. very nice nose
taste: real good firm notes of nuts, caramel, cola, and some raisiny aspects too
overall: this is a real steal of a wine at under $10. very easy drinking and good sweetness to it. Excellent value
taste: real good firm notes of nuts, caramel, cola, and some raisiny aspects too
overall: this is a real steal of a wine at under $10. very easy drinking and good sweetness to it. Excellent value
Red - Fortified
N.V. Warre Porto Warrior
88 points
nose: some nuts, cherry, and cranberry. simple nose, the flavors are what they are and there isn't much depth
taste: pretty big mouth feel with cranberry and dark cherry. very nice
overall: very nice, a bit simple, but it works well with what it does
taste: pretty big mouth feel with cranberry and dark cherry. very nice
overall: very nice, a bit simple, but it works well with what it does
Red - Fortified
N.V. Quinta do Noval Porto LB Finest Reserve
84 points
nose: very pruny and raisiny with a bit of earth and chocolate
taste: nice and firm with chocolate and raisins
overall: not really inspiring, but it's decent. A good wine but it just doesn't bring all that much to the table
taste: nice and firm with chocolate and raisins
overall: not really inspiring, but it's decent. A good wine but it just doesn't bring all that much to the table
Red - Fortified
N.V. Quinta do Noval Porto 10 Year Old Tawny
85 points
very light color
nose: a ton of heat with some raisin aspects
taste: nowhere near as much heat on the palate as there was on the nose, still a bit simple on the palate with chocolate and raisins
overall: a very solid port but that's about it. THe heat on the nose was tremendous and had me a bit scared at first. The weight on the palate was nice and it had a good silky aspect to it. A solid bottle
nose: a ton of heat with some raisin aspects
taste: nowhere near as much heat on the palate as there was on the nose, still a bit simple on the palate with chocolate and raisins
overall: a very solid port but that's about it. THe heat on the nose was tremendous and had me a bit scared at first. The weight on the palate was nice and it had a good silky aspect to it. A solid bottle
Red - Fortified
N.V. Warre Porto Otima 20 Year Old Tawny
88 points
nose: very nutty nose with some fig, chocolate, and currants on it too
taste: a ton of nuts with some fig and currants in there too. a bit of heat on the back end too
overall: nice and dry with some good sweetness to it. Has a nice polished texture on the palate but is way too forward on the nuts and doesn't bring much depth outside of that
taste: a ton of nuts with some fig and currants in there too. a bit of heat on the back end too
overall: nice and dry with some good sweetness to it. Has a nice polished texture on the palate but is way too forward on the nuts and doesn't bring much depth outside of that
Red - Fortified
2000 Warre Porto Vintage
93 points
nose: real big nose of chocolate, dark cherry, cranberry, nuts, earth, and floral aspects. Very nice and deep nose
taste: excellent feel on the palate with deep dark flavors of chocolate, cranberry, roasted nuts, and finishes off with some real nice grip on the back palate
overall: this is an excellent port with surprisingly little heat at this juncture in it's life. Real good firm grip on the mouth and highly enjoyable
taste: excellent feel on the palate with deep dark flavors of chocolate, cranberry, roasted nuts, and finishes off with some real nice grip on the back palate
overall: this is an excellent port with surprisingly little heat at this juncture in it's life. Real good firm grip on the mouth and highly enjoyable
Red - Sweet/Dessert
N.V. Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel "Désirée" Chocolate Dessert Wine
78 points
nose: way too overpowering. tons of chocolate, with spice, and mocha flavors. While there are good notes to this, it just blows you away but not in a good way. It's just way too in your face
taste: all chocolate and mocha and again it's just very in your face about it
overall: way too much of everything it brought. There is no integration at all, but it's not disjointed, it's just so over the top that bothers me a lot
taste: all chocolate and mocha and again it's just very in your face about it
overall: way too much of everything it brought. There is no integration at all, but it's not disjointed, it's just so over the top that bothers me a lot
Flight 2 - table 2 (5 notes)
Red - Fortified
1997 Gould Campbell Porto Vintage
87 points
nose: a bit jumbled nose of raisins, chocolate, and plum. fairly forward and nothing really exciting
taste: a lot of chocolate and prunes with a bit of plum in there. Decent feel
overall: a good port, but it needs more time obviously to integrate. Nothing really exciting though and I'm not sure if I'd want to spend my money on it
taste: a lot of chocolate and prunes with a bit of plum in there. Decent feel
overall: a good port, but it needs more time obviously to integrate. Nothing really exciting though and I'm not sure if I'd want to spend my money on it
Red - Fortified
N.V. Ramos Pinto Porto 10 Year Old Tawny Quinta de Ervamoira
91 points
nose: real nice sweet and fragrent nose with floral notes, chocolate, spice, and raisins
taste: really good and firm with nice residual sugar. Really coates your palate with chocolate and floral notes
overall: this is a very beautiful wine. NIce and elegant with good sweetness to it. Highly enjoyable
taste: really good and firm with nice residual sugar. Really coates your palate with chocolate and floral notes
overall: this is a very beautiful wine. NIce and elegant with good sweetness to it. Highly enjoyable
Red - Fortified
2000 Ramos Pinto Porto Late Bottled Vintage
90 points
nose: good amount of dark chocolate, floral notes, dark cherry, and some black currants
taste: very nice with dark cherry, dark chocolate, some black currants and a real nice firm grip on the palate
overall: real great structure with good even sweetness to match. An excellent well made wine
taste: very nice with dark cherry, dark chocolate, some black currants and a real nice firm grip on the palate
overall: real great structure with good even sweetness to match. An excellent well made wine
Red - Fortified
2001 Ramos Pinto Porto Late Bottled Vintage
92 points
nose: really deep and fragrent nose with cranberry, chocolate, spice, dark cherry, and floral characteristics
taste: very silky with good acidity. Lots of cranberry, chocolate, and spice notes
overall: gorgeous is the word to best describe this. Very elegant and has a lot of depth
taste: very silky with good acidity. Lots of cranberry, chocolate, and spice notes
overall: gorgeous is the word to best describe this. Very elegant and has a lot of depth
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Comment
Red - Fortified
N.V. Ramos Pinto Porto "Collector" Porto Reserva
88 points
real dark ruby color to it
nose: nice earth driven nose with dark cherry and dark chocolate. very velvety on the nose, very nice
taste: very nice sweetness with a good amount of dark chocolate. Very smooth on the palate but one dimensional on the flavor profile
overall: very nice. One dimensional on the palate, but this is very good nonetheless and a good port for the money
nose: nice earth driven nose with dark cherry and dark chocolate. very velvety on the nose, very nice
taste: very nice sweetness with a good amount of dark chocolate. Very smooth on the palate but one dimensional on the flavor profile
overall: very nice. One dimensional on the palate, but this is very good nonetheless and a good port for the money
Flight 3 - table 3 (6 notes)
Red - Fortified
N.V. Fonseca Porto 10 Year Old Tawny
87 points
nose: good nuttiness to the nose with some spice, fig, and chocolate cherry
taste: good roasted nut aspect with some fig and raisins
overall: a good nice wine. It's very solid and does things fairly right, but nothing really stands out
taste: good roasted nut aspect with some fig and raisins
overall: a good nice wine. It's very solid and does things fairly right, but nothing really stands out
Red - Fortified
N.V. Taylor (Fladgate) Porto 20 Year Old Tawny
92 points
nose: nice layered nose of dark chocolate, hazelnut, dark cherry, and a bit of vanilla
taste: real nice elegant feel on the palate with dark cherry, nuts, and a lot of dark chocolate on the back palate
overall: excellent stuff, real nice long lingering finish of dark chocolate and real nice weight and balance on the mouth
taste: real nice elegant feel on the palate with dark cherry, nuts, and a lot of dark chocolate on the back palate
overall: excellent stuff, real nice long lingering finish of dark chocolate and real nice weight and balance on the mouth
Red - Fortified
N.V. Fonseca Porto Bin 27 Finest Reserve
85 points
nose: nose is a bit muted. getting a slight bit of dark cherry and spice, but not much
taste: good feel with some chocolate cherry and spice
overall: the mouth is much better then the nose, but that's not saying too much considering that the nose is very tight. A decent wine, but nothing that really does all that much for me
taste: good feel with some chocolate cherry and spice
overall: the mouth is much better then the nose, but that's not saying too much considering that the nose is very tight. A decent wine, but nothing that really does all that much for me
Red - Fortified
2000 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Late Bottled Vintage
90 points
nose: real nice rich nose of mocha, dark cherry, figs, and some curried spice. nice and deep
taste: very elegant and silky but a bit thin. Nice flavors of chocolate, curry spice, dark cherry, and mocha.
overall: an excellent wine that has a lot of elegance to it. If the weight wasn't as thin as it is, this would be a tremendous wine
taste: very elegant and silky but a bit thin. Nice flavors of chocolate, curry spice, dark cherry, and mocha.
overall: an excellent wine that has a lot of elegance to it. If the weight wasn't as thin as it is, this would be a tremendous wine
Red - Fortified
2001 Fonseca Porto Late Bottled Vintage
90 points
nose: good weighted nose of cherry, cranberry, and spices
taste: a lot of heat with some cherry, spice, and chocolate
overall: this will get better when the heat dies down a bit. Very good wine that has some real nice structure and an lasting finish
taste: a lot of heat with some cherry, spice, and chocolate
overall: this will get better when the heat dies down a bit. Very good wine that has some real nice structure and an lasting finish
Red - Fortified
2003 Fonseca Porto Vintage
96 points
nose: insanely deep nose with really big fruit of cherry, vanilla, cranberry, and black currants. Very youthful and vibrant this nose is just massive and sooo deep. you almost don't want to stop smelling this. There is a lot of left bank 03 style bordeaux in this nose, but with residual sugar and extra alcohol. A very intense nose
taste: wow, huge explosive and exuberent mouthfeel of cherry, raspberry, vanilla, nuts, and black currants. very full feel that just covers the entire palate there and back. Great density too
overall: this is a stupendous wine. This is some serious stuff and is a big time port that packs a real wallop. If it's this good now, I'd love to know what it'll be like in 25 years
taste: wow, huge explosive and exuberent mouthfeel of cherry, raspberry, vanilla, nuts, and black currants. very full feel that just covers the entire palate there and back. Great density too
overall: this is a stupendous wine. This is some serious stuff and is a big time port that packs a real wallop. If it's this good now, I'd love to know what it'll be like in 25 years
Flight 4 - table 4 (7 notes)
White - Fortified
N.V. Blandy's Madeira Alvada 5 Years Old
86 points
nose: nice rich nose of caramel and hazelnuts
taste: very nice flavors of caramel, butterscotch, and hazelnuts
overall: this is very nice. Has good sweetness to it, but is a bit simple and isn't as dense on the palate as I'd really like. Still, this is a good wine that is nice and enjoyable
taste: very nice flavors of caramel, butterscotch, and hazelnuts
overall: this is very nice. Has good sweetness to it, but is a bit simple and isn't as dense on the palate as I'd really like. Still, this is a good wine that is nice and enjoyable
White - Fortified
N.V. Blandy's Madeira Malmsey 10 Years Old
88 points
nose: nice rich nose of caramel, raisin, vanilla, and some almonds
taste: nice and full feel of caramel, spice, almonds, and some vanilla
overall: really good feeling on the mouth with good weight. Nice and rich, very enjoyable
taste: nice and full feel of caramel, spice, almonds, and some vanilla
overall: really good feeling on the mouth with good weight. Nice and rich, very enjoyable
Red - Fortified
N.V. Graham Porto Six Grapes Reserve
89 points
nose: nice and rich nose of almonds, cherry, and cranberry. really nice fruit on the nose
taste: really nice feel of cranberry and raspberry. It's very nice but does die a bit on the palate
overall: really good stuff. Well structured and has some really nice fruit on it.
taste: really nice feel of cranberry and raspberry. It's very nice but does die a bit on the palate
overall: really good stuff. Well structured and has some really nice fruit on it.
Red - Fortified
2001 Graham Porto Late Bottled Vintage
90 points
nose: nice nose of dark chocolate, dark cherry, cranberry, and vanilla
taste: really nice polished mouth with cranberry, dark cherry, and chocolate
overall: really nice and smooth with great polish. An excellent port
taste: really nice polished mouth with cranberry, dark cherry, and chocolate
overall: really nice and smooth with great polish. An excellent port
Red - Fortified
1994 Dow Porto Vintage
94 points
nose: very sumptuous and deep nose of chocolate, cranberry, plum, nuts, raisins, and vanilla. The fruit is very pure and focused
taste: really wonderful and full feel with cranberry, plum, chocolate, and hints of raisins and vanilla
overall: really polished and firm. Amazing structure on this showing that this is still a baby with a lot more development to still happen. A great port
taste: really wonderful and full feel with cranberry, plum, chocolate, and hints of raisins and vanilla
overall: really polished and firm. Amazing structure on this showing that this is still a baby with a lot more development to still happen. A great port
Red - Fortified
N.V. Dow Porto 20 Year Old Tawny
91 points
nose: real nice and thick nose of smoked nuts, milk chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate cherries
taste: really good grip on the palate. Nice and light feeling too with chocolate, hazelnuts, and vanilla
overall: extremely nice and a really high quality tawny. nice long finish and firm feel make this one a top port
taste: really good grip on the palate. Nice and light feeling too with chocolate, hazelnuts, and vanilla
overall: extremely nice and a really high quality tawny. nice long finish and firm feel make this one a top port
Red - Fortified
N.V. Graham Porto 20 Year Old Tawny
90 points
nose: real nice thick nose of roasted nuts, dark cherry, chocolate, earth, and some floral notes too
taste: really nice sweetness with good polish. Toasted nuts, dark cherry, and chocolate flavors permeate on the palate
overall: very nice with excellent polish and a really nice lasting finish. Little heat at all and very easy drinking
taste: really nice sweetness with good polish. Toasted nuts, dark cherry, and chocolate flavors permeate on the palate
overall: very nice with excellent polish and a really nice lasting finish. Little heat at all and very easy drinking
Closing
this was a great tasting. I was able to get in a whole bunch of ports and really expanded my knowledge on the wines themselves. It was a great introduction and I'll be on the lookout for more of these types of opportunities because obviously there is a whole lot of them to explore. While they aren't fully my style of wine, there is a lot of depth in them and I certainly found them very interesting