Tasting of Sandeman Ports at Quinta do Seixo

Quinta do Seixo is Sandeman's gorgeous Quinta in the Douro Valley. We had a very fun tour followed by a tasting of Sanedman's ports in a beautiful tasting room with jaw-dropping views of the vineyards around.

• 1999 Sandeman Porto Vintage Vau 89 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Decent, but that's about it. The nose was darkly attractive, with black cherry and blackcurrant aromas with a sweet, almost liquored-edge to them, and them some violets alongside dashes of peppery spice dark and a bit of earthiness. The palate was still marked with a good bit of firm, vhewy tannins that shaped a rather primary mouthful of strawberries shading into darker black cherry and cassis flavours. The acidity felt a bit low with all that fruit, but it did brighten up slightly had a touch of mouthwatering juiciness at the finish, which showed a bit of spice along with the fruit. A decent enough drink, but I thought it was a bit one-noted, lacking the complexity and finesse that marks a really vintage port.

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• 2015 Sandeman Porto Vintage Quinta Do Seixo 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  This was another easy-going, but very pleasant port. It had a lovely nose; really perfumed - with violets and rose petals, red cherries and berries, and a little topping of earth at the sides. The palate was yummy too, with a pretty blush of damson roses floating amidst a fresh crunch of blueberries and cherries, and then a hint of chocolates. Gentle fine-boned tannins and bright acidity then led into a finish flecked with a bit of cacao and a little hit of spice. It was a bit short at the finish, but otherwise a really pleasant wine.

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• NV Sandeman Porto 10 Year Old Tawny 88 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  A bit of an imbalanced package. Pretty nice in some aspects, rather disappointing at others. The nose was pleasant enough - with whiffs of mahogany wood and walnuts drifting in and out of a core of cherry liquor aromas. The palate started out yummy enough - showing notes of toffee, honey and some red cherries; these laced with little bits of chalk and spice. The finish was really truncated though, with the wine more or less falling off the cliff past the midpalate. Not unpleasant - just a bit meh as a package.

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• NV Sandeman Porto 20 Year Old Tawny 89 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  A quite drinkable tawny. Decent rather than great though. I must say it smelt really good, with fresh scents of red fruit and raisins and flowers laced with more woody tawny port accents. A really nice, fresh bouquet. It was a clear step up from the rather forgettable Sandeman 10-year old on the palate too. Richer and slightly more complex, it showed notes of maraschino cherry liqueur, bruised figs and walnuts, running into rather chalky finish, where a touch of tannins asserted themselves. A tad short, and a tad simple, but otherwise pleasant enough.

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• NV Sandeman Porto 30 Year Old Tawny 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  I thought this was pretty good - the standout from amidst the Sandeman Tawnies today. It had a really nice nose, full of hazelnuts and vanilla, herb and spice, and a nice whiff of dried apricots running alongside. The palate, felt just that touch simpler, maybe lacking some of the depth and complexity that you would get say in a Graham's or Taylor 30 year, but it was nevertheless really charming in its own way. Tasty and balanced, this unfolded in the mouth with notes of walnuts, maybe hazelnuts, drizzled with honey, and then more those sweet dried apricot notes. With some time, a hint of fresher, higher-toned sweet cherries came out as well. Impeccably balanced, with nice brisk freshness to it - this was a real pleasure to drink. The finish was just a tad short unfortunately, closing with a little linger of spice. That aside, this was a very nice drop.

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• NV Sandeman Porto 40 Year Old Tawny 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Not amongst the very best 40-year tawnies in the market, but this was nevertheless a very commendable bottle. I really loved the nose on it - gentle, sweet, feminine; it wafted out of the glass in lovely drifts of toffee and honey, vanilla and spice, all curled around sweet notes of red fruits and floral roses. Very pretty. The palate was round, rich and ripe - really honeyed - yet it somehow remained really light on its feet. Here we had hints of chocolate, dried fruit, and shades of nut and spices, all couched in a nice glow of honeyed sweetness. It was not super complex, maybe lacking the layered moreishness of the very best tawnies at this age, but it was nevertheless really charming given that lovely lithe balance it had. Yummy.

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