Category Archives: Wine

Quinta do Portal Vintage Port Magnum 2006

Leave a reply

Quinta Do Portal is a family owned wine yard and maker, founded in the 1990s in Porto, Portugal. The vintages from Portal is recommended to be stored for 10 years as they aim for a lighter Port to distinguish themselves form the traditional tannin heavy Douro Port.

I bought this 1500 ml magnum bottle, back in 2016 at the price of 24€, on a sale from a Danish wine shop.

We drank the wine to a large meal of red meat, potatoes, vegetables and salads. It worked so well with a powerful and potent wine to the red meat.

Taste notes right after decanting

Beautifully clear and light red in the color.

Powerful aroma, full of good dried fruit notes, but dominated by the alcohol.

The taste is not that powerful, alcohol shines too hard through it yet, but there is a good dried raisins in the after taste.

Intermediate rating 83 / 100

Taste notes 3 hours after decanting

Aroma has lessened on the alcohol and gives off notes of spices and dried fruits.

The taste has evolved into a powerful Port, alcohol is no longer dominating.

Overall rating 89 / 100

Noval Silval Vintage Port 1999 (Tasted 2024)

Leave a reply

The name Quinta do Noval first appeared in land registers in the year 1715.  António José da Silva, a Port shipper from Gaia, father-in-law of Luiz Valsconcelos Porto, acquired Quinta do Noval in 1894 after its devastation by phylloxera. He restored the property by replanting its vineyards.

A new bottling line and warehouse was completed in 1997 in Alijo, near to Pinhão. This project made Quinta do Noval the first of the traditional Port shippers to centralise all its activities in the Douro Valley rather than in Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.

Decating started at 1530 in the afternoon.

The wine already seemed ready for a serious tryout at 1600 o’clock.

It is a clear wine, red in the color with brown notes.

Good aroma, only some alcohol, but more fruit and maturity in the notes.

Warmth in the taste, alcohol and tannins in play. Maturity and cask, goes in play with the dried fruit notes. Great big raisin in the aftertaste.

Drink now.

Overall rating 90 / 100

Quinta Do Noval Silval Vintage Port 1998

Leave a reply

The name Quinta do Noval first appeared in land registers in the year 1715.  António José da Silva, a Port shipper from Gaia, father-in-law of Luiz Valsconcelos Porto, acquired Quinta do Noval in 1894 after its devastation by phylloxera. He restored the property by replanting its vineyards.

A new bottling line and warehouse was completed in 1997 in Alijo, near to Pinhão. This project made Quinta do Noval the first of the traditional Port shippers to centralise all its activities in the Douro Valley rather than in Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.

Taste notes right after decanting

Clear thin red in the color, brown notes, but not going into the violet spectrum. Thin curtains on the walls of the glass.

Ripe fruit in the aroma with a dominating alcohol. Some spicy notes and darkness to it.

Good balance between tannin and fruit, warm and bossy from the alcohol. Leaves a good after taste of dried fruits. Hopefully it will become more full bodied the more air it gets.

Intermediate rating 87 / 100

Taste notes 3 hours after decanting

The color is a bit darker, it has become a more deep red.

Aroma has picked up a bit on the spices, but is still dominated by alcohol.

A bit more notes of the grapes in the taste, tannins relaxing a bit more but still a tad to the thin side.

Intermediate rating 88 / 100

Taste notes 7 hours after decanting

No significant change in color or aroma, since last taste note.

More dried fruits in the taste and a longer after taste. Alcohol has diminished a bit.

Overall rating 89 / 100

Dow Vintage Port 2004 Quinta do Bomfim #2 (2021)

Leave a reply

This vintage port comes at a alcohol percentage of 20% in a 375 ml glass bottle.

Taste notes right after opening and decanting

Clear and deep red in the color. Heavy curtains on the sides of the glass.

Powerful dark aroma with spices and dried fruits. Complex composition.

Soft tannins with a good dried fruits taste. Medium strength and with more dried fruits in the after taste.

Drink now.

Intermediate rating 89 / 100

Taste notes 3 hours after decanting

Much more balanced tasting experience.

Overall rating 91 / 100

Quinta do Infantado Vintage Port 2007

Leave a reply

Estimated cost of this Quinta do Infantado Vintage Port 2007 bottle of 375 ml is ? Euro.

Quinta do Infantado has been a estate-bottled port producer since 1979. Until that time, all exported Ports had to be shipped in bulk to Vila Nova de Gaia.

Taste notes right after decanting

Clear and deep red in the color, with purple notes. Light curtains on the glass.

Light aroma with a fruited darkness.

Light in the taste, very fresh. However also with a thin feeling to it. Very dry.

Intermediate rating 84 / 100

Taste notes 2 hours after decanting

Much more balance in the taste, the different taste notes come together and is more powerful.

Overall rating 88 / 100

Quinta do Grifo Vintage Port 2011 (2020)

Leave a reply

Tasted on 23-12-2020.

Taste notes 1 hour after decanting.

Clear, but thin red in the color with hints of purple.

Powerful and spicy aroma, with a good fruit to it. Some alcohol, but not dominating.

Medium tannins, somewhere between fresh grapes and dried fruits. Young, but not that potent.

Overall rating 81 / 100

Quinta Do Portal Vintage Port 2000

Leave a reply

Quinta Do Portal is a family owned wine yard and maker, founded in the 1990s in Porto, Portugal. The vintages from Portal is recommended to be stored for 10 years as they aim for a lighter Port to distinguish themselves form the traditional tannin heavy Douro Port.

Taste notes right after decanting

Aroma is dominated by alcohol with a thin dark spice to it.

Brown and red in the colour with orange edges.

Good balance very early, shows a fresh fruit with a sharp tannin. Comes off a little thin and with little to no after taste.

Intermediate rating 83 / 100

Taste notes 3 hours after decanting

Aroma is unchanged, alcohol is still dominating.

Colour has changed to be slightly darker, a good sign.

It has now gained some dried fruits in the after taste.

Intermediate rating 85 / 100

Taste notes 7½ hours after decanting

The alcohol is no longer dominant in the aroma, a deep and ark spicy fruit comes off nicely.

Slightly darker in the colour.

Fresh and lively wine, not full bodied in the mouth, but still with good tannin. After taste has also gained a fair amount of dried fruits and a prominent raisin.

Overall rating 88 / 100

Taste notes 26 hours after decanting. Less alcohol in the aroma, but not much fruit gained. Taste and mouth feel is more tame, tannin has worn off and it is flattening out.

Real Companhia Velha Vintage Port 1983

Leave a reply

Real Companhia Velha was founded on the 10th of September 1756 by Royal Charter of King D. José I, under the auspices of his Prime Minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the Count of Oeiras and Marquis of Pombal. By 1781 the company was known as Royal Oporto in England. In 1960, with the support of the banker Pinto de Magalhães, Manuel da Silva Reis acquires the majority of the company and assumes its leadership.

Estimated cost of this Real Companhia Velha Vintage Port 1983 bottle of 750 ml at 20% is 50 Euro.

Taste notes right after decanting

Aroma is dominated by alcohol with a thin fruit to it.

Thin rosa in the colour with brown notes.

Strong and spicey in the mouth, warmth from alcohol and tannin with a slight sweet after taste.

Intermediate rating 86 / 100

Taste notes 3 hours after decating

Less alcohol in the aroma and the fruit notes have gained more strength.

Colour has gained more weight and is more red now.

Good tannin and fruit balance in the taste. After taste has notes of
liquorice.

Intermediate rating 89 / 100

Taste notes 22 hours after decanting

Clear dark red in the colour, no more haziness.

Good spicy aroma with a dark mysterious fruit to it.

Tannin are still alive and the after taste has grown in length.

Overall rating 91 / 100

Taste notes 48 hours after decanting

Tannin has gone soft and the fruit notes and taste experience has in general become weak.

Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 1999

Leave a reply

Estimated cost of this Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 1999 bottle of 750 ml is 35 Euro.

Taste notes right after decanting

Light in the colour, but still resembling blood red. Thin curtains in the glass.

Weak fruit in the aroma, dominated by the alcohol.

Thin fruit taste with a light and acidity feeling in the mouth.

Intermediate rating 81 / 100

Taste notes after 4 hours

Gained some weight and a darker colour.

Intermediate rating 83 / 100

Taste notes after 9 hours

Dark red with a more brown tone to it.

More matured and in balance in the aroma, less alcohol.

Sweet fruits and tannin in a great play. Still a very dry wine with a specific figs and raisins in the after taste.

Intermediate rating 86 / 100

Taste notes after 12 hours

Much more balance in the taste, a bigger joy on the palate.

Overall rating 88 / 100

Fonseca Vintage Port 1995 #2

Leave a reply

Estimated cost of this Fonseca Vintage Port 1995 bottle of 750 ml is 55 Euro.

Taste notes right after decanting

Light red just a few notes below blood.

Thin aroma that needs more time to develop.

Soft tannin and sweetness in the taste, but not quite balanced.

Intermediate rating 88 /100

8 hours after decanting

Dark red in the colour.

Medium strength aroma with a sweet dried fruits and alcohol.

Thin curtains on the sides of the glass.

Much more bite to the taste. Good medium strength dried fruits, sweet raisins in the after taste that has a nice length.

Overall rating 90 / 100