Category Archives: Wine

Cálem – 20 Years Old Tawny Port

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GS6A1791From left to right: LBV2007, LBV1997, 20 year Tawny and Fine Ruby.

To learn more about Cálem, read my article from visiting the wine producer: Visiting Calem in Porto

I tasted this 20 year old tawny port at Cálem in Porto, Portugal.

Colour is compromised of brown notes that places it just out of the red scale.

The aroma is characterized by fig and alcohol.

The taste starts out with a sharp alcohol that very fast goes into dried fruits taste that ends up with some caramel in the after taste.

Overall rating 89 / 100

Cálem – Porto Fine Ruby

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GS6A1791From left to right: LBV2007, LBV1997, 20 year Tawny and Fine Ruby.

To learn more about Cálem, read my article from visiting the wine producer: Visiting Calem in Porto

I tasted this 3 to 4 year old ruby port at Cálem in Porto, Portugal.

Colour is deep red with a hint of purple to it.

The alcohol dominates the fruit in the aroma.

The taste starts out with a sharp tannin and alcohol that goes into a weak fruit and some raisin in the after taste. A cheap and reasonable wine but not much of an experience.

Overall rating 84 / 100

Graham – LBV 2008

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Visiting Graham in Porto

This late bottled vintage is almost as young as a LBV can be. The colour is red, not deep, but not light either, with a purple hint to it.

Aroma is evenly distributed between fresh fruit, dried fruit and alcohol.

The taste is fruitful, warm, with balanced tannins and the after taste is a good dried fruit with the warmth of alcohol. After taste is not that long.

A very decent LBV that is easy to drink and enjoy.

Overall rating 89 / 100

 

 

Blandy’s Bual 1977

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Blandy’s Madeira Wine was founded in 1811 by John Blandy that came to Madeira to be treated for his illness in the warm climate and to work in the banking sector. The company is still on family hands and is today run by the 6th generation.

I bought this 20%, 750 ml bottle of Blandy’s 1977 Bual in a local wine store in Funchal on the island of Madeira at the price 101,5 Euro.

The bual grapes are used for the medium sweet wines.

This wine was matured on oak cask for 32 years and was bottled in 2009. A total of 1666 bottles was filled.

A dark golden colour fills the glass and the alcohol sticks to the sides of the glass leaving it with rounded figures to set apart from the sharp lines of the glass.

A aroma and taste with such complexity that it is hard to describe, very intensive at first but as the wine settles in the mouth the taste grows and grows on you. A sweet taste that stays for so long and is so intense that even half a glass is enough to enjoy this delicious wine. A easy to drink madeira that lands perfectly in the middle of the vintage years, good price to the taste.

Overall rating is 93 / 100

Visiting Graham’s in Porto

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Graham’s was founded in 1820 by the brothers William and John Graham.

In 1890 they made a far sighted move and as one of the first port producers, they bought their own wine yard. The now famous Quinta dos Malvedos. It was the same year they built their lodge at its current location in Vila Nova de Gaia.

In 1912 they switched from transporting the pipes of port by boat to have it driven down by train on the newly constructed rail roads.

In 1970 Graham’s was bought by the Symington family and is at present day still in their possession.

The main entrance to the Graham’s wine cellars.
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The almost obligatory wine bottle collection that can be found at all the port cellars.
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The tour leads through the casks and vats to the vintage cellar.
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This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
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This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
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This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
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The newly released 1952 single harvest tawny. A celebration to the jubilee of Queen Elisabeth II.
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The large vats with LBV wines.
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Casks with colheita and tawny port wines.
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Casks with colheita port wines.
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The Churchill VIP tasting room is worth the visit, actually I must say that it is a shame to miss this room full of all the original cellar tracking records and the very good wines you get to taste here.
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Henriques & Henriques Madeira 5 Year Finest Full Rich and Fine Old Malmsay No.1

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The Henriques & Henriques 5 Year Reserve Finest Full Rich was bought on the Island of Madeira during a holiday visit.

The Henriques & Henriques Madeira Fine Old Malmsay No.1 was bought on a auction with some other wines and given to me as a gift from a friend.

From the research I have been able to make about the wine shop that once sold this old bottle, Kolding Vinhandel and named with the owner Christian Friis, he was part of the company between 1910 and 1923, the 3rd generation took over the wine shop in 1943, this does not go to well with the writings on the label about it winning awards in 1929 and 1930. After contact with Henriques & Henriques they could confirm that it is a 5 year Madeira and somewhere around 75 years old.

 

The Henriques & Henriques 5 Year Reserve Finest Full Rich

The wine is red with brown notes to the colour.

Aroma comes off with a dried fruits and alcohol.

Strong taste of dried fruits like raisins, some tannin, warm and strong in the throat, easy to drink and after taste of about 30 seconds. A straight forward and solid taste of dried fruits and nothing more.

Overall rating 85 / 100

 

The Henriques & Henriques Madeira Fine Old Malmsay No.1

The wine is brown with some red notes to the colour.

Semi sweet aroma and the alcohol dominates.

A very sweet taste of dried fruits, a complex mix of fruits, very little tannin and the alcohol is pleasant. A very enjoyable after taste of dried fruits that lasts a good while. It can however seem dull in large glasses and it was never a wine meant for maturing.

Overall rating 89 / 100

 

 

Visiting Ferreira in Porto

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Ferreira was founded in 1751, five years before the demarcation of the Douro Valley. Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira was an example in the nineteenth-century of good business, social engagement for the weak and keeper of a high quality port wine production.

Ferreira was from the start a Portuguese company and is it still today.

GS6A1620Outside the cellars

GS6A1621A series of tanks for the freshly pressed wine before it is distributed out in fats and casks.

GS6A1622Some of the big fats used for Ruby production.

GS6A1623Casks and fats in long rows, notice the wooden floor made to minimize damage to casks when being rolled around.

GS6A1624A display of empty vintage port wines, the real treasure of company vintage wines was not on display to the public.

Visiting Calem in Porto

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Porto Cálem was founded in 1859 by António Alves Cálem. In 1859 Cálem was dedicated to export wine to Brazil and importing exotic wood from Brazil using its own fleet. Porto Cálem stayed a family business for four generations before it became a part of Sogevinus in 1998, a group of port wine producers, Kopke, Barros, Burmester and Cálem.

GS6A1787Cálem is located just across the street from the Douro river in Vila de Nova Gaia.

GS6A1788The big vats used for ruby and the smaller casks for tawnys.

GS6A1789Vats containing Colheita wines, in front a year 2009.

 

Ramos Pinto – RP30

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To learn more about Ramos Pinto, read my article from visiting the wine producer: http://www.disorder.dk/2013/09/11/visiting-ramos-pinto-in-porto/

I tasted this 30 years old tawny at Ramos Pinto in Porto, Portugal.

The colour is brown with a few red notes, much darker than the RP20 and not lighter in colour as expected.

The aroma is a lovely scent of dried fruits.

The taste starts out with a soft tannin and alcohol, a very sweet taste of dried fruits. A good and long after taste of dried fruits, sweetness and it fades out with oak in the end.

Overall rating 92 / 100

Ramos Pinto – RP20

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To learn more about Ramos Pinto, read my article from visiting the wine producer: http://www.disorder.dk/2013/09/11/visiting-ramos-pinto-in-porto/

I tasted this 20 years old tawny at Ramos Pinto in Porto, Portugal.

The colour is where brown and red meets for a beutiful composition.

The aroma is dominated by caramel.

A sharp tannin in the start goes right into a lovely dried fruits taste and with a after taste that not only last longer than the RP10 but is also a bit more complex.

Overall rating 90 / 100