Read all about Offley here: Visiting Offley in Porto
I was given this 750 ml bottle at 20% as a present, but it was bought in a Danish super market.
Red with brown notes in the colour, a deep amber and wood shine to it.
The aroma comes off with a heavy dried fruit scent and some alcohol makes it way through.
Spiced flavours, some tannin, different dried fruits in the taste that develops into a distinct raisin in the after taste.
Overall rating 88 / 100
Offley was founded in London in 1737 by William Offley, the company started out as a wine merchant, Offley was soon exporting wines and later began to produce its own Porto Wine.
Joseph James Forrester joined the company in the 1830’s and his entire adult life in Portugal was devoted to the Douro river and Porto Wine. Forrester was the first to chart the Douro River and Valley, an accomplishment that earned him recognition from and entry into various European Geography and Art societies.
Sogrape Vinhos merged with Forrester & Cª., Holder of Offley.
Offley have very long and what seems to be endless cellars of casked port.
Some of the tunnels have a slightly lower temperature than those under the wooden roofs.
The large vats with 13000 Litre of Tawny port in each.
More casks with Tawny port.
The two bottles as they looked straight from the cellar.
Cleaned from dust.
First bottle in the decanter.
A rather large amount of residue at the bottom of the bottle.
A beauty as the wine sits there in the decanter.
Swirling the wine around before the first taste.
Decanting
The cork was moist almost all the way through, fell completely apart when opened.
Colour is light red with brown notes to it.
Spiced dried fruits in the aroma with a slightly dominant alcohol.
Soft taste, low tannin, warmth spreads, long after taste of dried fruit.
I let it decant for 2 hours before it was returned to the bottle for serving later at a family dinner.
8 hours after decanting
Alcohol is less dominant in the aroma and the taste have come more together. There is a good and delicious play between tannin, warmth and the sweet fruit.
2 days after decanting
Velvet soft drinking experience as tannin goes smooth hand in hand with a spiced flavour of dried fruits and in the after taste I feel the taste of eating red grapes or the faint smell of a old oak cask.
This 48 year old wine really develops through the 48 hours I had it opened. A few good evenings with a few glasses at day one and two after decanting was really a pleasure.
Overall rating 93 / 100
Read all about Offley at: Visiting Offley in Porto
I bought this vintage port in a local supermarket in Odense, Denmark, it was on offer at 30 Euro. 750ml bottle at 20,5%.
It is only 13 – 14 years old and is properly still too young.
The colour is dark red almost bordeaux.
Taste notes 1 hour after decanting.
Weak fruit to the aroma that is dominated by the alcohol.
Tasting is dry, warm, tannin and some unbalanced notes that almost made me think it was a little corked.
Taste notes 24 hours after decanting.
The dried fruit shines more through in the aroma and alcohol is less dominant.
The taste still have a dry heavy start from the tannin and a great warmth. The unbalanced mentioned earlier is gone and a good after taste finishes it.
It should properly get some more years in the cellar, it lacks the complexity in the taste and a balance in aroma and taste.
Overall rating 87 / 100
From 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 late bottled vintage 2007 port at Cálem in Porto, Portugal.
Colour is a deep purple that could go right into black.
The aroma have a weak fruit to it.
The taste is dry with a fresh fruit to it. A weak dried fruit to the after taste, no other notes to it. It needs more time on the bottle. Cálem LBV wines are semi filtered so it can age and will get better with time.
Overall rating 84 / 100
From 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 late bottled vintage 1997 port at Cálem in Porto, Portugal.
Colour is a deep red with brown notes to it.
The aroma is a good dried fruits.
The taste is sweet with a long after taste of dried fruit and a subtle oak.
Overall rating 87 / 100
Decanted at ten in the morning on Christmas day, the last centimetre of the bottle was residue.
Taste notes just after decanting.
A dark rose with brown notes in the colour.
A subtle fruit to the nose with a dominating alcohol.
Some tannin, very soft, very sweet and goes straight to a sweet overdose after taste of dried fruits. Seems a bit out of balance with the tannin.
Taste notes 8 hours after decanting.
The taste seems to be more in balance between tannin, hotness and sweetness than right after decanting.
Taste notes 1,5 days after decanting.
The dried fruit in the taste comes at once and the hotness takes over for a little while and a lovely long after taste of dried fruits follows.
Taste notes 2,5 days after decanting.
Aroma is no longer dominated by the alcohol but shares it evenly with the fruit.
Dried fruits, some tannin, hotness and then the dried fruits after taste, the wine does not seem to change much since 8 hours after decanting.
Overall rating 88 / 100
From 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
From 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’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.
The almost obligatory wine bottle collection that can be found at all the port cellars.
The tour leads through the casks and vats to the vintage cellar.
This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
The newly released 1952 single harvest tawny. A celebration to the jubilee of Queen Elisabeth II.
The large vats with LBV wines.
Casks with colheita and tawny port wines.
Casks with colheita port wines.
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.
