Tag Archives: vintage

Quinta Do Noval Silval Vintage Port 1998

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)

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

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)

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

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.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2012

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 141.

Thick and hazy beer with a orange and red glow to the color.

A small head with just a little rough and fine foam.

The aroma comes off as a dump truck full of sugar, combined with notes of fresh yoghurt and its delivered with a knotted fist.

Extremely full bodied and overly sweet. A very low CO2 level and a after taste that will hunt you into eternity.

Overall rating 78 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2012 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2013

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 32554.

Brown with red notes in the color and slightly hazy.

A small head with just a little fine foam.

Very heavy sweetness in the aroma with a mysterious flavor to it.

Thick flowing, spiced up and full of candy sweetness. Sticks to the glass with its heaviness and very flat CO2 level. Notes of darkness.

Overall rating 83 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2013 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2014

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 13971.

Red and orange in the color and somewhat hazy.

A small head with both rough and fine foam.

Sweet fruit and spices in the aroma, accompanied with a tad of alcohol.

Low CO2 level, full bodied sweet and wine-like in the taste. Notes of oak.

Overall rating 88 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2014 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2015

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 62704.

Clear beer, brown and orange in the color.

No head, just a few large bubbles along the rim of the glass.

The aroma is dominated by a bitter scent of wood and comes of flat.

Comes off with a dominating citrus fruit taste with a okay CO2. Full bodied with a bit of darkness, wine-like notes with a bitter after taste.

Overall rating 85 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2015 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2016

Fuller’s has a history dating back to the 1600’s London in the Chiswich district down to the Thames river. A long history of brewery houses first coined the Fullers’s Griffin Brewery, as it is known today, in 1845 with the partnership of John Fuller, Henry Smith and John Turner.

I bought this 500 ml bottle at 8.5% in a wine shop in Odense, Denmark at the price of 13 Euro. This limited edition ale had number 4309.

Brown in the color with notes of orange, a bit hazy.

A small head with very little fine foam.

A sweet and bitter aroma that comes off a bit too flat. Has some green and fresh notes to it.

Fruited, sweet and with a long after taste. Full bodied with notes of wine and nuts.

Overall rating 83 / 100

The Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2016 review was part of a vertical tasting of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.