Tag Archives: vintage

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.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2017

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 21675.

Amber red to brown in the color with some haziness to it.

A small head with just a little fine foam.

Sweet and sour fruit notes in the aroma, comes off with notes of pine and a feeling of being thick as porridge.

Good CO2 level that balances well with the a sweet fruit, combined with the long after taste and notes of oak. A pleasure to drink.

Overall rating 88 / 100

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

Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2018

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 134232.

Clear beer, amber red in the color and with no sediments.

A small head with just a little fine foam.

Very sweet fruit notes in the aroma with a strong alcohol dominating.

Very sweet in the taste with a heavy alcohol to it. Light notes of fruit that comes through easily. After taste is a little anonymous. Low CO2 level.

Overall rating 84 / 100

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

Real Companhia Velha Vintage Port 1983

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

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