50 Cent Port

Mukuyu Vintage Tawny Port April 1, 2007

When I saw this tawny on the shelf I knew I wasn’t in for a grand tasting experience but I couldn’t resist the 50 cent price tag. It is also the only Zimbabwe port I have seen so far. In the glass it’s fairly dark for a tawny, copper in color. The nose is slightly sour and uninviting. It’s not altogether unpleasant on the palate. Initially sweet and raisiny but it transitions rather quickly to a woody and nutty finish. I’ve hard far worse bottles that garner a 20 dollar price tag. I now have the somewhat dubious honor of drinking the least and most expensive bottles in EPTT history. Cheers from Zimbabwe. Enjoy the port!

South African Port on the Zambezi River

Allesverloren 2003 Vintage of South Africa March 18, 2007

It’s hard to write a bad review of a port that was enjoyed on a sunset float down the Zambezi River. The port was surprisingly good for a non-Portuguese wine. A fairly locked up nose with subtle hints of toasted nuts. Comes across as sweet, tart, and soft. Rather nutty tasting more like a young tawny than a vintage port. Maybe they mislabeled the bottle. Still an unforgettable experience. Definitely the first time I’ve sipped a port while an elephant was swimming through a river in front of me. Cheers from Zimbabwe.

A MALTY DIGRESSION

Well, seeing as how we're all veering a bit off the topic of sipping badass port wines, I figured I would throw out an oddball as well. Two nights ago I drank this bomber bottle (22oz.)of Anchor Liberty Ale from San Francisco. Since I first remember tasting it in California in 1997 it's been right up at the top of my list of favorite brews. For me it just strikes the perfect balance. It has a very smooth maltiness with lots of depth, and still acheives a crisp, hoppy snappiness on the finish. In between all that there are lovely subtleties - an understated nutiness and flowery hop notes. It's just an awesome beer, hands down, you can't really quite compare it to much else. Anchor has a unique style. I should also say, I do enjoy the classic and better known Anchor Steam Beer, as well as the rich, smooth porter, but for me the Liberty is still tops! If you haven't tried it - find it - and drink it! Cheers!

L.H.

Finally - A review from B. Livingston

I won't even pretend that I have tasted ports with the frequency of Lamont. However, my relocation to Portland, OR, may provide me with more opportunities to find bottles than my previous work location. After reading the reviews posted by Lamont and fiending for a tasty port, I finally scored a bottle, albeit somewhat average. I can find over 100 microbrewed beers in my town, but not one vintage port. I enjoy Warre’s vintages, and thought a traditional style 1995 LBV for $20 was worth a shot. After all, the port is 12 years old and Warre’s is a quality house.

Warre’s 1995 traditional LBV, bottled 1999
The wine is still purple and has a nose of berries and dark fruits, most notably black cherries. A full palate of ripe fruits with moderate tannins that compliment the nose. Showing some age on the palate as the fruits taste well fleshed-out. Does not have the depth, grip, or finish of a full vintage, but superior to most LBVs as it is not too sweet and does not finish hot. 1995 is not an outstanding vintage, so for the year, this is a good wine; far above the vintage character products available for a similar price. 3/30/06.

Quinta do Infantado Vintage 2003

Joao Luis of Quinta do Infantado

So,
It's been a minute since my last report. Of course this adventure started out like so many others in the past - Lillian happened to ask me a question about port while we were at work, we got into an extended conversation about it, and by the time it was over we were planning the evening around buying and drinking a bottle (sound familiar?). Anyway, being that we weren't in the market for anything particularly extravagant, we decided to go for something young and reasonably affordable. We ended up choosing the Quinta do Infantado 2003 - on the shelf for $49.99. Being that I had fond memories of the 85 Infantado that I drank a number of years ago, as well as the 92 LBV, and along with the fact that I have yet to pop anything from the 03 vintage, it seemed like an intriguing choice. Here were my notes:

The color is a dark, royal purple. On the nose it's still a little tight, but shows pleasing notes of dark fruit, chocolate, and damp earth. The palate is full with lots of ripe boysenberry fruit and black pepper, and is permeated by a certain earthiness similar to the earthy notes on the nose. That particular quality makes this an interesting port to drink and gives it an almost handmade sort of appeal - like a port with a real sense of terroir. I mean that in a good way; it still has nice structure, good concentration, and very smoothed-out tannins for such a young port. It's definitely enjoyable now, thuough it obviously has a long way to go to reach it's peak. I'd probably like to pop it again in about 10 years, maybe 15. It seems to me, from the three bottles that I've now sampled from Quinta do Infantado, that they definitely make they're own breed of port, and it's a tasty breed at that. If you like something a little more homegrown and unique, try Infantado.
- Lamont Huxley