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

EPTT Colorado Chapter

Greetings Port Enthusiasts! I have been enjoying the format of our port blog and I love being able to keep up to date on everyone's port drinking adventures.

First off, I would like to extend a formal invitation the my good friend Benjamin Stone (pictured at left) to join the EPTT and let it be an official start to the the EPTT Colorado Chapter. Ben and I have enjoyed about 40 bottles of port together over the last 9 years including a 1960 Dow's Vintage which Ben picked up for my graduation.

Most recently, we enjoyed a very humble bottle, especially in comparison to the blockbuster's you rich folks have been tasting of late. We had a Croft 1997 LBV. The following are the reviews.

Croft 97' LBV

Ruby colored. A rather bland nose of dark fruits. A little sharp and alcoholic on the palate. Pleasant and uncomplicated. Enjoyable but nothing to write home about. - Harrington

Caught the scent of it before it ever left the bottle. Lotta muscle. Little finesse or followthrough. Though kind to the palate, I wouldn't say much more in this port's favor. Very one-dimensional, lacking any ounce of renaissance appeal. -Tyrese

A birthday bottle

So it was my birthday yesterday, and of course I could scarcely allow the occassion to pass without a spot of port to mark the day.

I began the evening with a glass of Graham's 20 year tawny at a local dessert spot called The Chocolate Room. My friend Nicki (aka Big Bizness) and I shared a molten chocolate spice cake served with a scoop of homemade burnt-orange ice cream which was the recommended pairing with the Graham's 20. It proved to be an outstanding combination. The predominant notes of orange peel and nutty spice played beautifully off the tangy orange ice cream and warm chocolate spice cake. This once again proved to me why Graham's is always an obvious go-to when it comes to aged tawny's. The 20 year is concentrated, complex, and has a long, long finish. On returning home I popped a bottle I had picked up that afternoon on a whim - a Rozes 1994 that I found for $40. I didn't know anything about this bottle in particular, but considering the year, I figured it was worth a shot:

Rozes Vintage 1994

Tasted: 2/3/07

Dark maroon in color. Smokey blackberry and some dark chocolate and pepper on the nose, a bit spirity. Very similar notes on the palate with medium sweetness and depth - comes off fairly hot as well with a medium length of finish. A decent port, enjoyable for sure, but considering the excellence of this vintage, I did expect more. Not a bad wine, but not one I'd recommend.

-L.H,

Let's reflect on the 1977 vintage

1977 - A classic vintage that somewhat overshadowed an impressive 1970 vintage, the only other vintage of the decade. Many wines are beginning to drink well, and I've summarized my experience with this vintage. Hopefully, my tasting list will continue to grow over the next few years.
De La Force, tasted December 2000. Showing age, notes of ripe plums and strawberries.
Dow's, tasted January 1999. Showing age, notes of dried fruits and nuts; excellent.
Smith Woodhouse, tasted December 2002. Showing only moderate age, dark fruits are present; excellent.
Taylor, tasted December 2001. Still young, notes of red fruits with good tannins.

B. Livingston