Newsletter 05/14/2023

Wine Spectator 95 Points “A hard, take-no-prisoners Port, extremely powerful and still closed when last tasted. Deep inky color, with concentrated blackberry and raisin aromas, full-bodied, with massive raisin flavors, a superb backbone and a very long finish.”
 

Quinta Do Noval Vintage Port 2016 750ml $119 special, 33 bottles available
#42 Wine Of The Year – James Suckling Top 100 In 2018
James Suckling 98 Points “This is a superb baby Noval that reminds me of the 1966. Chewy yet so polished. The light sweetness suggests an overall dialing back of the sugar content. Stemmy and lightly green. A truly classic Noval. Almost all from Pinhao. Buy. Better in 2025.”
Vinous 97 Points “The 2016 Vintage Port was picked mainly from 19 September in ideal conditions. It is more broody than the 2017 at the moment and demands a little more encouragement from the glass. I have been prudent with my reviews in the past, but this 2016 seems to have considerably improved in the four years since I last encountered it. More earthy in style, it offers lovely dusky black fruit, sage, a touch of menthol and star anis, unfolding in the glass with each swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety entry. Superb tension here, the acidity cuts through the richness of this Port with effortless ease. Linear, poised and mineral-driven, Vintage Port gets little better than this. Tasted at the Quinta do Noval tasting at Spring restaurant in London.”
Wine Spectator 97 Points “This has terrific energy from the start, with a bramble note inlaid in the core of cherry and plum paste flavors. Sappy, sweet and fresh, with a plum cake-infused finish. Gains focus and polish as it stretches out in the glass.—Non-blind Quinta do Noval vertical (May 2018). Best from 2030 through 2055. 6,000 cases made.”
 
Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 2017 1.5L $199 special, 6 bottles available
#28 – James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines Of The Year
James Suckling 99 Points “Complex aromas of tar, wet earth, dark berry and flowers follow through to a full body, medium sweet and amazing compacted concentration. Vertical and so deep. It goes on for minutes. Truly excellent. Better after 2027.”
Wine Advocate 99 Points “The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for approximately 20 months in wood. It comes in with 100 grams of residual sugar. Rich, concentrated and often sensational, this is well structured, even better in its fruit profile. While the fruit is terrific, it is also wonderfully fresh. This is arguably a great Taylor’s, but it still needs to prove its final case in the cellar. I don’t think that will be a problem. As I said when I first saw it, it effortlessly combines brilliant fruit and structure. It does everything right, and it is a formidable competitor to its Vinha Velha sibling in this report. And at half the price.”
Vinous 98 Points “The 2017 Taylor’s Vintage Port comes from their three quintas: Vargellas, de Terra Feita and do Junco, picking commencing at Vargellas on September 1, the earliest since 1945. Now this boasts a bold and more flamboyant bouquet vis-à-vis the Croft with layers of blackcurrant, blueberries, violet and allspice. Wonderful definition here and as it ratchets up through the gears with aeration manages to maintain impressive delineation. The palate is medium, rather full-bodied. The first impression is one of freshness, completely disguising that summer’s dryness and warmth, a disarming finesse built around the frame of tannins that would have been impossible years ago. It is a silky-smooth Taylor’s, one of the most polished 2017 Vintage Ports with energy and tension flooding through the finish. Aristocratic as ever, totally Taylor’s, yet still translating the growing season with aplomb. Total production is 11,500 cases.”

Kopke Colheita Tawny 1957 750ml $489 special, 3 bottles available
Iwsc 98 Points “Still showing elegance and incredible complexity when considering the age. Soft and mellow, loaded with ripe soft stone fruit. Harmonious yet still has austere delights to savour. Still has development to come.”
Wine Advocate 95 Points “The 1957 Colheita Tawny Port was seen before, but it’s worth revisiting in the USA, since it’s a great wine. This is also the new 2015 bottling. It has 127 grams per liter of residual sugar. It is stunning how youthful this is. Lush and rich on opening, it has mature flavors that emerge, easily demonstrating the complexity and concentrated aromatics one expects. Gripping on the finish, this delivers fruit flavor and seems to linger indefinitely. When I first saw this, it was tasted next to even more brilliant Colheitas and a bit overshadowed. On its own, it is even more stunning. It was pretty fine next to some other greats here as well.”

Kopke Colheita Tawny 1937 750ml $799 special, 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 94 Points “The 1937 Colheita Tawny Port comes in with 156 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is surprisingly fresh and surprisingly elegant for its age. It demonstrates its age when it finishes with power, showing remarkable grip and length, plus all those old Tawny flavors you want, the molasses, baked caramel. There’s a touch of brandy lurking here and there. While this has far more power and complexity than the 1967 this issue, it does lack that wine’s elegance and balance. The hard edge here is pretty hard, even if that intensity is sometimes very admirable. (I suspect it will show better if you come back in three days after opening it. They do change a little after pulling that cork, just a little, after that first rush.) At times, though, that hard edge makes it less attractive. The texture is smooth and unctuous. Overall, this is a fine experience in a blockbuster style. In some ways, I liked it no more than the 1967, though, perhaps less. To be sure, they are very differently styled as this, of course, emphasizes its power and that extra bit of complexity. Don’t drink this too warm—that can make all the difference.”