Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ purple, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, earth, wood, (dried) black fruit, black cherry, blackberry, prune
Mouth: sweet, med+ body, med tannin, high fortification, med flavour intensity, med- acid, earth, wood, dried black fruit, blackberry, black cherry, spice, med length
All in all: Good quality: though balanced and clean, the basic ruby port seems basic to moderately complex with an average length, serving to be a ready-to-drink ruby-style port. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Late Bottled Vintage Port.
Is really: Mid-priced NV Ruby Port.

[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 6]

This wine was chosen by the instructor to contrast to the previous wine in the flight, which was a vintage port.… read more

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep purple, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, dark fruit, blackberry, bramble, jam, spice, blueberry, cassis, earth, prune
Mouth: sweet, full bodied, med+ fine tannin, med+ acid, med+ flavour intensity, dark fruit, blackberry, bramble, blueberry, jam, cassis, earth, hint dark chocolate, spice, med+ length
All in all: Very good quality: this vintage port is still very young and fruit forward, but it exudes bold and opulent fruit that persists – and though fiery – alludes to some form of balance.  Too young. (though I honestly enjoyed it)
Identity Guess: Premium Vintage Port, ~4 years old.
Is really: Premium Vintage Port, vintaged 2011.

[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 6]

I don’t know – I’m young and dumb, perhaps explaining why I enjoyed this newborn port more than some of the others in the flight.… read more

Tasting Note:

Eyes: hazy, deep garnet, legs noted, some sediment
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, fully developed, baked fruit, stewed fruit, soy, menthol, hint pyrazine, cassis, blackberry, herbal, sage, cola, oxidative, coffee, prune, chocolate
Mouth: sweet, med+ body, med+ acid, high fortification, med- fine tannin, med+ intensity, cassis, stewed dark fruit, blackberry, hint herbal, med+ length
All in all: Very good quality: the wine is intense and complex with flavours that lean towards the stewed fruit spectrum. The wine has a relatively long length, but there is something “missing” – perhaps it’s the slight lack in vibrance due to the mainly stewed fruit without the intense tertiary character. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Premium Vintage Port, 15-20 years old.… read more

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med tawny, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, fully developed, wood, brown sugar, prune, caramelized, dried fruit, citrus rind, caramel, roasted nuts
Mouth: sweet, med+ body, med- acid, high fortification, med+ intensity, long finish, cola, hint dried fruit, nuts, soy, citrus, dates, toffee, caramel
All in all: Very good (to outstanding) quality: this tawny port has a concentrated and complex flavour profile featuring roasted nuts, citrus rind, and hints of caramelized fruit. The length is long, and the wine has a near-perfect balance. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Premium 20 Year Old Tawny Port.
Is really: Premium 20 Year Old Tawny Port.

[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 6]

This was definitely the wine in the flight that had the best ratio of wine quality to some sort of drink-now aspect, all while retaining some level of freshness.… read more

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med tawny, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, fully developed, roasted nuts, caramel, mushroom, earth, prune, hazelnut
Mouth: sweet, med+ body, med+ flavour intensity, high fortification, med+ acid, med+ length, roasted nuts, mushroom, hazelnut, prune, spice, med- tannin
All in all: Very good quality: the intense and complex wine exudes flavours of roasted nuts, earth, and caramel with a relatively long finish. The wine is structured and balanced though there is a hint of bitterness on the finish. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Premium Tawny-style Port.
Is really: Premium Colheita Port, vintaged 1995.

[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 6]

I don’t even remember what “colheita” designates besides a tawny-er style of port.… read more

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ tawny, legs
Nose: clean, fully developed, med+ intensity, dried red fruit, dried strawberry, dried cherry, prune, raisin, nuts, spice, white pepper, earth, hint mushroom, fig, dried flowers
Mouth: sweet, med+ body, med acid, high alcohol/fortification, med+ length, med+ flavour intensity, earth, mushroom, dried red fruit, dried strawberry, dried cherry, nuts, raisin, low and fine-grained tannin
All in all: Very good quality: the wine is intense, complex, and persistent, but could have benefitted from slightly more tertiary complexity. Drink now: not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Banyuls from France.
Is really: High-priced Port from Portugal, 10 Years Old.

[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 1]

Port is an interesting thing. It’s one of those things I’ve fallen in love with upon first high-quality angelic sip, but there’s really no one to open subsequent bottles with, and that much sugar in one sitting sounds like a recipe of caloric disaster.… read more