$100 bottle of port

Cafe Society
1

OK, I’ve seen wine & whiskey threads, so here’s one for port.

I know NOTHING about this subject, except that, apparently, Wares is supposed to to be good, or something. If I recall, I got my boss a Wares '97 or something last year, and according to him it rocked, so I’m raising the bar this year (also thanks to a SWEEEET bonus at work).

My boss also knows wine stuff, but I don’t want to ask him what he wants - I want to (hopefully) surprise him.

Let’s keep this around $100-125.

There is more than one wine - only merchant in my area, and some nice packies (liquor stores), so, any suggestions?

2

First off, I would avoid most American ports. Most of them taste like prune juice or worse. I would also avoid anything that is less than 15 years old. I can recommend Graham’s 20 year old tawny port as a solid bet. Not too sweet, nice nutty flavor. Despite the British name on the bottle, Graham’s is bottled in Oporto, Portugal.

3

I’m hardly an expert, but I bought some Warre’s Otima 10-year tawny port a while back, and it was one of the nicest things I’ve ever drunk. Gorgeous caramel flavour, without being sickly (which is a problem I often have with ports). You serve it chilled:

The 10 year only seems to be about $20 for a 50cl bottle, though. Buy him five, maybe? :slight_smile: There’s a 20-year version available for nearer $50. Too pricey for me to have tried, but it’s got good reviews…

4

SDMB Wine Club thread concerning the Otima Port.

I’m a fan of Charles Krug Zin Port, but I don’t think you can get it anywhere except from the winery. They do ship.

5

There are some good Australian ports as well. Old Benson and Old Cave are both great in my book, though some folks might find them too sweet.

6

I’d suggest a vintage port. It sounds like that is what you bought him last year, although I’m surprised he drank it. It probably could have standed another 10 years of aging or so.

Vintage Ports are the most expensive of all the Ports, and vintages are only declared during exceptional years. They need to age though, and the aging will need to be done by the consumer, not the Port house (as is the case with Tawny Ports, which aren’t *actually *10 or 20 year old Ports as their names imply, it’s an average or a style they are aiming for, not the actual number of years of aging.)

My suggestion would be to ask your wine merchant what he recommends out of his stock of Vintage Ports, or if he has one, a Single Quinta Vintage Port.

Some of the top producers:

Warres
Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman
Graham’s
Dow
Cockburn
Smith Woodhouse
Churchill
Fonseca

There are many others though.

As for vintages, here’s a guideline of declared ones. 1977 looks like a good one and ready to drink now. 97, 94, and 91 are all considered very good vintages.

7

See this site for a good description of the Graham’s 20 Year. Looks to be about $50. See the comments at page bottom.

8

Graham’s also has a 30 and a 40 year-old if you’re looking to spend a bit of money.

9

I’m a huge fan of Taylor Fladgate Tawny port, and it’s easy to find. I like 10 year, prefer 20 year, and can’t afford 40 year.

10

I believe it was a vintage port, and all the guides I looked it up in said it was at its “drinkin’ time”, or whatever they called it. I could have been mistaken about the year - 97 was just a guess. Trying to recall, but I think it was a 20 year, but bottled a few years earlier (like a 1980 bought in 2006, if that makes any sense).

11

I’ve had a '77. It was very, very good.

$100 good? I don’t know about that. The difference between a very good port and an excellent port is indistinguishable to all but the most thoroughly refined palates, and I say that as an experienced wine guy. Seriously, when it comes to port, I get above, say, $50-60 a bottle, and I’m starting to throw money away.

Maybe get a vintage port in that price range, and then visit your best-stocked local bookstore and see if they’ve got a “history of port” type book to go along with it?

12

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks!