Sleek in feel, with a mix of raspberry and plum reduction, melted black licorice and fruitcake notes that stretch out over a graphite edge on the finish. Has good energy from start to finish. Best from 2030 through 2045.
The 2018 Vintage Port Quinta da Roeda is a field blend aged for approximately 18 months in very large used wooden vats. It comes in with 104 grams of residual sugar. Ripe and expressive, this delicious single-quinta Porto also has fine concentration and some pop on the finish. Indeed, as this sits and airs out, it proves it has a real backbone. Two days later, it was pretty tight. This is more about fruit than structure, though, and this sexy, nuanced and succulent Port is going to be hard to resist as it ages. Likely to be accessible on the younger side, it should still hold very well. I need to see a bit more to be fully convinced, but right now this seems like the steal and sleeper of the Fladgate Partnership trio this issue (the Fonseca and Taylor's being the others). For the moment—and young Ports do change notably as they age—this would be my favorite of the trio.
Deep purplish crimson. Modest meaty nose in which the key element is violets, normally associated with another Fladgate quinta, Vargellas. Very beguiling and round – you could almost drink this tonight! Tannins well hidden. Really rather glorious. Port is so good nowadays! Just a very slight lack of body and complexity towards the end of the palate suggests this may not be absolutely top drawer. Drink 2022-2030.
From Croft’s flagship estate just upstream from Pinhão: fragrant, slightly herbal -hedgerow character with a hint of chocolate on the nose; lovely round, well- defined plum and cherry fruit flavours, fresh, firm and accessible, very nicely balanced, backed by firm tannins and a long lithe finish. Mid-weight, middle distance wine fro drinking in ten years or so.
Deep purple, exceptionally, beguilingly, aromatic – so pretty and perfumed – with bergamot and orange blossom lift to its intense berry fruits. The emphasis is on velvety red fruits, especially raspberry, deliciously inter-twined with lively dried sage, pine needle, esteva, sandalwood, liquorice and black pepper top notes. Milk and bitter chocolate nuances bring richness. The prominent yet fine fretwork of tannins put me in mind of whole bunch wines – animated, spicy and (ripe/dried) herbaceous, with light grip. Just lovely and very accessible.
