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Posts Tagged ‘Port Wine Review’

Review: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage 2006 Port Wine

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 24, 2013

SAM_0752 Dow's 2006 LBVDow’s is one of the Port Houses belonging to the Symington Family whose ancestry in the Port trade spans a period of over three and a half centuries. This family’s association with Dow’s began in the early 1900’s when Andrew James Symington, became a partner in Warre & Co, the first and oldest British Port company established in Portugal. The Warre Family at the time owned Dow’s; but apparently had little interest in managing the company and invited Symington to manage the vineyards and lodges of Dow’s as well those of Warre & Co.. In 1912, Andrew Symington, acquired 30 % ownership of Dow’s, and later, in 1961 the Symington Family gained full control and sole ownership of the entire company.

Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port wines are produced from grapes grown in a single year from Dow’s best vineyards. The wine has been matured for between four and six years and is filtered prior to bottling. Because it has been matured and then filtered, this style of Port wine is ready for immediate consumption and will not require decanting or filtering of sediment before serving.

(Note: I was provided a sample bottle of Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2006 by The Bacchus Group, who are responsible for its importation here in Alberta.)

You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage 2006 Port Wine

“… As you let the wine breathe the fruity smells begin to grow slowly seeping into the air with smells of blackberries, plums and dark red cherries. There are hints of dry fruit, as well as grape skins and stems adding to that earthy quality underneath …”

I hope you enjoy this review of what I consider to be an outstanding Late Bottled Vintage port.

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Review: W & J Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 12, 2013

SAM_0699 Graham's Six GrapesThe subject of this review, is a bottle of Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port Wine. Six Grapes is one of the original Port blends (or marques) from Graham’s. It is, you could say, the flagship Reserve Port Wine produced by the company (or lodge). According to the Graham’s website, only the grapes from the finest vineyards are used to produce this marque. The distinctive depiction of grape bunches on the bottle is taken from the identification symbols long used in the Graham’s lodge to identify the wines destined to make up the Six Grapes blend. The wine is sourced from the same vineyards (essentially Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta das Lages) that contribute to Graham’s famed Vintage Ports in ‘declared’ years. This means that it will resemble Graham’s Vintage Port in that it has a similar rich and full-bodied style. However unlike the Vintage Port, Six Grapes is a blend of different Vintages which have been aged a relatively short period of time (between 3 and 4 years).

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

Review: W & J Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port

“… The Six Grapes Port Wine looks luscious in the glass. It carries deep red tones at the center of the glass, and a rich plum coloured crest at the top. The aroma has depth, full of the smells of sweetened ripe dark fruit. I am thinking dark ripe BC cherries, wild blackberries and plump purple plums. Subtle notes of raisin, dates and cocoa lurk underneath …”

Please enjoy my review of this dandy Port wine.

Posted in Dessert Wine Review, Ruby Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: W & J Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port

Review: Cálem 10 Year Old Tawny Port Wine

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 29, 2012

I came upon the chance to review this particular Cálem Port Wine quite by accident. When Woodman Wines and Spirits learned I was looking for a suitable aged Tawny Port in my mad desire to construct a new and original “Millionaire Punch”. They suggested that they could send me a bottle of the Cálem 10 Year Old Tawny for the recipe’s construction. The Cálem Tawny had all of the characteristics I was looking for, and I agreed to receive the bottle. Since I would not need the entire bottle for my punch recipe, I decided I would review this wine here on my website as well.

In case you are wondering, my “Millionaire Punch” was an unmitigated disaster, and I regret that 4 oz of this wonderful Port Wine was subjected to my dreadful experiment.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… In the glass, the tawny port exhibits a rich aroma of dry fruit, (prunes, dates and raisins) and brown sugary baking spices (Vanilla, cinnamon and Demerara sugar). I also notice some nice fresh fruit scents welling up which remind me of blackberries, fresh BC cherries and red currant. A few freshly bitten dark plums, some ripe raspberry, and a touch of coffee and chocolate round out the breezes above my glass. This is very nice… “

You may read the full review here:

Review: Cálem 10 Year Old Tawny Port Wine

I had planned on revealing my “Millionaire Punch” as part of this review, but I rather think it best that I advise you to enjoy this Port Wine in the manner in which it was intended, as a wonderful after dinner treat.

Enjoy the review!

Posted in Dessert Wine Review, Tawny Port Wine, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cálem 10 Year Old Tawny Port Wine

Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 27, 2012

Today I am stepping out of my comfort zone, and publishing a review which, although it was very enjoyable for me to write, probably should be read (and interpreted) with a hefty grain of salt by you, the reader.

You see, I like dessert wines, and one of my favourite dessert wines is aged Port. I have a small collection of Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port Wines in my cold room, and about four weeks ago I selected one to enjoy. I am not sure why I decided to write a review, I think perhaps it was to solicit comment especially regarding my thoughts on how to properly age such a wine and how to properly serve it once it is opened. My thoughts on these matters are written as part of the review, and if you have thoughts of your own you are welcome to share them in the comments section of the review. I guess I am saying that this review was written more for my benefit than it was for the benefit of my readers.

The subject of this review, is a bottle of Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port Wine which I purchased in 2009, Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003, Bottled 2008, “Unfiltered”. I was told when I purchased this wine that it was a solid LBV Port which would age well in my cold room, and should be opened four or five years after it was bottled for maximum enjoyment. This Port wine is of course from the Douro Region of Portugal. It was bottled in 2008, after approximately five years of maturation in oak vats.

This is my first “Wine Review”, and I approached the review in the same manner as I have all of my reviews, which is to say that I wrote primarily about the enjoyment which the spirit gave me and where I found that enjoyment.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…As the glass breathed, the mouth feel became softer and more enjoyable although that fresh acidity seemed to linger. Along with the taste of ripe cherries, darker dry fruit appeared (dates and prunes) as well hints of oak and bittersweet chocolate…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003

Please Enjoy the review!

Posted in LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003