Wine By Nine

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Graham's from Portugal. A great Vintage to match the 1963. Declared by most shippers and now heavily under demand. Wonderful concentration of rich fruit with wonderful balance. One of the top wines of the Vintage, to keep. W. & J. Graham's Classic Vintage Ports are produced in years when the harvest and the resulting wines are found to be exceptional. This occurs, on average, about 3 times per decade. After aging for 18 months in cask, the best wines of some the finest Quintas in the Douro, especially Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos, are blended to produce a rich, exquisite wine.

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Graham's from Portugal. W. & J. Graham's Classic Vintage Ports are produced in years when the harvest and the resulting wines are found to be exceptional. This occurs, on average, about 3 times per decade. After aging for 18 months in cask, the best wines of some the finest Quintas in the Douro, especially Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos, are blended to produce a rich, exquisite wine. Violets, roses, spices, and candied dark fruits emanate from the glass of the murky black/purple colored 2003 Graham Vintage Port. After four days of air, this wine's aromatics sweetened further, displaying jammy blackberry and blueberry scents. Bold, full-bodied, and expansive, the Graham benefited the most from extensive contact with air of all the 2003s tasted for this report. This opulently jammy wine assaults the palate with powerful yet soft layers of oily, candied red fruits as well as notes of tar and hints of mocha. A highly concentrated effort, it is creamy textured, suave, and reveals an admirably long finish filled with additional layers of dark fruits intermingled with spices. Projected maturity: 2030-2055. -Wine Advocate

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Quinta do Noval from Portugal. What a nose. Ripe fruit, with chocolate, blackberries and raisins. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with velvety tannins. Finish goes on and on. Layered and wonderful. Best after 2014. -Wine Spectator

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Dow's from Portugal. Very dark opaque purple colour, with a typically spicy nose and intense underlying aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants. On the palate enormous weight and structure with a marvellous balance of dense black fruit flavours and firm tannins.

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Dow's from Portugal. Only produced or 'declared' in years of exceptional quality and represent a very small percentage (2 - 3%) of total Port production. The backbone of Dow's Vintage Ports are drawn from the companies' finest vineyards, Quinta do Bomfim and Senhora da Riberia. Each property contributing to the wines unique character and class. Aged in wood for approximately 2 years and bottled unfiltered, Dow Vintage Ports are considered to be amongst the finest Vintage Ports produced. These fine wines can be enjoyed young and vibrant or allowed to aged for many years in bottle, developing their very own style, very different from all wood aged Ports. 2003 follows the traditional Dow's Vintage Port style; drier than the other leading houses while retaining the traditional richness that is characteristic of all great Vintage Port. A wine with immense power and structure.

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Cockburn from Portugal. Consistently hot and dry, with no surprises and an optimal level of rain during the different seasons of the year. The vines grew with a low but steady level of water, allowing them to classically develop. A fine picking season in September lead to a harvest with above average quantity and excellent quality, mainly due to the consistency of the weather. He added, It was a good year especially for Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, allowing a strong maturation of these leading Douro varieties. -- Miguel Corte-Real, Cockburn's Viticultural & Commercial Director Our blenders have been tasting, categorizing and identifying the wines that might go into the final vintage blend for the best part of two years now. Only after the most rigorous selection was the final decision taken; it's been a long, focused, process. This wine is intensely purple in color, with aromas of blackberries and mature plums; full and firm on palate, with a long fruity finish resonating with chocolate overtones. Try with a Stilton Blue and hazelnuts -- Jim Reader, Cockburn's Head of Wine Making and General Manager

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Broadbent from Portugal. A balanced, silky red with serious grip. Full-bodied and chewy yet refined, with excellent fruit and a sweet finish. This is a Vintage Port made for importer Bart Broadbent by Niepoort. Always good stuff. -Wine Spectator

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Croft from Portugal. The 2003 Croft Vintage Port reveals an opaque, black-colored core with notes of dark ruby on the rim. Its gorgeously creamy, profound nose displays sweet dark cherries, black plums, pepper, raisin jam, and blueberries. Thick, satin-textured, and immensely rich, this opulent yet elegant wine is engagingly warm, concentrated, and harmonious. Copious quantities of plums, black cherries, jammy blackberries and spices are found throughout its personality as well as in its prolonged, spirit-tinged, finish. Projected maturity: 2020-2045. -Wine Advocate This is incredible on the nose and palate. It shows masses of wild black fruits with an almost exotic undertone. Full-bodied, medium-sweet and supervelvety. It goes on and on. No doubt one of the best of the vintage. Great Croft here; its single quinta Roeda must have delivered in 2003. This could be the best Port from here since 1945. Score range: 95-100 -Wine Spectator Barrel Sample

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Taylor Fladgate from Portugal. Another magnificent and finely-balanced old tawny blend of outstanding richness and complexity. This rare Port is traditionally enjoyed as a dessert wine or at the end of the meal. Ideal for summer drinking, Taylor's 20 Year Old Tawny may bc scrvcd cool.

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Yarra Yering from Yarra Valley, Australia. Field blend of primarily Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao and Roriz Displays a concentrated essence of red berry fruits and blackcurrant with an olive and mint background. Has a deep, structured palate that is interwoven with cedary, French oak characters. The ripe fruit and tannins run in unison along the entire palate. A wine of great clarity and depth that will cellar well for 10 years in ideal conditions.

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Graham's from Portugal. 20 Years indicates and average age - this Aged Tawny Port is a blend of older wines, which offer complexity and younger wines, which bring fresh fruit flavors and vibrancy. During their long maturing period in oak casks, Aged Tawnies undergo subtle color changes: the deep red hue which characterizes Port's youth gradually gives way to a paler golden amber color. Graham's is known for its rich, elegant house style. This 20 Year has an intense, nutty bouquet, the classic Graham's richness and a concentrated, lingering finish. Many consider the 20 Year to be the perfect blend of complexity and vibrant fruit when it comes to Aged Tawny. Serving and pairing suggestions Graham's 20 Year is bottled ready to drink after an average of at least 20 years of cask aging. It has a t-cap closure, which means that you don't need a corkscrew to open it and that it will stay fresh for four to six months if stored in a cool, dark place or refrigerator. Serve it in a glass with at least a six ounce capacity so that you may appreciate the wine's aromas. Graham's 20 Year is delicious when paired with milk chocolate, creme brulee or fruit tarts. In warmer months, try it chilled for a refreshing dessert in a glass.

Dessert, Fortified & Fruit Wine by Cockburn from Portugal. Cockburn's 20 Years Old Tawny is a blend of older, mature wines aged in cask and then refreshed by the addition of younger wines. The indicated age is the average age of the wines in the blend. These wines exhibit a silky smoothness from the cask aging and are ready to enjoy upon release. The constant blending and re-blending assures a consistent style. The 20 Years Old Tawny port shows a complex, nutty, spicy, aromatic nose, with a smoothness achieved through many years in wood. They are clarified before bottling and need no decanting.