New Vintage Port in the Flickinger Fine Wines inventory http://www.flickingerwines.com/wineregions/vintageport.asp WS 88 (6/2008): Aromas of black cherry and licorice, with hints of flowers, follow through to a medium-to-full body, with firm, yet silky tannins and a medium-sweet finish. Balanced and pretty. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now. 1,250 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Barros.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Broadbent.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChurchillGraham.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChurchillGraham.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChurchillGraham.aspMB **** (12/1999): Fifteen or so notes, starting with Michael Symington's tasting of a range of individual 'lodge lotes', all surprisingly different in colour and character, some lean, some fleshy, with a variety of herbaceous and fruit aromas, from which the final vintage blend was made, jst as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot are assembled to make a classed-growth Medoc. Even after two years in bottle, still opaque but starting to evolve nicely. In 1994, alongside Graham and Warre it was the least deep in colour, very forthcoming on the nose, sweet, slightly chocolatey. Four years later, thrown into a 'vertical' context at the Dow bicentenary tasting it was more open knit than the 1980, sweeter but also lightish in style. More recently, good flavour and balance. Dry finish. Drinking well. Drink now-2010.WA 90 (1/1989): This is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1983 is rich, concentrated, very fruity, and magnificently perfumed, suggesting that it is going to mature early, long before the 1977.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Dow.aspWS 89 (7/1999): A late arrival '94 for the U.S. market. Inky colored with plenty of crushed raspberry and orange peel character on the nose. Full-bodied and sweet, with big, soft tannins and a long, chocolatey aftertaste. Best from 2005 through 2015.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/DuffGordon.aspWS 93 (1/1989): A superb achievement from a very underrated year. Deep dark ruby-purple, with rich floral and violet aromas, full-bodied, with masses of strawberry flavors, full tannins and a long finish. WA 92 (12/1988): Graham is another great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. The 1983, like most vintage ports, seems more forward than normal but has a great depth of very ripe, viscous, unctuous, plummy, tarry fruit and significant tannin in its long finish. It is black-purple in color. I doubt that it will be either as profound or as long-lived as the great 1977, but is is certainly one of the top two or three ports of this vintage, and better than the excellent 1980.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Grahams.aspWA 94 (2/1995): Graham's 1991 Vintage Port gets my nod as the port of the vintage. While keeping in mind that Graham's aims for a sweeter-styled port, there is no doubting the opaque purple/black color, or the explosive nose of black fruits, licorice, spring flowers, and tar. Thick and full-bodied, with a satiny texture and a blockbuster, alcoholic finish, this is a top-notch vintage port.WS 93 (5/2005): Lovely plum and coffee aromas open to a full-bodied palate, with sweet, decadent fruit. Velvety, with a long finish. Lots going on. '91/'92 Port retrospective. Best after 2007.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Grahams.aspWS 98 (5/2003): Smells like freshly picked orchids, with loads of ripe, clean fruit. Full-bodied, medium sweet and very powerful and racy. It lasts for minutes on your palate. Yet there's a balance and class to this young Vintage Port. This is the greatest glass of Graham I have ever tasted, young or old. Best after 2014. 9,000 cases made. FTLOP 96 (6/2006): Went through a recent modernization and the Symington's have upgraded their fermenting tanks and put innovative robotic lagares into use for this vintage 60% of the grapes came from these lagares. They are the first Shippers to use them in production of a Vintage Porto after experimentation over the past several years. The grapes for the Graham blend were grown at Malvedos, Quinta do Vila Velha and Quinta do Vale de Malhadas for the 2000 VP. Dark purplish-black with fully opacity. Fine aromas of plum and dark cherry which translates to the sweet grapey palate with some ripe, jammy, dark berry fruit as well. Not a subtle VP by any means, with a focused, seamless structure and well-integrated round tannins. Some hot spirity character on the otherwise smooth, sweet finish was the only blemish on this excellent wine. This is not atypical though for young Graham's and in vintages like 1985 this resolved in time, albeit that is not the case with the 1977. The Graham is certainly amongst the top wines of the vintage although it is my second favorite Symington Vintage Porto from 2000. WA 94 (10/2002): Grapy, unformed, black raspberry liqueur and licorice-infused cassis notes leap from the glass of this opaque purple-colored wine. Sweet, plush, rich, and accessible, it is a forward, lush, concentrated effort that should drink well for two decades. While not one of Graham's most profound ports, it should evolve rapidly, providing immense crowd appeal. VM 94 (2/2003): Saturated black-ruby. Superripe, bottomless nose of black fruits, mocha, bitter chocolate and flowers. Hugely sweet, dense and rich. A port of outstanding opulence and creamy texture; deceptively easy to taste. Substantial, sweet, spreading tannins are buried under a wave of fruit. Extremely long, fruit-driven finish.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Grahams.aspWS 98 (5/2003): Smells like freshly picked orchids, with loads of ripe, clean fruit. Full-bodied, medium sweet and very powerful and racy. It lasts for minutes on your palate. Yet there's a balance and class to this young Vintage Port. This is the greatest glass of Graham I have ever tasted, young or old. Best after 2014. 9,000 cases made. FTLOP 96 (6/2006): Went through a recent modernization and the Symington's have upgraded their fermenting tanks and put innovative robotic lagares into use for this vintage 60% of the grapes came from these lagares. They are the first Shippers to use them in production of a Vintage Porto after experimentation over the past several years. The grapes for the Graham blend were grown at Malvedos, Quinta do Vila Velha and Quinta do Vale de Malhadas for the 2000 VP. Dark purplish-black with fully opacity. Fine aromas of plum and dark cherry which translates to the sweet grapey palate with some ripe, jammy, dark berry fruit as well. Not a subtle VP by any means, with a focused, seamless structure and well-integrated round tannins. Some hot spirity character on the otherwise smooth, sweet finish was the only blemish on this excellent wine. This is not atypical though for young Graham's and in vintages like 1985 this resolved in time, albeit that is not the case with the 1977. The Graham is certainly amongst the top wines of the vintage although it is my second favorite Symington Vintage Porto from 2000. WA 94 (10/2002): Grapy, unformed, black raspberry liqueur and licorice-infused cassis notes leap from the glass of this opaque purple-colored wine. Sweet, plush, rich, and accessible, it is a forward, lush, concentrated effort that should drink well for two decades. While not one of Graham's most profound ports, it should evolve rapidly, providing immense crowd appeal. VM 94 (2/2003): Saturated black-ruby. Superripe, bottomless nose of black fruits, mocha, bitter chocolate and flowers. Hugely sweet, dense and rich. A port of outstanding opulence and creamy texture; deceptively easy to taste. Substantial, sweet, spreading tannins are buried under a wave of fruit. Extremely long, fruit-driven finish.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Grahams.aspVM 96+ (5/2014): Bright, deep, saturated ruby. Liqueur-like ripeness to the deeply fruity aromas of kirsch, black raspberry and cassis. Thick, sweet and seamless, with a silky texture and great depth to its utterly primary dark berry and spice flavors. Wonderfully pure, intense young port with outstanding finishing sweetness, well-judged oakiness and big, ripe, noble tannins. Leaves behind exhilarating kirsch and violet notes on the extremely long finish, with a note of bitter chocolate emerging with extended aeration. This fleshy beauty boasts beautifully managed tannins and outstanding aging potential. Stephen Tanzer.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Grahams.aspWS 98 (2/2000): The greatest modern vintage of Niepoort. Shows ablack color and intense aromas of crushed berriesand wet earth, with a slight stemminess.Full-bodied and mouthpuckering, this youngbodybuilder of a Port has loads of fruit andpowerful tannins. Amazingly long finish. Best after 2009. 4,000 cases made. VM 90 (6/2000): Saturated dark ruby. Superripe aromas of cassis, baking chocolate, flowers and walnut skin; hints at a more evolved tawny port aspect. Supersweet and velvety in the mouth; very concentrated, with ripeness just short of raisiny. Possesses decent acidity but could use a bit more verve. This lush, harmonious wine is deceptively approachable today; does it have the backbone for extended development in bottle?http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Niepoort.aspWS 100 (2/2011): Toffee aromas leads to a complex array of fig, mineral, iron and dark fruit flavors that are rich and intense. The long, caressing finish features spicy notes, with hints of fresh mint. Amazingly elegant.—Non-blind Quinta do Noval Nacionahttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/QuintadoNoval.aspWS 91 (4/1997): An amazing wine for this producer--Osborne means business now. Rich and impressive, with plenty of ripe, fruit character. Full-bodied and very sweet, with a long, tannic, fruity finish. Best after 2010. 2,000 cases made. WA 90 (10/1996): Very dark ruby/purple-colored (not opaque), this is a rich, full-bodied, sweet port reminiscent of Graham's. Thick, viscous, rich, and full, this impressive port needs 5-10 years of cellaring. A sleeper. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Osborne.aspFTLOP 92 (3/2013): Strawberry red with slight bricking throughout, from the color, I would never have guessed it was a tawny. Bright and youthful notes of cherry and reaspberry fruit, seasoned by coca powder and toffee aromas. We drank this slowly, and initially there was no real tawny character, more Ruby Reserve quality. But an hour into the bottle, it really softened up a lot and made me think that my next bottle will be decanted for an hour or two. What emerged after an hour was a soft, really elegant and delicious young tawny Port. My friends were wowed by this Quevedo and asked where they could buy some. Fully resolved tannins and balancing acidity, with a long and sweet red fruited finish with a drop of caramelization that added depth.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Quevedo.aspWA 94 (10/2016): The NV 40 Year Old Tawny Port, bottled in 2015, is a field blend with 135 grams per liter of residual sugar. Very fresh, very elegant and relatively young for a 40, this is only moderate in complexity for its age, a little light on those molasses overtones, if you will. However, the youth and nutty nuances are rather glorious in their own right. Alive and delicious, it has an enticingly sweet edge. There are approximately 1,000 bottles produced per year.FTLOP 92 (1/2013): Quevedo's Tawny 40 is as pretty to look at as it is to taste with a sunset orange-amber edge. Offering complex aromas of orange marmalade, cayenne pepper, figs, maple bars, and a touch of VA. Light-medium bodied and delicate across the palate, with distinct spirit the first day. It's loaded with zesty acidity balancing the sweet flavors of candied hazelnuts, chewy figs, baking spice along with dried apricots. It opened up nicely and showed better the second day, as it had more air tme. The mid-palate filled out and became more vinous and intricate and the finish was rounder, longer and with significantly less heat.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Quevedo.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Quevedo.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Quevedo.aspIWC 85 (8/2002): Medium ruby. High-toned nose melds black cherry, spices and exotic woodsmoke. Offers decent black fruit flavors but comes across as distinctly loose-knit. The tannins turned increasingly dry with aeration.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/QuintadeRoriz.aspWS 88 (6/1995): Wet earth, stemmy and ripe fruit character. Fresh; medium in body and sweetness, offering fine tannins and a medium finish. Drink in 1999.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/SmithWoodhouse.aspWS 88 (6/1995): Wet earth, stemmy and ripe fruit character. Fresh; medium in body and sweetness, offering fine tannins and a medium finish. Drink in 1999.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/SmithWoodhouse.aspWA 98 (10/2002): Among the most saturated blue/purple/black-colored examples of the vintage, Taylor's 2000 tastes like a young vintage of Chateau Latour on steroids. Aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis and smoke jump from the glass. Spectacularly concentrated and enormously endowed, with sweetness allied to ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layer upon layer of fruit and extract, this is the leading candidate for the port of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040. VM 95 (2/2003): Bright deep ruby. Brooding, complex aromas of cassis, minerals, graphite, licorice and damp earth; distinct hints of surmaturite. Dense, chewy and powerful, with a saline impression of extract. At once strong and seamless, with penetrating, youthfully primary black fruit flavors that really expand and reverberate in the mouth and on the very long, gripping finish. Exhilarating late note of dark chocolate. By no means a painfully backward Taylor, but structured to evolve for at least 25 to 30 years. WS 95 (5/2003): Beautiful aromas of honeysuckle, violets, citrus and berries, plus hints of fresh herbs. Full-bodied and chewy, with refined tannins and a long finish. Lasts for minutes on the palate. An elegant, yet powerful and fruity style of young Taylor. Best after 2012. 14,000 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Taylor.aspVM 94 (4/1998): Saturated ruby. Brooding blueberry, cassis, licorice and mineral nose complicated by a whiff of smoked meat; easy to pick out as Taylor in a blind grouping. Very concentrated, palate-saturating black cherry and black raspberry flavor. Thick and round but vibrant and delineated. Impressive extract. Explosive finishing fruit goes on and on. A very powerful port, but much more accessible early than a classic vintage Taylor. WS 92 (4/1998): A big, voluptuous wine--decadence in a bottle. Sports a brilliant magenta, purple color and intense aromas of plums and berries with hints of flowers. It's medium- to full-bodied, with a chunky, velvety-tannin mouthfeel and a long aftertaste of chocolate and fruit. Lovely. Best after 2008. 9,000 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Taylor.aspWA 94 (4/2015): The 2011 Touriga Nacional is revisited this issue as part of the vertical presented. After seeing them all together, this remains my favorite of the vertical, by a small margin, and also demonstrates the winery's increasing skill with this bottling. It combines finesse, concentration, texture and fine structure. Like many 2011s--and like the Tourigas in this vertical--it is not what you might call a "wow" wine, but its graceful presentation coupled with its lingering finish is hard to resist. It combines the best features of many of its predecessors. It should age wellhttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/QuintadoVallado.aspMB **** (5/2002): Opening price to the trade GBP40 per case FOB or GBP43 in bond, London, 25 case minimum order. Discounts thereafter. Very deep, hard, tea-left in 1979. Over 20 notes since showing a slow but gradual development. Fragrant, tea-like bouquet evolving; rich spicy, lovely by the end of the 1980s. Consistenly good through the 1990s including a well-nigh perfect bottle at a Symington tasting in 1994: typical Warre elegance, lissom and lovely. Then magnificent magnums, magnanimously donated by the Symingtons, at the Wine Trades' Benevolent Banquet in 1996. Drinking well at the Garrick in 1999. Most recently, at home. Now fully mature-looking; somewhat unknit; a hot dry finish. I preferred it after a day or two in the decanter but overall a bit disappointing. FTLOP 92 (7/2008): I opened this bottle to share in celebrating FTLOP's 3rd anniversary with Stewart, Jody and Dorene but knew that Pedro Branco (owner of Quinta do Portal) would be having dinner at my place that night along with his US importer. A fine wine to end the evening with, although due to it being a Mag, we did not finish it. I gave Stewart some to take home and kept enough so that I had another impression the following day. Medium cranberry in color with a lighter ruby edge. By the time we had commenced consumption, the Warre's had sat in decanter for 11.5 hours. The nose evolved nicely over that time frame and I detected scents of mint, spirit and a touch of stalkiness. Taylor mentioned raspberries and yep, she was right on the money. Medium-bodied with a fine roasted coffee bean flavor along with raisins and raspberries and a gentle backdrop of heat which was rather mild but noticeable. It was showing its age but it was by no means over the hill, just a mature fun VP at this stage with life left ahead. The tannins were fully resolved and the aftertaste lingered nicely. The following day, the texture had really settled down and it was silky smooth and really delightful but otherwise, this VP was pretty much unchanged. Drink now through 2015 for maximum pleasure. Shockingly, Stewart FINALLY nailed a VP with his first guess and I almost fell off my chair, boldly stating, It is a 1977. I bought this in 1993 at Total Beverage in Chantilly, VA for the insane price (they had it mis-marked) of $29 for the mag. That is what I paid when I bought a several cases of the 750s there (per bottle).http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Warre.asp