Portugal

• Alentejo
• Bairrada
• Dao
• Douro
• Madeira
• Pico
• Ribatejo
• Vinho Verde

Crazy bottle.  The grapes were the 1820 vintage.  That means James Monroe, one of the USA's Founding Father's was president when these grapes were harvested.  Apparently in 1858 John Vanderpool, and affluent New Yorker has health issues and was advised by his doctor to try a different climate.  On his travels, he stopped on the island of Madeira where he purchased a quantity of this wine and stored it in glass demijohns.  He passed away, survived by his son, Jacob Vanderpoel, who in 1870, had this wine bottles for its 50th anniversary.  Somehow, a bottle made it to northeast Ohio where it w

Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, slight chocolate and a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  Slightly sweet.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black raspberry and slight blueberry fruit.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is drinking well on its own and would work nicely with a chocolate dessert.  Drink over the next ten years.  

It is nice to drink an inexpensive Madeira.  Iced tea in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with raisins, orange marmalade, molasses, and spice.  Medium bodied.  Slightly sweet.  Viscous.  On the palate, the orange marmalade comes thru along with raisins and nutmeg.  Good acidity.  Some depth.  Nice finish.  A little goes along way.  A few ounces is a nice way to finish a meal or have an evening drink.  An open bottle should easily last a month or more.  Very nice on its own, but this would be nice with a toffee dessert.  

This is 100% Touriga Nacional.  Purple in color, slight ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is off a bit with some volatile acidity and a little funk.  Also some chocolate and slight cherry notes.  Medium bodied.  Soft texture.  On the palate, this has cherry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Not much depth.  Clipped finish.  This bottle has no obvious flaws other than perhaps some VA on the nose, and its nice, but should be better.  Not sure if this is a proper bottle.  Worth checking in on.  

Still very young but drinking well.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has dark chocolate, cherries, dried cherries and slight sandalwood.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Slightly sweet.  Deep.  Light tannins.  On the palate, dark chocolate covered cherries.  Slight warming on the finish.  This drink well for another twenty years or more.  Nice on its own or would be great with a chocolate dessert.  

Nice to revisit this.  At age 19, this is still youthful but starting to show some refinement.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with chocolate covered raisins and some red raspberries.  Lots of energy.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, chocolate and raisins.  Sweet, not cloying.  Some heat on the finish.  This should easily go another fifteen or twenty years.  Great on its own or with some type of blue cheese.

The grape Antão Vaz is believed to be native to Portugal and definitely thrives here in warm dry climates, and is one of the most common grapes in this region. Here it delivers a light, clean and bright acidity leading into lychee, light lemon-lime, guava, apricot, mild resin, wildflower, and lemon candied almonds. The beauty of a good white wine is that the acidity makes it appropriate for a diversity of foods, and this 2021 has an abundance of acidity to work with lighter dishes as well as heavier meals.

You may know the Symington family from the wide number of Port wine they produce, but they’ve also excelled at producing still red and white wines for years. Their latest venture, this delicate little wine, is worth looking into. A blend of traditional Port grapes, including Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca, this offers blackberry, blueberry, huckleberry, black cherry with soft notes of strawberry, cocoa, and plum. The wine offers a terrific acidity and being unoaked, it still has a depth of character that many unoaked wines do not.

As a non-vintage wine, Six Grapes Port does show slight variation from year to year. This offering, with its new label and bottle design is the best NV to date. I have tasted Six Grapes upon its release every year for more than a decade and can attest that it’s moving in a direction that is more comprehensive as a signature wine. This new bottling shows ripe lush and opulent fruit without being overly sweet or cloying. Comprised, not of six grapes but actually eight in this case, the acidity balances out the fruit, the tannic structure balances out the sweetness.

A bit lighter in style than say the '94 or '00 vintages, but drinking well nevertheless.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries and chocolate covered raisins.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slightly sweet chocolate covered cherries.  There is a nice depth and complexity.  Drink over the next ten years.  A nice match with a chocolate dessert.