Sandeman Porto Vintage — 17 Accolades

This is a ripe and generous wine, with tannins that are well integrated into the powerfull black fruit core. It is rich in a black plum flavour that's cut by fine acidity. Complex, balanced and full of long-term potential, drink this impressive wine from 2029.​

"​Closed and dense on the nose, then the palate has a touch of tar. Muscular and still tight knit with the powerful spicy, dry tannins that have become the hallmark of Sandeman in recent vintages. Made from 40% of both Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca with support from Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão and Sousão. Serious Port – not as overwhelmingly extracted as some previous years and well balanced for a long future."

Densely packed, with baker’s chocolate up front, followed by muscular black currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors. Shows brambly grip, with flashes of apple wood and Turkish coffee. Best from 2035 through 2055.

Cask sample. 40% Touriga Franca, 40% Touriga Nacional, 10% Tinta Roriz, 5% Tinta Cão, 5% Sousão. Plum, violet and chocolate with a hint of musky grape aromas too. Pashmina smoothness. Utter pleasur to taste - the fruit is just so pristine, yet there is spice and earthiness and even a bit of ​savoury umami flavour too - mushroom and soy, perhaps. Superb. (RH) 20% Drink 2021-2046.

​The 2016 Vintage Porto is mostly an equal blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with various others comprising the last 20% of the juice. It comes in with 95 grams of residual sugar. This was in bottle about two months when tasted. Dark in colour, with fine and expressive fruit, this shows intensity of flavour more than pure power. The fruit demonstrates nice lift as it opens with air. As with the Offley, this is a very nice success in this vintage, showing me fine fruit and reasonable structure. The concentration is good too, but is not quite as impressive as the first two components. It is still excellent overall, the most exuberant of the three Sogrape Portos. We'll se how it ages and develops. For the moment, it is worth leaning up.

​This ripe Port boasts stewed plums and dense tannins, making it opulent, rich and set for long-term aging. Spice and a hint of cardamom give further complexity. Of course, this fine wine will age. Wait to drink until 2029.

The 2018 Vintage Porto is mostly a 50/40 blend of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional with Tinto Cão and Sousão filling out the rest of the blend. It comes in with 106 grams of residual sugar. This doesn't seem any more concentrated than, say, the producer's Offley, but it is certainly more focused—and probably riper. It's very ripe, particularly noticeable a couple of days later. Of the producer's offerings (including the Ferreira), it is clearly the most dramatic. As it ages, one of the things this will have to prove is that it can come into good balance. It also has its fair share of power, so it is not just about the fruit. It was tight and tense the next day as well. The mid-palate easily stands up to the astringency, though. This gorgeously constructed Porto is built for aging, and it is going to need some. I had a minor preference for the Ferreira, but this might win in the end, depending on how they evolve. Let's start here for the moment. This was tasted from a tank sample in a half bottle. There were 19,333 bottles produced.

A blend of 50% Touriga Franca, 40% Touriga Nacional, 5% Sousão and 5% 'other native varietals' from Quinta do Seixo and Quinta do Vau, both properties on the south side of the Douro in the Cima Corgo: very deep inky 'black' colour; demure and brooding on the nose, distinctly ripe, hot country fruit (kirsh) with a touch of liquorice and tar; big, ripe dark chocolate flavours, layered spicy depth, impresseively structured with ripe tannins giving plenty of grip and leading to a big, expressive finish. Perhaps lacking a little freshness but very, very good. A definite keeper. Drinking window 2033-2065