Quinta de la Rosa Vintage Port, Douro, Portugal

羅莎年份波特酒

點擊次數(shù)：7427

The 2020 Vintage Port, a typical field blend, spent 24 months in used tonels before bottling in August 2022 with 108 grams per liter of residual sugar. There's a touch of cistus up front followed by a rather elegantly crafted mid-palate. There is reasonable depth and more finesse than most 2020s show. A couple of hours in a glass allows it to flesh out and become more expressive in terms of its fruit too. The juicy finish with lots of black fruit nuances is quite delicious, and it has the structure to age reasonably as well. This looks like a winner, but it is certainly in need of some developmental time. The tannins are not too hard, so that will make some think it is fine to dive in early. That would be a mistake. It held well over several days, but it still didn't fully open up. This looks promising, but try to give it some time. It does need to answer some questions in the cellar. In particular, as it aired out over several days, it became a bit more alcoholic.

The 2017 Vintage Port was bottled a few weeks before tasting after spending 18 months in used tonels. It is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, coming in with 98 grams per liter of residual sugar. Wonderfully aromatic and filled with flavor, this got plenty of aeration and didn't blink even a little. It was still vibrant and expressive. Aeration only made it more tannic. It is also delicious. This is potentially a great Port, and it seems like the best I've seen from La Rosa. This is sort of approachable in the near future, but it really needs (at least) a decade of cellaring. It has a lot of muscle and should age well.

The 2016 Vintage Port was bottled in August 2018 after spending 18 months in wood. Mostly Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, it comes in at 103 grams per liter of residual sugar. Rather nicely concentrated in terms of fruit flavor, this beautifully balanced Porto also has moderately ripe tannins, velvet for texture and a persistent finish. It coats the palate and delivers intense flavor on that finish, while the fruit is always lifted. Then, the tannins take over as the fruit recedes. Several days later, it was still drinking beautifully and it was surprisingly persistent, concluding with controlled tannic pop. The tannins may be ripe, but there are plenty of them. It took several days to open up again and become expressive again. There's plenty here to like, beginning with its enticing freshness and ending with the fact that it is delicious.

The 2015 Vintage Port was not quite bottled when seen, but it was the final blend and it is a declared vintage for La Rosa. It is a field blend from old vines, with 102 grams per liter of residual sugar. This has lovely fruit—it's succulent and delicious—but the concentration and structure are not as impressive. Open for a day or so in various ways before tasting, this still does well by showing off that 2015 flavor profile I've come to love—exuberant intensity of fruit but always lifted, fresh and nicely defined. There is nothing sloppy here. There is reasonable power and just enough depth. It won't, perhaps, be a great Porto, but the price is nice and it won't disappoint. This will be early maturing in all likelihood. Then, it should easily last for a few decades from the vintage date. Of course, it tastes so good now, you might give it a try. Don't feel too guilty.

The 2014 Vintage Port is a field blend, with 105 grams per liter of residual sugar. In a rather weak year, this has many virtues, but it isn't really a competitor to serious Vintage Ports, either. It is closer to a well-done, traditional LBV in some ways, lacking the pure power and concentration of a top VP. La Rosa's own LBV is a more competitive wine this issue, at least in and relative to its category, than this is in the VP category. That's not always a bad thing, though. This tastes great, even if it lacks something in mid-palate concentration and the structure is just average. Holding the bottle uncorked for two hours was enough to make this drink very well, even as a young Port. It does fill the mouth respectably, however, and did I mention that the fruit is pretty tasty? Okay, I lied. It's downright irresistible just now. This will be approachable young, and it won't be the best ager, I suspect. If you don't care about vin de garde issues and complexity to come in 25 years, you won't be disappointed. For the moment, I have to lean up on this sexy Port, granting some obvious limitations.