Warre's Vintage Port, Portugal 2000
Price $65
Rating 93
"It was ideal weather during the vintage, cool nights followed by hot days," explains Johnny Symington, "and this is the most feminine style of our family's ports. Each house style is driven by the historical vineyards associated with each label (i.e. Dow's, Graham's, Smith-Woodhouse, as examples) and the Warre's possesses red forest fruit flavors."

Visualize aromas like a fresh, vibrant raspberry chew-type candy,with notes of subtle cashew. There are flavors of sharp, almost sour red fruit like cherry and raspberry, along with zesty black pepper and interesting complexity of pomegranate.

Dows Vintage Port, Portugal 2000
Price $72
Rating 95
"Note the intense color, dark almost blue," observes member of the owning family, Johnny Symington, "there is less floral in the aromas. The Dow style is traditionally more austere. On the palate, there is rich fruit with colossal, tannic, structure, almost punching you in the mouth, finishing off with pepper. There is a huge potential for development in the bottle. It has the backbone of a dinosaur."

"One of the difficulties with port, unlike with dry wines is that there is a very short fermentation process," counters Symington, "limited to about 36 hours, a challenge to extracting color. This is why treading (stomping) had been used over the centuries to insure that enough color was extracted."

"Since the 60's it has been difficult to find enough labor," interjects senior family member Peter Symington,"but then we introduced tank fermentation, using the by-product of CO2 to help extract the color. In the 90's, the family developed a robotic version of the foot treading."

Imagine aromas of raspberry nougat with cashew and currant. There are flavors of a complex mixture of various roasted nuts, dried fruit, fresh red fruits and rich dark chocolate, the taste being powerful, long, complex. "This declaration is historic because it marks the end of the 20th century and it is a first declaration since Dow celebrated its bicentennial," observes Peter Symington,

Graham's Vintage Port, Portugal 2000
Price $80
Rating 95
"Quinta dos Malvedos is the principal part of the vintage year Graham blend," admits Peter Symington, "more elegant than the Dow, more floral than Dow's typical violet aroma. It is a mouthful of rich, brambly fruit. It is the most sweet of all the vintage ports that we make."

Sniff the aromas of roasted macadamian nut, cashews and reserved, elegant fruit. There are flavors of black pepper and intense plum/prune, rounded out with vibrant spice and various dried floral notes. There is a nice spectrum of rich dark chocolate, raisins, and roasted nuts in the long, complex finish.

"The 2000's are robust, bramble-like with intense floral" adds Peter Symington.

Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port, Portugal 2000
Price $50
Rating 93
"Port should not be a wine surrounded by mystique," pleads Dominic Symington,"though vintage port is finite. We cannot grow our production. We have to allocate and ration. If we are to maintain the quality, we can't make any more of it."

Observe aromas of bramble, dried herbs, and likewise in the sip again are dried herbs and wild-like red fruit. There is raisin, caramel, and nonetheless it is less sweet in the mouth than others. "Dried peach, dried apricot, and marzipan on the finish. It has slightly higher acidity adding the pleasantness of the finish. This wine comes from the driest vineyard growing area in Portugal with extremely low yields. It is chewy, nutty, and complex," proclaims family member Rupert Symington.

Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port, Portugal 2000
Price $70
Rating 95
The first sniff reveals aromas of dried fruit, nuts and deep dark chocolate. There are intense flavors of dried plum, black pepper, dried currants, raisins, dark cocoa powder, with a dramatic, expansive length. Add to the equation candied orange and bright spice notes like cinnamon.

The Quinta do Vesuvio is one of the few estates in Duoro where the entire production is made in traditional granite lagares. In 2000, a team of 50 workers stomped the lagares. When one feels down-trodden, then sip a wine that has been trodden by a hundred or so feet and quickly feel better.

"There is a dusty feel in the mouth from the tannins," observes family member peter Symington.

Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
Price $100
Rating 95
Unusual spice, almost medicinal, are within the driven nose, with dark berry extract. There are flavors of fruit and nut toffee, rich dark chocolate and jammy, austere raspberry and red fruit, mint, and black pepper. This is a wine that needs years to show its potential.

The Quinta do Vesuvio is one of the few estates in Duoro where the entire production is made in traditional granite lagares. In 2000, a team of 50 workers stomped the lagares. When one feels down-trodden, then sip a wine that has been trodden by a hundred or so feet and quickly feel better.

Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port, Portugal 1977
Price $100
Rating 97
"Tasting now, this has lost some of the purpleness and intense fruit," notes Dominic Symington, "the Smith Woodhouse is an exception, probably due to its high acidity. The nose is of dried oregano and bouquet-garni, typical of the 1977 vintage, without the aggressive, rough fruit and tannin. Though it will age for many decades, it is entering one of its best phases."

Visualize lean, complex currant, dried apricot, and exotic orange peel as one examines this stellar wine.

Though the Fonseca 1997 Vintage Port has received perfect 100 scores in some publications, later blind tastings of all 1977 declared ports before top professionals have revealed the lesser understood Smith-Woodhouse as the new winner.

Graham's Vintage Port, Portugal 1955
Price $450
Rating 96
"Mature port starts to offer an aroma of fresh mint. It is amazing that after almost 50 years, there is still fresh mint in this wine," observes senior family member Peter Symington, "and the next predictable stage will be caramel."

There are fresh aromas of herb along with the alluded to mint. A complex spectrum of orange citrus, floral, roasted peanut and strong, dark chocolate. This is a chance to drink history, should the opportunity arise.

Dow's Vintage Port, Portugal 1945
Price unknown/don't ask
Rating 95
"Produced in the victory year of World War II, this has been called the victory port," explains family member Johnny Symington, "and in that important year, twenty-two port firms declared with the only exception being Cockburn's. There is a good redness in the middle, the fruit is soft and light with raisin, and there is a fig-like nose."

A sniff reveals delicate aromas of dried fruit, caramel and roasted nuts. There are flavors of austere dried fruit, anise, dried mulberry, so-called Boston baked beans with toffeed nut nuances. The color is more tawny, maybe like a rose wine with some age.

Warre's Vintage Port, Portugal 1900
Price impossible to find
Rating 93
The nose has some curious aromas of burnt match and flint with other aromas that are not unlike that of a splash of bitters. There are austere flavors of roasted nuts, Brazil nuts and cashews, toasted almond, hints of menthol melded with the dried raspberry remnants of fruit. There is good length with a splash of vigorous spice at the end. The flavors are of medicinal fruit with syrup hints.