Port and Douro Wine Tasting 2004 -
Cockburn's and Quinta de Ventozelo

Cockburn's
Cockburn's is a traditional porthouse founded in 1815. Robert Cockburn came from Scotland to create this winery. His family symbol, a cockered on a coronet, is still found on every bottle.

Cockburn's 10 yr tawny, $30
Tawnies are the long-aged, blended versions of port. This was bright and fruity, with a fresh finish. The rep pointed out that Cockburn's does not make a 30 or 40 yr tawny, just a 10 and 20. So these tawnies do include their best grapes.

Cockburn's Special Reserve, $16
"Special Reserve" is not a legislated term, so this is really a typical ruby port. It has gentle tannins and a bright, juicy flavor.

Cockburn's 2000 Vintage Port, $65
A vintage port means all grapes from a given year are gathered and made into a ruby port fortified wine. Only certain years can be declared a vintage year - they must produce exceptional grapes and be agreed on by the ruling body in Portugal. This one has a dark, inky color that is very rich. It was dusty and nutty, with a hint of dark fruit. Definitely not sweet, like the tawnies.

Cockburn's 1997 Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), $20
A LBV is a port made in the vintage style but deliberately made so it doesn't need aging and doesn't leave a sediment. It was pre-aged for you by the port maker. This has a lighter color than the 2000 vintage port, and a resh, berry flavor with caramel hints. Well balanced between acids and tannins, with a juicy, nice finish.

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Quinta de Ventozelo
A "quinta" in the world of port is a "house", just like a Chateau is a given winery in France. The Quinta de Ventozelo is not only making traditional ports, but also "table red" wines out of those same port grape varieties. Salvatore Evangelista did the pouring, as I tried the two regular red wines first.

Cister da Ribeira 2000 Douro Red, $10
You might consider this a light Rioja style wine, with a spicy, fresh flavor that is not overly heavy or tannic. Nice with fresh pasta in red sauce or a well spiced chicken dish. The wine is aged 3 months in oak to give it a medium body. This is a new release, just becoming available to wine drinkers.

Quinta de Ventozelo 2000 Douro Red, $15
This is more tannic than the previous Douro red, coming from older vines with a stronger concentration of flavor. This one was also aged for 12 months in oak barriques and gets a richer flavor from that aging. This would do well with game or steak dishes, and has that heftier mouth feel.

Now it was time to move on to the ports produced by Quinta de Ventozelo.

Quinta de Ventozelo Reserva Ruby, $16
As before, "Reserva" is not a legislated term in Portugal, it's just a word put on the label by the winemaker. This is your typical basic ruby port, not from a specific vintage. It was fresh and bright with hints of cherry, and a short finish.

Quinta de Ventozelo 1998 Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), $25
A dusty red-brown color helps show that this isn't a tawny :) Its flavor is sharp and bright, with a mouth tingling berry flavor, hints of raspberry. You don't find the nutty / caramel tawny flavors in this. It has a medium body and nice finish.

Quinta de Ventozelo 2000 Vintage Port, $60
Ruby port grapes from a single, declared year. You get a tongue drying but not heavy tannin tasting wine with fresh berry and raspberry flavors. The mouthfeel is not heavy either, it's medium light with a gentle finish.

Quinta de Ventozelo 10 year Tawny, $32
Year-designated tawnies are blends of vintages to come up with an average of 10 years of age. The color is golden brown, a sign of the oxidation that happens in the small barrels. The flavors are caramel and nutty, with a nice finish.

Next, Churchill's and Quinta do Infantado
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