Hard to Port for the Holidays

The thought behind vintage character Port is to try and offer the same fruitiness and richness of a relatively young vintage Port while blending away its fiery edges. Like its LBV cousin, vintage character is ready to drink the day it is bottled but will keep, once opened, for weeks.

A vintage character Port is normally aged in barrel for about five years although some, such as Wine Spectator pundit James Suckling, say "it is really nothing more than a glorified ruby Port."

As its name implies, late-bottled vintage Port is a single-vintage wine that is bottled later than other Port types. An LBV begins life in a wooden barrel and undergoes the same production process as Vintage Port until the two-year mark, when the two wine styles part company.

At that point, vintage Port it is removed from its wooden habitat and bottled, and then ages further in the bottle, possibly for decades. The LBV remains in wood for another two to four years. The extra time tends to mellow its spirity, fruit flavours and promote a mature, less fiery Port.

The LBV rationale is to offer drinkers some of the complexity of vintage Port at half the price, and you need not wait two decades for it to mature. There are other advantages too: it keeps much longer once opened (because the wine is already used to contact with the air) and it's easier to serve, since it needs virtually no decanting; the sediment has been removed during its time in the cask.

Most LBVs are filtered and sold as ready-to-drink Ports but some unfiltered gems can take on vintage Port proportions, which is why they are capable of aging in the bottle and throwing a deposit.

Today we look at two vintage character Ports, three LBVs and a fortified tawny alternative from Australia that is turning heads.

The grapes for Dow's Late Bottle Vintage Port 1996 come from some of the same vineyards used to produce its Vintage Port. The wine is aged in oak casks for four to six years before it's bottled. The style of Dow's Ports is more structured and less sweet than most other houses and you detect it immediately on the palate. Drier, firmer and with fine acidity, it offers the palate a delicious mix of dark fruit flavours and spirit. A real wine drinker's LBV.

Cockburn's Anno Late Bottled Vintage Porto 1996 originates in the estate vineyards in the Upper Douro and from selected regional growers. The wine is a traditional blend of touriga nacional, tinta barroca, tinta roriz, touriga francesa and tinto cão. It is all aged five years in 10-year-old, 600-litre barrels. The 1996 Anno has a fresh spicy raisin/plum fruit nose with a fine balance between sweetness, acidity and alcohol. Ready to drink.

Warre's Warrior Special Reserve is the oldest mark of Port, having been shipped out of Villa Nova de Gaia continuously since the 1750s. The style has changed little over time. It's aged in seasoned oak casks for four to five years before being drawn off and bottled following a light filtration. Warrior Special Reserve is ready for immediate drinking and, like the Graham's Six Grapes, does not require any decanting or aging. Look for dark, intense fruit and a strong chocolate/mocha flavour. Not as sweet as the Warrior and not as dry as the Dow. A pleasing fireside sipper -- break out the toasted walnuts.

Graham Six Grapes Reserve Port derives its moniker from the Graham emblem that exhibits six grapes -- the highest-quality designation, used to classify the company's best lots of wine. The Port is an unfiltered reserve produced from grapes primarily grown at Graham's Malvedos Vineyards. It's meant to be modern in style -- as in fresh and fruity and ready to drink -- but over the years the wine has gained grip and weight and is considered to be less ruby Port and more late-bottled. It is noticeably sweet, which is the Graham style, but the taste is mellow and full of soft plummy fruit. It's a fine youthful Port that you can sip now. The winery recommends you serve it with chocolate cake or a rich cheese.

The Barros Late Bottle Vintage Port 1997 is more reserved in style and definitely less flashy in the mouth. Look for a sweet black-licorice nose and a super silky texture. Earthy chocolate notes mark the flavour profile of this mellow, fireside sipper. A fine introduction to late bottle vintage Port.

The ringer in the bunch is the Hardys Whiskers Blake Tawny Port. Whiskers was named after a "roguish" man whose job it was to scare the birds from the vineyard with a large-bore shotgun at the turn of the 20th century. It's a good example of the more oxidative, tawny style with its lightish mahogany colour, crème brûlée nose and caramel, rancio, nutty flavours. Soft, creamy and slightly sweet it is an elegant sipping tawny that should be a hit over the holidays.

WEEKEND WINE TASTING: LATE BOTTLE VINTAGE PORT

Wine: Dow's LBV Port 1996
Price: $23.99
UPC: 501086720015
Score: 17/20
Comments: A delicious mix of dark fruit flavours and spirit. style.

Wine: Cockburn's Anno LBV Porto 1996
Price: $22.95
UPC: 501027802609
Score: 16.5/20
Comments: Fresh spicy raisin/plum fruit flavours with a fine balance.

Wine: Warre's Warrior Special Reserve
Price: $19.99 or $11.99 (375 ml)
UPC: 501086710033
Score: 17/20
Comments: Dark fruit flavours streaked with chocolate/mocha flavours.

Wine: Graham Six Grapes Reserve Port
Price: $25.99 or $13.99 (375 ml)
UPC: 0108674004
Score: 16.5/20
Comments: Mellow and packed with soft plummy fruit.

Wine: Barros Late Bottle Vintage Port 1997
Price: $27.99
UPC: 560119410196
Score: 16/20
Comments: Sweet black-licorice nose and a silky chocolate flavour.

Wine: Hardys Whiskers Blake Tawny Port N/V
Price: 23.99
UPC: 08143405520
Score: 16/20
Comments: Crème brûlée nose with caramel, rancio, nutty flavours