Vintage Port Nacional

Dense and dark, with a burly edge as walnut husk, singed alder and warm earth accents peek out from a core of steeped black currant and blackberry reduction flavors. The finish leans to the frankly dry side, with espresso crema, licorice root, bay leaf, baker's chocolate and menthol accents adding to the impressive range and detail. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2065. 160 cases made, 10 cases imported.

Richly layered and nicely rendered, this offers a mouthwatering ganache note that coats a core of blackberry and plum compote flavors while still keeping a sense of underlying energy. There's a prominent backdrop of warm earth, licorice root and roasted alder notes as well, giving this a fairly dry cut through the very structured finish. Impressive for the vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2060. 150 cases made, 10 cases imported.

A bird of a different feather, this shows remarkable purity for the vintage, along with a rippling tension that sets it completely apart. Delivers a mix of cassis, plum sauce and açaí berry compote on the fruit side, along with bramble, salted licorice, cast iron and bittersweet chocolate notes filling in throughout. Massively structured, too, and there's even a flash of violet at the very end -- which takes a while to get to. A special wine. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2070. 119 cases made.