2009 Quinta do Vesuvio
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Tasting notes
This shows plenty of structure with licorice, blackberries, walnut and light custard. It’s medium- to full-bodied, medium sweet with a chewy finish. Drinkable, but will improve with age.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port, based on 40% Touriga Naçional, has an expressive bouquet with raspberry preserve and stem ginger. Liquorice and a touch of fennel show a little more cohesion compared with the 2009 Senhora da Ribeira. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, a tang of black pepper on the entry, liquorice, black plum, marmalade and a liberal dose of stem ginger. This boasts commendable depth and persistence and will continue to drink well for another decade.
Deep ruby. Hypnotic perfume of black fruits, minerals, botanical herbs and earth. Suave, seamless and sharply focused, with concentrated dark fruit flavors complicated and lifted by subtle floral, incense, saline and mineral qualities. Not a powerhouse but wonderfully pliant and aromatic. Finishes with compelling sweetness, harmonious tannins and superb lingering perfume of black cherry and flowers. (A second bottle was a bit more chocolatey and youthfully aggressive, but showed a remarkably three-dimensional texture, meriting 93 points.)