Tried these dessert wines over the last week:
1.
Ch.Sigalas-Rabaud AC: Sauternes (MeBaC; 13%) Heritiers de la Marquise de Lambert des Granges
Nee Sigalas) Bommes 1983: Dark gold/burnished bronze color; rather nutty/slight oxidized strong
peachy/apricotty/botrytis slight volatile/EA complex nose; slightly sweet (5%?) bit oxidative/nutty
very strong botrytis/peachy/apricotty/honeyed slightly hot/volatile complex flavor; very long strong
botrytis/peachy/apricotty bit nutty/oxidized off-dry complex finish; still loaded w/ botrytis but
some oxidation is creeping in; expected a bit better for an '83. $23.69
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2.
Evolucio LateHrvst Tokaji (11.5%; RS: 10.7%; SaH: 27 Brix; www.BoutiqueWines.info) Hungary
2012: Light gold color; strong peachy/apricotty/slight botrytis rather passito-like/late hrvsty/
grapey light stony/earthy very fragrant/perfumed attractive nose; rather tart slightly sweet rather
strong ripe/peachy/grapey slight botrytis/apricotty bit earthy flavor; very long ripe/grapey/peachy/
late hrvsty/passito-like bit earthy finish; lots of LateHrvst/passito-like character but not much
Tokaji/Aszu/botrytis character; a pleasant enough LH Furmint but just that. $15.00/hlf (KK)
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3.
Santino DouroPort TwinRiversRanch/ElDoradoCnty/ShenandoahVlly (LosAlamosRelease; 17.5%; TintaCao/
Alvarho/Sauzao; Pressed: 14 Brix; Fortified w/ 186 proof grape brandy from EastSideWnry/Lodi; 375 cs;
Bttld: Fall 1992) ScottHarvey&MikeMaldanado/Plymouth 1989: Very dark color w/ some bricking; some
alcoholic/fumey very strong grapey/licorice/chocolaty/Amador blackberry/boysenberry/briary bit dusty
quite youthful youngPort lovely nose; fairly sweet ripe/chocolaty/licorice/briary/boysenberry/
blackberry slight dusty/herbal bit complex flavor w/ ripe/smooth tannins; very long/lingering ripe/
chocolaty/boysenberry/blackberry/Amador briary/plummy lush/smooth/grapey rather sweet bit complex
finish w/ some ripe/smooth tannins; amazingly youthful and packed w/ Amador/briary fruit; showing no
signs of its age; alcohol only slightly evident; should go another 10-15 yrs. $nc(JF)/$5.00
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4.
HarborWnry Mission del Sol (17.1%) 1984: Dark brown/oloroso sherry color; rather alcoholic/hot
very grapey/earthy/dusty/OV rather oloroso sherry/malmsey madeira some coffee/espresso/smokey rather vanilla/
Am.oak complex nose; quite sweet rather tart/alcoholic/hot very grapey/Mission/dusty/OV strong vanilla/Am.oak/
coffee/espresso very old Malmsey Madeira-like complex flavor; very long/lingering coffee/espresso/vanilla/
Am.oak quite sweet/tart some alcoholic/hot complex finish; resembles an old Malmsey Madeira but still a very
unique dessert wine.
$30.00 (CB)
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5.
Porto Ducal Vintage Port (21%) DouroWineShippers & Growers/VilaNova de Gaia 1980: Pale tawney brown
color; some hot/alcoholic/fumey some cedary/oldPort/grapey/smokey somewhat complex nose; slightly sweet
rather raw/hot/alcoholic somewhat grapey/cedary/smokey complex oldTawney flavor w/ light gentle tannins;
med.long rather alcoholic/hot/fumey/raw some smokey/cedary/grapey/caramel oldTawney finish w/ little tannins;
not particularly a good example of an old Porto and dominated by a raw alcohol character. $5.00 (TJ)
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6.
Phelps Delices du Semillon NapaVlly (85% Semillon/15% SauvBlanc; RS: 10.1%) 1986: Med.dark brown
color; intense botrytis/peach syrup/apricotty slight volatile/pickle juice slight PX/oxidized very complex
nose; rather sweet very strong apricotty/peach syrup/botrytis bit oxidized/PX-like slight volatile/pickle
juice bit fumey flavor; very long intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty slight oxidative/PX-like slight
pickle juice/volatile rather complex finish; more like an old Calif TBA than an old Sauternes; some very
interesting things therein, but seems to be cracking up a bit.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Santino: In Spring'92, Scott showed me a SantinoPort from a large oak oval that I liked quite a lot.
I queried him as to when he was going to btl it & he shrugged his shoulders. He said he btl some up
for us if my group wanted some...and give us a good price. I sent me several cases of shiners & I
made up a LosAlamos release label w/ a mushroom cloud on it. I think we wound up getting another
5 cs or so of this.
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2. Mission del Sol: This is CharlieMyers next-to-last Mission del Sol. Made from century-old Mission in the
GeneStoryVnyd. His last one, the '86, that was recently bttld is described by DarrellCorti in his Fall
Newsletter:
http://cortibrothers.com/blogs/news/153 ... newsletter I have, of course, followed Charlie's MdS from the very start, the '76 I believe from Deaver Mission
grapes. I recall previous ones as being rather more softer on the palate & more grapey. This '84 has a
sharp tanginess to it that reminds me more of a well-aged Malmsey Madeira than anything. A truly unique
dessert wine like we'll never see again.
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3. PortoDucal: Back in the '70's-'80's, TraderJoe's typically had some very inexpensive vintage Portos, of
unknown quintas. When young, they tasted pretty good for a young vintage Porto. Although this had some old
vintage Porto character, I didn't think it was a particularly good example of what an old vintage Porto
can be. Guess you can't make a silk purse outta a sow's ear, after all.
Tom