FERREIRA 2015 LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 750ML

WINE ADVOCATE 91 POINTS The 2015 Late Bottled Vintage Port is a blend of 45% Touriga Franca, 32% Touriga Nacional, 15% Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca for the rest, aged for four years in old Portuguese wooden vats. It comes in unfiltered, with 98 grams per liter of residual sugar and a long cork. Elegant and pointed, this well-structured LBV has plenty of grip and flavor on the finish. The aromatics might be its best feature, though, with a touch of eucalyptus. It's the best of Sogrape's trio of LBVs in that regard this issue (also, Sandeman and Offley). Very fine and structured to age, this graceful but pointed LBV should develop better expression of fruit in a few years. As a traditional and well-made LBV, it will age well.

This property is owned by Sogrape, which (unusually) did not declare a classic 2017 Vintage Port here or at its other properties. What they did produce, however, is very fine. Why in the world wouldn't you declare something this good in a vintage this great? The answer: The vintage style did not meet the house style. This explanation left me a little cold and confused, frankly. If you're making vintage-dated wines, they are supposed to reflect the vintage. It's the key point of vintage wines. Aside from that rant, these were all pretty terrific—and fully the equal of many fine and declared Vintage Ports. Don't overlook them. Mark Squires. Published: Jul 11, 2019