This evening we made a batch of shortbread cookies, and opened a bottle of R.L. Buller and Son's Victoria Tawny Port.
This is my first experience with something other than regular wine, this is my first glass of port ever.
We picked it up at Sam's Club believe it or not for the very nice price of $18.48 a bottle. We bought the one, not knowing exactly what we were getting into. We ourselves bottled a 15 bottle batch of Chocolate Raspberry Port that we got in kit form not but a week or so ago, and wanted to get an idea of what to expect.
Upon opening the bottle, which was remarkably simple, and a little too easy, out came this miraculous odor of fruit and pecans. At least that's what my nose told me outside of the normal wine smells. Poured a half glass for myself and my wife. The color was a deep deep maroon, almost brick red, with a hint of yellow as you got to the edges. What I found interesting about the consistency, was that the wine clings to the glass, unlike conventional wines. In a word, it seemed almost syrupy like an ice wine.
Took my first sip after looking at the color, and I have to say I was incredibly surprised at how sweet it was. It had this maple-pecan flavor, mixed with a hint of fruit. You can definitely smell the alcohol content in this, but the major difference between this and other wine, is that I really couldn't discern the amount of alcohol in the wine itself.
Not for about 20 minutes or so after. That's when the warm feeling hits you, and your face flushes.
This particular bottle has no vintage on it, no bottle date. It barely has any kind of warnings on it at all, save for the obligatory Surgeon General's warning that is just a formality. I wish I knew more about the processes of how Port is actually made, and why it is so strikingly different than conventional wines. I guess I'll be spending some time on Wikipedia looking things up.
This is definitely a dessert wine. This is not a table wine. This is a wine that you serve with cheeses, crackers, and perhaps something like dark chocolates. I wouldn't pair this with something like Cheesecake, for fear of a diabetic coma being the end result. The alcohol content is pretty remarkable after 20 minutes as I have to say that as a rather robust land mammal, I am having second thoughts of leaving my seat.
It sports an 18% alcohol content, but I am willing to bet that is merely a suggestion of what could be in there as opposed to what actually is in there. The warning label should read something like this.
"Rivals Benadryl, and 2 tree curare' in knock down power, do not make any plans to go anywhere."
My normally happy and talkative wife, who would be normally correcting me on my writing, is silent. Perhaps this is a better wine than I thought. All kidding aside, and with all seriousness, unless your normal BAC is 2.0 do NOT drive.
On my trusty one to 5 scale, I give it a solid 5. The labeling is great, except for a lack of information. The bottle shape reminds me of something old world, another plus. The wine itself is pretty amazing. Color, Clarity, Aroma, Taste and finish are all truly exemplary. I think the finish is what surprised me the most actually because other wines feel sticky when you finish drinking it. This one did not.
I would recommend this wine for special occasions, and or entertaining guests. I'm thinking that I might be picking up a few more bottles for the cellar eventually. Once the haze of alcohol eventually fades. Seriously, it is a wonderful wine.
