| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port, guided by winemaker James Godfrey (17/11/04). Colour - like black coffee, with a tight olive green tinged rim. It is viscous, coating the inside of the glass with a olive brown film. Nose: complex, sweet, toffee, chrismas pudding, vanillin oak with a high degree of alcoholic lift. On the palate: sweeter than the others, rich dark chocolate, lifted dried fruits, prunes, vanilla, and cedary oak. Noticeably high level of alcohol, which intensifies and lifts the wine flavours. Superbly smooth and textured, it literally purrs down one's throat. Can't wait to purchase a bottle of this when it is released next year (2005).
Note: Unlike most tawny ports which consists of many components from different vintages, the 100 Y.O. Para Liqueur Port is a single vintage tawny port.
This is actually the last wine tasted at that session. The 1905 has not been commercially released yet, as it has to be 100 years old before it can be released under the "100 Year Old" label. We were privileged to taste it, and the winemaker even invited us to give him some feedback and our impressions of the wine!
Note also that there have been previous releases of Seppelt Para Liqueur Port of vintages less old than 100 years. James Godfrey mentioned that some 2000 litres of wine each vintage is set aside to make the 100 Year Old Para Liqueur port. Of these, only about 500 litres will finally make it to the 100 years. This is equivalent to about 400 standard (750 ml) bottles per vintage.
Most of the 2000 litres are lost through evaporation (some are released early, I think, as their normal vintaged para liqueur port), and about 30 litres are left behind in the barrel as lees (sediment). So, once stocks of a given vintage are gone, they're gone for good (the 1878 and 1900 have sold out).
Interestingly, the wines are stored in oak right up until the moment they are bought! Then, and only then, is the wine bottled and sent to the buyer. So an 1879 bought on release would have 25 years less oak ageing than an 1879 bought today, and they would, according to the winemaker, taste quite different! |
