Porto Rocha Tasting Notes

PORTO ROCHA (Roe-sha)

“Portuguese houses consistently dominate the tastings of fine tawnies on which they built their reputations.” James Suckling, European Bureau Chief, Wine Spectator

stencil-web.jpgThe hand stenciled Rocha Port bottles express the traditional quality and nostalgic appeal long associated with the enjoyment of the finest ports.

WHITE, TAWNY& RUBY PORTS

  • Porto Rocha Lagrima White Port - So loved by the Portuguese as to be called “The Tears of Christ”, this wonderful, medium-sweet style has just begun to make an impact on the American palate. One taste and you’re hooked on its sweet citrus and lemon verbena finish balance by good acidity like an expensive sauternes. Oak-aged for 5 years, the wine is produced from a variety of white grapes, including Malvasia Fina. Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif with hot-spicy starters or with fruit salads and desserts such as Cr�me Brulee or Flan and cheeses.
  • Porto Rocha Extra Dry White Port - Almost flowery with a nutty edge, this exceptionally smooth drinking dry white port is a refreshing drink by itself served slightly chilled or as “Portonic”. Much more flavorful and exciting than a gin or vodka and tonic, Portonic is an exciting aperitif with half the alcohol of its counterparts. Simple pour over the rocks, adding only a splash of tonic, not to overpower the port flavor, and finish with a squeeze of lime
  • Porto Rocha Fine Tawny Port - A true tawny port, aged in casks to achieve a balance of still vibrant red fruit flavors enhanced by mellow dried fruits and nuts from aging.
  • Porto Rocha Fine Ruby Port - Rocha delivers a real crowd pleaser in this young ruby port showing bright plum and cherry fruit flavors.

TAWNY PORTS

Aged in wood casks until they are completely mature, tawny ports are a golden color with multi-dimensional layers of aromas and flavors. The domination of Vintage Ports in past years is now challenged by the advantages of tawnies, especially vintage Colheita tawnies for restaurants and retail consumers. Where vintage ports have immediate air shock upon opening the bottle in which they were aged and have a shelf life of only a few hours to a week; tawny ports have had air working on them through the cask during all the years of aging, giving them a open-life of a month or longer. Lighter and more delicate than vintage ports, the tawnies are immediately understandable and enjoyable to the novice port drinker and an ongoing pleasure to the experienced.

TAWNY PORTS WITH AN INDICATION OF AGE

  • Porto Rocha 10 Year Old Tawny - Blending cask-aged tawnies from 8 to 20 years of age, the Rocha 10 years old shows a very well-developed average of more than 10 years with macaroon, almond, caramel and orange zest flavors.

Porto Rocha 20 Year Old Tawny - At a blind tasting, 15 of the finest restaurants in Vail and Aspen chose Porto Rocha over all other 20 Year Olds. “The British 20 Year Olds, such as Taylor, are for the mass market — Porto Rocha is for the connoisseur! Rocha is significantly more developed in color, aroma, taste and finish.” says a top sommelier for one of Colorado’s finest restaurants.

  • Porto Rocha 40 Year Old Tawny - The ultimate tawny in a slightly drier style than the 20 Year Old.. A smooth blend of over a half-century of old tawnies, taking this style to the highest level. Bright amber color, medium sweet with a long, memorable finish.

SPECIAL BLENDS OF TAWNY PORTS

  • Porto Rocha The Glorious 50th Anniversary Tawny - “This tawny port delivers a complex core of flavor … with pralines, melted toffee, citrus peel & a lip-smacking, persistent aftertaste which is as welcome as a warm embrace. The blend includes Colheitas from 1937 and 1957, plus 30 and 10 Year Old Tawnies….seductively smooth with a harmonious, elegant presence on the palate that is dry in style. A unique tribute to those looking for the perfect celebratory drink. ” Roy Hersh 93 pts, For the Love of Port
  • Three Centuries of Porto Rocha - A rare blend of old tawnies spanning three centuries of port. Highly aromatic nose of alyssum and bergamot followed by flavors of brown sugar fudge, walnuts and dried fruit still vibrant over more than 100 years of cask aging. Blended from scarce vintages of the 19th and 20th Centuries, including the fabulous, rare 1900 Colheita. “a gracefully smooth and seductive mouth feel and a toasty, smoky, slight salty/nutty nuance with layers of coconut, hazelnut and mandarin orange provide profound complexity. The finish is what legends are made of. One of the most unique bottles of Port in that it is shaped like a sail, or as if someone cut the bottle in half lengthwise.” Roy Hersh 93 pts. For The Love of Port

COLHEITAS, VINTAGE-DATED TAWNY PORTS

  • Porto Rocha 1997 Colheita - This young Colheita has an absolutely fabulous ruby/tawny appeal with an aroma of sharp honey followed by flavors of vanilla, bright cherries, cardamom and allspice.
  • Porto Rocha 1995 Colheita - Delightful young, cask-aged vintage tawny with smooth drinking flavors of fig preserves, sweet citrus and hazelnuts.
  • Porto Rocha 1991 Colheita - Bright and lively, with a nose of burnt sugar coating on cr�me brulee and vanilla undertones. It shows flavors of flaming cherry desserts such as Cherry Jubilee sauce and finishes long and nutty.
  • Porto Rocha 1986 Colheita - Light topaz color with an ambrosial nose, wonderful aromatics and a long finish of orange zest, hazelnut, butterscotch and dried figs.
  • Porto Rocha 1984 Colheita - An inviting nose of fresh-baked macaroons entices one to taste the flavors of dried fruit, orange zest, and caramel, then sit back and relish the long nutty aftertaste.
  • Porto Rocha 1983 Colheita - This highly sought after cult year for vintage port connoisseurs has a fragrant penuche bouquet followed by rich flavors of dried fruit, orange marmalade, and butterscotch. The long aftertaste is distinct and memorable.
  • Porto Rocha 1982 Colheita - Imperial topaz glints of fire orange on amber are followed by a spicy floral nose with flavors of citrus and macaroons and a lingering finish of dried figs and orange peel.

  Porto Rocha 1977 Colheita - Special Library Release of the famous, 5-Star 1977. Macaroon, almond and cherry flavors along with a long, creamy, toasty finish. “The 1977 comes from one of the century’s best vintages, retaining much of the fruit and power of that vintage,” Richard Kinssies, Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Avail. 375ml or 750ml.

  • Porto Rocha 1976 Colheita - Carnelian, garnet color with a strawberry nose, dried fruit and nut flavors and a fine caramel finish.

  • Porto Rocha 1975 Colheita - A superb vintage year that developed well for both Vintage and Colheita ports. Macaroon, almond and cherry flavors along with a long, creamy, toasty finish.

  • Porto Rocha 1974 Colheita - Good aromatics leading to a fine butterscotch mid-palate with notes of honey and almonds that linger in the long after-taste.

  • Porto Rocha 1968 Colheita - Tangy notes of citrus and orange zest spice-up this drier style tawny that could be served as either an aperitif or a dessert Port.
  • Porto Rocha 1967 Colheita - A 40 YEAR OLD ANNIVERSARY PORT for 2007 with a wonderful blend of dried fig, apricot and citrus flavors enriched by cashews and almonds, ending in a memorable finish.
  • Porto Rocha 1966 Colheita - This stunning Colheita personifies elegance with rich amber color, vanilla & strawberry nose. From a 5-star year producing a rich, medium-sweet buttery tawny with elegant presentation and a long, long finish. As good or even better than the more famous ‘63. “ I’ve had this Colheita many times and always enjoyed the finish which is long lasting and quite impressive,” Roy Hersh 90 pts. , Wineloverspage.com
  • Porto Rocha 1965 Colheita - “Showing a light tawny color with a greenish tinge to the meniscus. Fine warm aromatics of marzipan, maple syrup and toasted nuts. I really liked the gracefully smooth softness of this Colheita which enveloped my entire palate and was lifted by the perfect dose of acidity. Highlighting walnuts rather than hazelnuts on the finish. Those celebrating their 40th birthday or anniversary will have a tough time finding anything better than this from 1965.” 92 points Roy Hersh, Vintage Port Site, Port Lovers Page.Com
  • Porto Rocha 1964 Colheita - Another surprise like the 1965, showing how good Colheitas can be in relatively obscure years between the 5-Star 1963 and 1966. Rich and complex, medium sweet burnt sugar with vanilla undertones and a long finish of dried fruit and nuts.
  • Porto Rocha 1957 Colheita - Ageing in cask from the middle of the last century, this Colheita has mouth-filling flavors of caramel, burnt honey and orange bergamot. It also gets a lot of play as a super choice for a big “baby-boomer” year celebratory port.
  • Porto Rocha 1952 Colheita - Not generally declared, but a very small yield considered to have better colheitas than vintage ports. Rich, dimensional flavors of hazelnut and dried fruits with a long, long finish.

COLHEITAS, VINTAGE-DATED TAWNY PORTS continued

  • Porto Rocha 1950 Colheita - From the exquisite imperial topaz color to the mouth-filling flavors of marzipan and roasted nuts. Rocha provides a mid-century Colheita of pure elegance with silky texture and wonderful length.
  • Porto Rocha 1941 Colheita - One of those very rare War-Year ports which has been used by veterans to honor the memory of Pearl Harbor. Dried figs, pralines, hazelnut flavors harmonize beautifully with a good acid balance, leading to an exotic, long finish with just a touch of Seville oranges.
  • Porto Rocha 1938 Colheita - Deep amber color with olive tones from long ageing lead to a truly decadent mouthful of dried fruits and nuts balanced by orange zest.
  • Porto Rocha 1937 Colheita - CELEBRATE 70 YEARS with one of the most aromatic ports ever produced — filling the room with its vibrant aroma immediately upon opening. An exceptionally rich Colheita with lingering hazelnut and smoky caramel flavors. “Never had a finer port,” Willi’s Wine Bar, Paris, France. “Locally, Porto Rocha has the corner on colheitas, offering ports as venerable as 1937, which is a stunner and worth every penny.” Richard Kinssies, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

VINTAGE/RUBY PORTS

Vintage or “bottle-aged” ports must receive approval of the Port Wine Institute to declare a vintage of recognized quality. Then, the entire vintage must be bottled between the second and third year. Since it improves in the bottle, it maintains its red color and red fruit flavors. It often takes 10 or more years to smooth the tannins and develop to its full potential, although, today, many consumers forego the complexities of ageing to enjoy the youthful robustness of the port in its younger years when it is still opaque and jammy.

  • Porto Rocha Special Reserve (vintage character) - Smooth drinking, full-bodied, filtered red port with ripe fruit flavors blended from the best qualities of several vintages, ready for drinking now.

  • Porto Rocha 2000 Late Bottled Vintage - Aged 4 to 6 years in cask, this “preview” of the Vintage Port, provides a smooth drinking, full-bodied, filtered port with exciting ripe fruit flavors of plum, black cherry and a touch of pepper.
  • Porto Rocha 1985 Vintage - “Beautifully focused cherry, nutmeg and exotic spice aromas and flavors carry through to the long, finely balanced finish, offering just the right hint of toast and spirits. A wine with elegance and grip that should age nicely through at last 2010. 88 pts, The Wine Spectator
  • Porto Rocha 1991 Vintage - Developing into a wonderfully aged vintage with layers upon layers of harmonious flavors, the 1991 still has a solid spectrum of deep plummy fruit with plenty of black cherries and a long, lingering finish.
  • Porto Rocha 1997 Vintage - “A silky sweet young Port. Medium bodied with berry and cherry character, good sweetness and a fine finish”, 89 pts, The Wine Spectator Fragrant bouquet of mint and spices followed by a very smooth taste of black cherry on the palate, overlaying sweet fruit. Medium full with a long, lively finish. Drinks superbly now and will continue to round out over 10-15 years.
  • Porto Rocha 2000 Vintage - “Good full ruby. Aromas of dark fruits, spiced meat, minerals & licorice, with floral & earthy notes. Not fleshy but juicy & lively, with good balance & cut. Spreads out horizontally on the finish with fine tannins coating the palate.” 89 pts International Wine Cellar, Stephen Tanzer “This monolithic, dense ruby/purple colored port offers notes of roasted meat, licorice, new saddle leather, espresso, camphor and black fruits. Medium to full bodied and rich with firm tannins in the finish, it will be at its finest between 2007-2020.” 88+ pts The Wine Advocate, Parker. “Try the 2000 Rocha with aromas of cr�me de cassis, dark chocolate, and bing cherries. Full bodied, with uplifting acidity and plush tannins, this port exhibits flavors of chocolate covered cherries, caramel and cashew nuts. It is long and fresh on the finish. 2000 Rocha is a great sipping wine or delicious with a chocolate dessert.” Rover’s Bonjour Gourmand E-Newsletter October 2005
  • Porto Rocha 2003 Vintage - “Revealing clean and fresh floral violets and lilac bouquet. The Rocha opened up quickly and is extremely approachable and enjoyable right now with medium weight, very sweet plum and grenadine juice. The tannins are moderate and show up on the long tasty finish that projects slight youthful heat. Best young Rocha vintage port I’ve tasted.” 6,000 cases produced. 92 pts, For the Love of Port.com, Roy Hersh