The 2017 Vintage Port is a blend of 70% Touriga Nacional (a big increase this year), 15% Touriga Franca, 10% Sous?o and the rest a field blend from old vines. It comes in with 94 grams per liter of residual sugar. It was aged for only six months in very old (50+ years) Portuguese vats (balseiros) and then in cement tanks. When first seen, this was a tank sample in Porto. It's now bottled and in the USA. This seems rounder and less invigorating than the winery's Ervamoira this issue, but some may prefer the lesser personality here—relatively speaking. What you get in return is intense fruit flavors, leaning to blue fruits, the just-crushed essence of the fruit. It coats the palate and is simply delicious. The structure is not as stunning, but there certainly is some, even though this is rather approachable. That said, with a couple of days open, this developed beautifully—and better than the Ervamoira. Maybe they'll flip places again, but right now, this is better. With time, this acquired more intense aromatics and more intensely flavorful fruit. It blossomed. The hallmark of this wine became its suddenly (and surprisingly) rich fruit. Yet it is graceful too. With this performance, I do not prefer the Ervamoira anymore. It remains to be seen how well they both age over a long term. They both drank well after being open for a few days, but every young Vintage Port of quality should. It will certainly hold well for a few decades or more. In the shorter to mid-term, I expect this to become sterner, drier and more intense, as it sheds the baby fat and shows some underlying steel. It's entitled to an uptick in score.

The 2015 Vintage Port is a blend of 55% Touriga Nacional (40% from Ervamoira in Douro Superior and 15% from Bom Retiro in Cima Corgo), 37% Touriga Franca (from Ervamoira) and 8% Sous?o from Bom Retiro. It comes in with 94 grams per liter of residual sugar. It was aged for six months in used, large Portuguese vats (Balseiros) and then in concrete. This was seen early on in Porto, when it was only in the bottle for a month or so. The last Vintage Port from Jo?o Nicolau de Almeida's reign as Managing Director at Ramos Pinto, this looks like a fine 2015. It has tightened and closed since I first saw it (reminding me again that the wines often show better in Porto when they are young, before shipping and closing down). Back then, it was exuberant and more expressive. Now, it seems closed, dry and stern. It is, in fact, on the drier side in any event. Tasted again the next day, I found the fruit I remembered. It was pretty fine, the tannins able to carry the wine but not quite obliterate it. Needless to say, this could use some cellar time. Its elegance and focus will always serve it well, but it certainly will be more expressive with some age. At this point, the tannins are in control. It still looks like a big winner to me, but another decade or so will give us a better look. There were 8,300 bottles produced, plus some large-format bottles.

The 2011 Ramos Pinto has a lifted bouquet of black cherries, creme de cassis and licorice that is intense but does not quite have the delineation of some of its peers at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine line of acidity and perhaps more pedigree than the aromatics. There is splendid weight here and an engaging harmonious finish with a sprinkle of white pepper and a little clove. Affording several minutes with this sample, the nose gains clarity with aeration, so I might be inclined to give this decanting before pouring. Tasted May 2013.

The 2007 Ramos Pinto Vintage Port is a saturated purple/black color with aromas of damp earth, pencil lead, espresso, licorice and blackberry. On the palate, it has good but not exceptional volume, ample savory fruit, enough fine-grained tannin for balance and moderate length. It is a medium-weight offering that will evolve for 6-8 years and drink well through 2027. In the context of the vintage, it is a bit overpriced.