New World Port 2005
Tasting notes
Porto is a sweet, fortified dessert wine made from native Portuguese varieties harvested from the steep mountain cliffs of the Douro River Valley. Using those same grape varieties grown here in California the new-age, New-World Port has been born. The seven Portuguese varietals are intensely colored and flavorful grapes which are inoculated and fermented hot until half of the sugar has been converted to alcohol. At this time brandy spirits are added to arrest the fermentation producing a richly extracted and very memorable dessert wine which grows finer and finer with time.
When you go out Friday night, do you look for something "sweet" and "alcoholic"? As fun as this may be, you are showing yourself to be a prime candidate for a discreet reintroduction to the world of Port-styled wines.
First and foremost, there's more to good Port than sugar and alcohol. Balance is as important with Port-styled wines as it is any other wine, and it should never seem either sweet or alcoholic. Take for instance the 2005 Madrona New-World Port. This wine is loaded with complex characters. The nose is overflowing with ripe boysenberry and wild blackberry cobbler aromas while fresh floral notes and hints of cinnamon and clove spice fill in the nooks and crannies. And just when you think you've smelled it all, there's this little dash of savory spice, thyme and rosemary, letting you know there's always something more to discover.
The palate of the '05 vintage is impeccably balanced. A medium-bodied Port, something almost unheard of in this age of opulence, is awaiting your tastebuds. Elegant yet captivating, the flavors explode with a combination of summer strawberry and tart rhubarb fruit. This quickly develops into dark plum, boysenberry and mountain blueberry characters, filling the mid-palate and evolving into that thread of savory spices. And finally there's the finish of deep, dense, dark molasses intensely layering everything that lingers, beaconing you to take just one more sip.
Now don't just stand there dumb-founded. This is a reintroduction. Say "Hello", and try not to come with any preconceived ideas of what a Port is. Who knows, you may just take this complex, balanced and enticingly intriguing wine home with you. It's way better than a fling with "sweet" and "alcoholic".
Tasting Notes from February 2022
Can you say blackberry jam? Or better yet, because this wine has more elegance than that, "blackberry confiture"? The nose on this 16-year-old Port is a incredible melange of briary fig and savory spices. The weather in 2005 was a nice year (not quite as perfect as 2004), with even later harvest dates. The base of this vintage, Alvarelhao and Touriga Nacional (27% each) alludes to its blackberry complexity. Ironically, the that blackberry spice character in the nose morphs into a cherry and walnut flavor on the palate, with a good amount of earthiness on the finish. If anything, there's a density on this wine that makes me think more age would only reward the taster. Maybe 5 to 7 years?
Oh and pairings? I go back to blue cheese with this wine!
| Vintage | 2005 |
| Varietal | Blend |
| Varietal Composition | 27.5% Alvarahao, 27.4% Touriga Nacionale, 20.5% Tinta Cao, 13.5% Sousaoa, 9.3% Bastardo, 14% Tinta Roriz, 0.4% Tinta Amarella |
| Appellation | El Dorado |
| Vineyard | Estate Vineyards |
| Acid | 0.49g/100ml |
| PH | 3.89 |
| Alcohol | 18.54% |
| Volume | 500 ml |
| Bottling Date | 02/09/2007 |
| Cases Produced | 516 |
The Sumu Kaw Vineyards, owned by Sheila and David Bush, showcase some of the nicest fruit grown in the El Dorado appellation. On the far south-eastern corner of their vineyard at an elevation of 2,800 feet is a small 2.5 acre block of six Portuguese varieties planted in 1997 with the intention of making a Port-styled wine. Southerly in exposure on a rocky Josephine soil series, the vineyard is almost a snapshot of Portugal. The spacing of 7x10 feet allows for the less fertile conditions and the thirsty nature of the site. The last variety, Bastardo, is planted atop the Sumu Kaw Vineyards at an elevation of 2,960 feet. Uniquely suited for the variety, the Aiken-Clay soils help retain some of the natural acidity in the grapes.
Paul Bush, Owner/Winemaker
Madroña Vineyards
Camino, California.
We are a family-owned and operated winery focusing on terroir-driven, Estate-Grown fruit.
Annual Case Production: 12,000 cases
Planted Acres: 70 acres planted at the 2,850 to 3,000 foot elevation.
Career Background: Having helped plant the family vineyards as a kid in 1973, I grew up working in our winery what seemed like every day after school. I had no intention of “winding up” in the wine industry and graduated from U.C. Davis in 1989 with a degree in Economics. However, with an interest in traveling abroad, our winery offered a flexible schedule and an opportunity to work with inspiring winemakers such as Mark Foster and Hugh Chappelle. I began managing the vineyards and business in 1991 and making the wines in late 2002.
Biggest Professional Challenge: Balance! Working with my wife, Maggie, we find our greatest challenge is how to be business owners with all of its responsibilities while making the wines, growing the grapes, marketing the brand and raising two daughters. Any given day can be filled with dusting the vineyards at daybreak, acid trials before lunch, working in the tasting room in the afternoon—and then throw in a swim meet or school play for spice. Undoubtedly, every small, family winery tackles the same aspect of wearing so many hats, but the challenge and excitement is unique to each one.
Varietals that Madroña is Known for: In total, we grow 27 varieties in our El Dorado vineyards. From within these plantings, however, I believe that Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Riesling and the seven Portuguese varieties (for our New-World Port) are consistently outstanding.
Short Testimonial: I truly can’t imagine doing anything else but growing grapes and enjoying wine. I believe the terroir of our region is unique with overall cool-climate aspects, peppered with warm summer days and a slightly shorter growing season. So finding the true expression of each variety for our vineyards ends up being an exciting and challenging adventure every vintage. The wines have more backbone and structure than most regions of California while showcasing the intense varietal character of mountain fruit. Most often, I find that the wine knows best in how it should be “made,” and I’m just along for the ride. As we once heard in France, “One does not make wine. One elaborates wine!” And with our Estate-grown grapes, I am quite content to be the “elaborator.”
