Tasting Notes

Vintage Port Vintage Port is the flagship of the Churchill's range. The powerful backbone is achieved through a combination of wines from our various Grade A quintas. Renowned for being full bodied, well balanced with deep jammy fruit. Our 1985 Vintage Port won the International Wine Challenge Top Trophy for all Fortified Wine in 2002.

Crusted Port Crusted Port is a style of wine that was invented by English wine merchants when port was still being shipped in bulk and blended to their specification. it ceased to exist as soon as bulk shipments were stopped. There followed almost a decade before the Portuguese authorities reinstated Crusted port as a special category. Our Crusted Port is made up of the very best wines from two or sometimes three different harvests. It is kept in wood for up to two years and then bottled for further maturation. as this blend is not subject to any fining or filtration it continues to develop and mature in bottle. Given sufficient time, it throws a thick sediment, otherwise called a “Crust”. this is the English word from which it derives its name.

Churchill’s Crusted, bottled in 1998 and aged in bottle in our cellars for a minimum of 3 years, is a full bodied port which has acquired the rich mellowness and dinstinctive “nose” usually associated with mature Vintage Port. It can be consumed now or laid down for a few more years. The wine is sealed with a driven cork allowing it to breathe and the bottle to be stored lying down. Care needs to be taken not to disturb the “crust”. When the bottle is taken from the horizontal position, it is best to leave it standing upright for a period of 24 hours prior to decanting. Crusted Port is even closer in style to Vintage Port than our “traditional” LBV. it presents a dense, concentrated wine for far less than the price of a Vintage Port. In his tasting notes our wine maker, Johnny Graham, describes it as “rich and jammy, beginning to show the benefits of bottle age”.

Traditional Late Bottled Vintage Late Bottled means bottled after 4, rather than 2 years in wood. Our LBV is a rich, concentrated port from one good harvest, which has been aged for 4 years in wood. The word “traditional” means that it is bottled without any filtration or refrigeration so that the wine can continue developing in the bottle before it is released for sale, two years later. At the end of the bottle ageing period, it is ready for immediate drinking. or alternatively, and this is purely optional, it can be cellared for a few more years to acquire one of the more pronounced characteristics of Vintage Port, which is a “bottle nose” - at which stage it may have formed a sediment and require to be decanted.

We use dark coloured glass bottles, as for Vintage Port, and driven corks so that the wine can be laid down horizontally in a private cellar. “Medium, full body. Lots of fruit. Medium tannin. Medium sweetness. Reminiscent of black fruits, leather, sweet tobacco. Classy and rich with youthful character prevalent” – The Wine Enthusiast – LBV Champion – 91 points (1990 “A very fresh LBV, with violet, berry and cherry character. Medium-bodied and medium sweet, with a fresh fruit aftertaste. Delicious. Drink now." – James Suckling – Wine Spectator

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10 Year Old Tawny Churchill's 10 Year Old Tawny starts its life like young Vintage Port. Although fully aged in wood, it still retains the freshness of youth, which is reflected in its darker brick red colour and lively finish. “Unquestionably the finest Tawny I’ve tasted in years. What makes it profound is its complex fragrance of roasted nuts and sweet fruit. There is impeccable definition and richness, a velvety texture and a long lusty finish. It is all a Tawny should be” – Robert M. Parker Jnr. – The Wine Advocate

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Dry White Port Situated at 1,200 feet above sea level, the vineyards in the Pinhão valley are perfectly suited for the “Malvasia Fina” white port grape, providing it with all the necessary acidity and balance. This is a White Port that makes a statement. Full flavoured with a dry nutty finish, it’s naturally rich, golden colour is the result of 10 years ageing in wood. The extent of extra ageing gives the white port a balance and smoothness which puts it firmly in a class of its own. “Clear and bright orange-brown. Quite rich, nutty nose with hints of raisins. Off-dry, rich palate with nutty flavours and a long, fruit finish." – Decanter – July 1996

“This oddity is made from white grapes. With one extremely notable exception, white Port is rarely worth taking seriously, even though the good ones can make a refreshing aperitif, if mixed with ice and tonic or soda. The exception is Churchill’s White Port, which is completely different in character. Made in small quantities of around 2,000 cases, Churchill’s has a nuttiness with sweetness and acidity well balanced from nose to finish. An outstanding aperitif, I’d drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner." – The Sunday Review – Richard Ehrlich “High up in the Douro valley, the vineyards are suited to growing Malvasia Fina, the white Port grape, and Cordiga and Rabigato which join it in Churchill’s blend. In an attempt to make a white Port “for all seasons” this wine receives long oxidative ageing in oak – traditional for red Port but unusual for whites. Served chilled, it can match food as easily as it can be drunk on its own. Amber with tawny hints, there is a cheesy richness to the nose with notes of oranges and spice. Ripe, sweet and complex, the palate has very firm, crisp acidity and good concentration and length." – Decanter – Buying Guide – July 1998 “Rich and mid-gold in colour, the flavour is peel, which means that it is best drunk neat. This Port can also partner various foods such as smoked salmon, prawns cooked in garlic, cheese and tarte tatin, as well as variations in this apple-pie theme." – Evening Post – Oct. ’99 “Ripe, dry fruit mingles with lots of nutty characters on the full palate and nose bursting with apricot. This one shows good length to boot." – Wine Challenge – Oct. ‘88

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Finest Vintage Character A premium Vintage Character Port, selected from the wines of different years from our top quintas. Plenty of structure and concentrated layers of fruit makes finest vintage character a serious alternative to Vintage Port. It is bottled ready for drinking and retains much of the fruit characteristic of Vintage Port. "Consumers looking for a delicious, complex, rich supple, ready-to-drink port should be beating a path to their retailers to stock up on this superlative example of how the best houses put together a complex, rich port for everyday drinking.” – Robert M. Parker, jnr.

“Wonderful raspberry and chocolate aromas and flavours, medium body and sweetness and a long, velvety finish." – Wine Challenge – oct.’99 “Dense, rich mulberry, tannic.” “Dense plumy. Peppery nose with emerging spice, coffee and leather complexity – all of which stay on track through the alcohol and tannin. Good extract and very good length” “Delicious, big, full, fruity, peppery port with grip and length and fat velvety, full bodied style." - International Win Challenge

Vintage Character Reserve Vintage Character Reserve is youthful, fruity and well balanced. Easy to drink, it displays the characteristic firm backbone and structure of Churchill Ports denoting its grade a origins. An ideal introduction to port drinking. VCR is a Premium Ruby Port blended from the wines of different years from our top grade “A” quintas. It has plenty of structure and layers of flavour. Four years of ageing in oak gives it a measure of complexity whilst still retaining a dark ruby colour, and presenting itself as fresh and fruity.

The quality of this wine is such that it is described as “Vintage Character”, putting it in a category above its competitors. Because it is refrigerated and filtered prior to bottling, the wine is ready fop immediate drinking. Johnny Graham, our winemaker describes it the following way: “Vintage Character Reserve is youthful, fruity and well balanced. Easy to drink, it displays the characteristic firm backbone and structure of Churchill ports denoting grade A origins. An ideal introduction to port drinking.”