LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: Feb 11

Taylor Fladgate 2010 Late Bottled Vintage Port (Portugal)

Sale $16.00, Regular $18.00
Discount (until Feb. 28): $2.00
LCBO # 46946 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Black and blue berries and dried sweet fruit with a long, warm vanilla finish.
Pairs with: Hard cheese, crackers and nuts, or dark chocolate desserts.
Good for: Spinning vintage vinyl on a blustery evening.
Alcohol: 20%
Drink: Now.

Why we're drinking this
It’s important to have a nice, solid Port on hand at all times. And especially as the weather turns bloody cold, like right now. The sweet, rich and deep flavours of good Port offer one of life’s great pleasures. Port is great to sip on its own or with sweet or savoury nibbles. Taylor Fladgate is arguably the most famous Port producer in Portugal, the only country that can legally produce real Port. The company creates a wide variety of styles and types, from rare vintage bottles costing hundreds of dollars (and requiring decades of aging) to more accessible styles such as this LBV. LBV stands for “late bottled vintage” which essentially means that it comes from a specific year (vintage) and that, before bottling, it spends a goodly number of years (at least four to six) in the barrel, where it develops those warming, dried fruit and sweet vanilla notes. This Taylor Fladgate is exceptional value — it’s always good, and this 2010 is particularly elegant and rewarding.

Tasting note
Pure dark fruit and berries (plum, dark cherry, blackberry) greet the nose with a wonderful floral perfume of violets and wild meadow. Hints of vanilla and sweet Christmas cake spice prep your palate for a delivery of sweet rich fruit and more of that lovely warm spice. This wine is well balanced, the heat of the alcohol more than tempered by the fruit and integrated wood and tannins. The finish is long and delicious. The complexity of this Port is remarkable for the price, and at $2 off for the next couple of weeks, it’s time to make Port a part of your daily life. Get your ski on, then relax by the fire with a generous pour. That’s how you do winter.

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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud Dick Snyder