2012 Churchill Gricha
Posted: 22:10 Sun 22 Oct 2017
Single quinta port from Churchill, bought from Max Graham's restaurant Bar Douro in Flat Iron Square in London.
Deep maroon colour with a slight blue component; opaque. A strong nose of sweet blueberries, a hint of licorice and crushed nettles. Under the fruit and green leaf scents is a faint blue cheese which I associate with the spirit that Churchill use, but this is integrating nicely and is nowhere near as offputting as it is in a newly bottled vintage port. On the palate this is full of fruit; dark cherry, sweet blueberry and lovely tannins. The balance between the fruit and the acidity is very good and delivers a very nicely focused set of flavours. Late on the palate some very attractive floral tones come through. Some heat shows on the aftertaste from the acidity and this takes time to fade, but when it does it allows a fine finish to come through that is dominated by dark chocolate. Overall, this is a very enjoyable SQVP that delivers exactly what you would hope and has the potential to age nicely for at least a decade. 87/100. Opened 19-May-17. This note taken after decanting for 2 days.
Deep maroon colour with a slight blue component; opaque. A strong nose of sweet blueberries, a hint of licorice and crushed nettles. Under the fruit and green leaf scents is a faint blue cheese which I associate with the spirit that Churchill use, but this is integrating nicely and is nowhere near as offputting as it is in a newly bottled vintage port. On the palate this is full of fruit; dark cherry, sweet blueberry and lovely tannins. The balance between the fruit and the acidity is very good and delivers a very nicely focused set of flavours. Late on the palate some very attractive floral tones come through. Some heat shows on the aftertaste from the acidity and this takes time to fade, but when it does it allows a fine finish to come through that is dominated by dark chocolate. Overall, this is a very enjoyable SQVP that delivers exactly what you would hope and has the potential to age nicely for at least a decade. 87/100. Opened 19-May-17. This note taken after decanting for 2 days.