“The 2017 Duas Quintas Reserva is a 60/30 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, plus Tinta da Barca and Sousão for the rest, aged for 18 months in a mixture of used barrels (90% French) and large vats. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. This is a lovely DQ Reserva, a good competitor to fine vintages like the 2016, 2015 and 2011 (which is revisited this issue, in fact). This feels fresher, fruitier and livelier than most. While it doesn't seem quite as dense or as muscular as the 2016 (and certainly not the 2011), it is arguably more expressive and shows more finesse. The balance is perfect. As it airs out, it shows the power that will allow this to age well, too, even if it is relatively accessible. This looks like the best since the 2011—and in a more elegant style that many will prefer.”

“This sings from the glass with a sweet spice, marmalade, molasses, clove, nutty, toffee, caramel and balsamic perfume. Very complex array of flavours including roasted coffee, scorched earth, fig and walnut. A distinctive style, done very well. High impressive.”

“This Port is based on grapes from Quinta do Bom Retiro in the Rio Torto and Quinta da Ervamoira in the Douro Superior. It's demure initially on the nose, with lovely pure berry fruits. The palate is sweet, fleshy and well defined, backed by tight-knit tannins which build to a crescendo - a peacock’s tail of a finish with lovely freshness and balance. A triumph.”

“Less open on the nose than the Ramos Pinto 2017. More subtle and refined, more withheld and pure, darker fruited. Even though it is more restrained, it has greater intensity and concentration on the palate, with real finesse in the tannin texture and a little more obvious freshness for sophisticated harmony.”

“The NV RP 30 Year Old Tawny Port was bottled in February 2018 with a bar-top cork and 140 grams of residual sugar. The winery produces around 5,500 liters per annum of this 30 Year (typically, they do not make a 40). On opening, it's all about the sweetness, but this is remarkably fresh and elegant. Although the sweet finish obscures the complexity at first, this typically is where you are most likely to get it in the Ramos Pinto lineup of tawnies, and eventually you do (particularly the next day). Once it shakes off the bottle slumber, this 30 Year Tawny demonstrates that it is also the most tightly wound and most intense of the winery's submissions this issue. That means that it is pretty fine, and in a great place. This is lovely and exciting, more or less along the lines of the last couple of releases that I saw.”