While still expensive, single vineyard ports cut costs

Port can be an expensive investment because the bottle costs a lot to begin with and then it is best cellared for many years.

But there is one way to cut down on some of the expense.

Port vintages are only declared every few years. Grapes from undeclared years have been used for lesser quality ports.

The last 20 years have seen a significant change in the port world -- single quinta ports.

When an individual producer has had a good year due to the nature of the climate, the particular soil conditions or other circumstances, that producer might issue a port -- usually in an undeclared year -- a single quinta port ("quinta" meaning a single vineyard of an estate).

Port drinkers get a vintage port at top-quality levels -- and usually at a much lower price.

Single quinta ports have only been around a couple of decades -- a shorter time than it takes most great ports to mature to their fullest. When you buy single quinta ports, they will keep as long as vintage ports, but you will know you have gotten a bargain.

The wine-tasting group compared four single quinta ports, available now on the shelves, in a blind tasting. Here is what we found:

- 1989 Champalimaud Vintage Port, "Quinta do Cotto" at $29.99 for a 375 milliliter bottle. When we poured this into the glass, it looked old and brickish. It smelled older, too. We did not know it was a 1989 until we took the sack off the bottle. It had a lot of alcohol in the nose, with caramel and nutty aromas. This port was not as fruity because of its age. Shoppers don't often find ports this old currently for sale, so you might look for this wine, affordable in the half-bottle size.

- 2000 Churchill Graham Quinta da Gricha Vintage Porto at $79.99. While 2000 was a declared vintage, Churchill also put out a single quinta from one property. This port was darker and not as hot as the Champalimaud. The aroma reminded us of figs, mint, raisins and jammy fruit. In the mouth, it had silky tannins and a full body. The texture was velvety. The Churchill finished second in our tasting.

- 1999 Cockburn's Quinta dos Canais Vintage Porto at $49.99.This aroma had a bit of butterscotch and acetone smells, along with orange, cranberry and figs. With a taste of pureed raspberries, it was easy to drink, but it was not as mature as the first two.

- 1995 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Porto at $49.99. We discovered smells of vanilla, cherry, spice and ripe fruit. The Fonseca had the least heat from alcohol of the four. It had a viscous texture, tasting more creamy and mature than the others. It was complex, with many layers of flavor. We tasted plums on the finish. This was a superb port that should only get better. It ranked first in our tasting.

Surfing the wine shelves:

- 2003 Freemark Abbey Viognier at $22. This was a big-bodied, easy-to-drink wine. It had intense citrus and honeysuckle aromas. We tasted lime, pear and apricot on the palate. It was well balanced, with a crisp finish.

- 2003 Pascal Jolivet Attitude at $14. This sauvignon blanc offered a nose of tropical fruit, hay and green apples, followed by an-easy-to-drink texture and a crisp finish.

- 2002 Chateau Fuisse Pouilly-Fuisse Vieilles Vignes at $50. Apples, lemon and honey filled the aroma along with hints of minerals. In the mouth, it was a big and intense chardonnay that would go well with fish, duck or even veal with a light sauce.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to fsutherland