Cape Heritage, Sweets & Fortifieds
Timed Online Auction, 5 - 17 June 2025
Fortifieds
About the SessionIt's rare to witness a collection of vintage ports like what's on offer in the 2025 Strauss winter catalogue. With the cold evenings approaching, these complex beauties are the perfect companions to open before dinner to warm the atmosphere.
About this Item
Long regarded as a Cape benchmark and even admired by producers in the Douro, this 'port' from the Helderberg is no longer produced. Older vintages are hen's teeth collectors' delights, all drinking beautifully now.
Provenance
Private Client
Critics Ratings
'The Cape's best? Many believe so. Certainly not only a local benchmark, but much admired some of Portugal's leading producers (Charles Symington for one) for its combination of power and refinement. It would be infanticide to drink 95, bottled in October 1997, now. Even millennium year would be too soon. However it has remarkable depth of everything. Hints of plum, blackberry, green pepper are beginning to distinguish the nose. Texture is almost treacle-like, rolls across the palate in apparent slow motion. Deep, richly-layered fruit in drier (95 gms/l), more deliberately Portuguese-pitched style (19,5% alc.). 50/50 tinta barocca-souzão blend.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 1999, 5*
'A Cape benchmark. Tinta barocca-souzão 50-50 blend, held to manageable 19.5% alc, 100 gms/l sugar. 94 awash in opulent chocolates, prunes but still great finesse; dry finish. Barrel-aged 2 years.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 1997, Best of the bunch, Superior Cape quality, 5*
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