Croft 2009 Vintage Port

It's not every day I drink a glass of Port. Lately, I've been enjoying it! There is something about winter and Port.  Maybe because my house is always so cold and an evening glass of Port warms me up.

Something to note - when opening a Vintage Port the shelf life is only a couple of days, so one must be thoughtful in the planning.

We recently opened the Croft 2009 Vintage Port. Just look at the picture on the left.  A beautiful color.  Deep purple, luscious and rich.

A little information about Croft Port.  The "House of Croft" was founded 300 years ago and was originally know as Phayre and Bradley.  In 1736 John Croft joined the family.  In 1911 it was acquired by the Gilbeys and is now owned and run by the Yeatman's and Fladgate families.

The grapes that go into this Port come from the famous Quinta da Roeda, owned by Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman and acquired in 1862 by John Fladgate.  In 1875 John Fladgate's daughter married Charles Wright of Croft it passed to the Croft family.  (Need a flow chart for that one)  Quinta da Roeda is one of the best estates in the Douro region.

Now onto the tasting notes.  The Port showed aromas of coffee, blackberry followed by leather and cedar.   The palate was complex with hints of raisin, honey, and fig.  Soft mouth feel with balanced tannins.  The black fruit really showed on the finish.  It was a wonderful Port that I see will age quite nicely.

If you purchase this Port now, purchase 2 bottles. One for now and one to open in about 20+ years.  You won't be sorry.  SRP is around $80

*I received this Port as a sample from the producer.

A Wine & Cheese Pairing

A few months ago I was asked to do a wine & cheese seminar for a group of approximately 30 people from the Mid Hudson Food & Wine Society.  I immediately differed to my friend Wendy Crispell who is wine and cheese pairing expert. She knows wine and cheese like nobody else I know.  Unfortunately Wendy was attending the European Bloggers Conference that weekend so she encouraged me to do the seminar.  I agreed with a little advisement from Wendy and began my quest for 6 good wine and cheese pairings.

Good thing there was some lead time and I had a trip to NYC planned so I pick up and sample the cheese from Murrays in GCT and pair them with some wine. Experimenting was the fun part!   One thing I learned about is the aging of Mimolette Cheese and you have to have the correct aging to go with the Malbec. Mimolette aged 6 months is a lot creamier than when aged for 22 months.  As you can see from the above photo, I chose the 22 month old (orange cheese)

Many cheese produced in Europe are governed by similar AOC rules as wine. In fact Comte St. Antione cheese must pass an evaluation of 12 or more point out of 20 to be able to put Comte St. Antione on the label.  If you purchase the cheese and it's more yellow it is because it was produced in the summer from cows dining a pasture rich in carotene.

Also right here in the Hudson Valley, Old  Chatham Sheepherding Company has over 1000 East Friesian purebred and cross bred ewes.  This makes them the largest sheep dairy farm in the United States.

The table was set (there were 2 tables of 15) and I waited for everyone to arrive.  They were a chatty group of people.  Many of them I knew from a ski club I use to belong to and it was great to see them as it's been a while.

Here were the pairings:

Le Colture Fagher Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. Prosecco - Bright lemon and green apple notes with a hint of breadiness.
Pairing: Old Chatham Sheepherding Hudson Valley Camembert

Trumpeter 2011 Chardonnay- Aromas of rich tropical fruit lead into flavors of citrus fruits followed by a refreshingly crisp finish with hints of vanilla.
Pairing: Comté St Antione

2011 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett- Subtle and pure  notes of cassis, slate, white orchard fruits as well as a touch of passion fruit.
Pairing: Epoisses De Bourgogne

2008 Clos La Coutale- Smoky berry aromas., dark cherry, plum. Dark fruit, black currants, leading to a smooth plum vanilla finish.
Pairing: Mimolette Cheese

2006 Finca Loranque - Syrah/Tempranillo - Aromas of black fruit , the palate dances with blackberry and raspberry. As the wine opens up plum and dart fruit enter. Finish with soft spice.
Pairing: Manchego Cheese

Taylor Fladgate 2005 Late Bottle Vintage- Fresh intense blackcurrant & cherry aromas with subtle notes of liquorice, spice and raisin. Palate is rich and concentrated black fruit with firm well integrated tannins.
Pairing: Stilton Blue Cheese

I think the two winning wines of the afternoon (if I had to pick from the comments and re-pours) were the 2011 Trumpeter Chardonnay and the 2006 Finca Loranque Syrah/Tempranillo.

I want to thank the Mid Hudson Food & Wine Society for a wonderful afternoon!