Casa de Santa Eufemia Late Bottled Vintage Port 2009

Douro, Portugal Wine Enthusiast 90 points! Casa de Santa Eufemia, a grower port estate, was founded in 1894 by Bernardo Rodrigues de Carvalho. Casa de Santa Eufemia Late Bottled Vintage Port is a great introduction to this famous wine of the Douro Valley in Portugal. LB or Late Bottled refers to a ruby port left to age in barrel or lagare before bottling. A typical ruby port is aged in stainless steel or concrete tanks to prevent oxidation and preserve its rich claret color. A vintage port is aged in barrels for a maximum of two and a half years before bottling, then needs a decade or more to age in bottle. Effectively, a well-made LB port is the poor man's vintage port, offering the character of vintage port without the long wait for bottle aging and at a considerably lower price! “This is a smoothly textured wine, full of berry fruits that are rich enough to cope with the acidity. The tannins come through slowly, balanced by plenty of acidity as well as lively fruit tones at the end. This is full of life and ready to drink." - Wine Enthusiast, 90 points! Enjoy Casa de Santa Eufemia Late Bottled Vintage Port as a dessert wine all by itself or with chocolate, cheesecake or sweet cheeses.