Douro, vintage 2000. Dark ruby in the glass, with a nose of baked fruit, cocoa and coffee that only really opens up once a bottle has rested for many years. Time has done most of the work here.
Expert description
Dalva Vintage Port 2000 is a Port Wine from the Douro in Portugal made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Sousão, among others, with an alcohol content of 20%. It is a classic Vintage Port, meaning port made from grapes of a single year. Wines like this make up only about two percent of total Port Wine production, and only grapes of the highest quality grades go into them. The wine spends up to two and a half years in cask before bottling, and from there it is the bottle that does the work.
The producer describes the wine as rich in colour and tannins, with lasting persistence, ripe fruit and great ageing potential. The rule of thumb for Vintage Port is 10 to 30 years in bottle, which puts a 2000 right in the middle of its drinking window, with years still ahead of it.
Behind the bottle is C. da Silva, a traditional Port house in Vila Nova de Gaia, best known for its Colheita ports and Golden White. Dalva is the house's brand, and the winemaker is José Manuel Sousa Soares.
Tasting notes
Nose
In the glass it is dark ruby. The nose is calm and complex, with baked fruit, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa and coffee.
Palate
Fresh fruit and tannins first, then floral notes and red fruit. The body is full, and the tannins sit soft as silk.
Finish
Long and exuberant. The fruit and the soft tannins linger well after the last sip.
Serving & Food Pairing
Serve Dalva Vintage Port 2000 at 16 to 18 degrees in a small port glass. If the bottle has been lying down, stand it upright a day before serving so the sediment can settle, and decant if you like, so it stays out of the glass. It holds its own after dinner, but is especially good with blue cheese or other strong, mature cheese. Dark chocolate is a good shout too.
Specifications
Name: Dalva Vintage Port 2000
Producer: C. da Silva
Region/Country: Douro, Portugal
Appellation/Classification: Porto, Vintage Port
Grape variety(ies): Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão and others
Vintage: 2000
ABV: 20%
Size: 75 CL
Cask ageing: Up to 2.5 years in cask before bottling
Serving temperature: 16 to 18 °C
Decanting recommended: Yes
EAN no.: 5603003110001
Flavour profile
Full-bodied · Tannic · Fruity · Spicy · Complex
Did you know?
Dalva is a contraction of da Silva. The house was founded in 1862 under the name Correa Ribeiro e Filhos. Clemente da Silva arrived from Brazil in 1933 and inherited it through marriage, and in 1957 the company changed its name to C. da Silva.
