Tried the btl from the BlairSwartzCellar on Sun afternoon at Pig+Fig:
1. Santino Douro Port TwinRiversRanch/ShenandoahVlly/ElDoradoCnty (LosAlamos Release; TintaCao/Touriga/Alvaraho/Sauzao; Pressed at 14 Brix; Fortified to 18% w/ 186 proof grape brandy from EastSideWnry; 375 cs) ScottHarvey & Mike Montaldo/Plymouth 1989: Dark color w/ some browning; very strong grapey/blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/Amador briary some alcoholic/brandy light pencilly/oak some complex nose; soft somewhat sweet very strong grapey/boysenberry/blackberry/Amador briary slight alcoholic/fumey light pencilly/oak fairly complex flavor w/ light gentle tannins; very long/lingering very strong grapey/boysenberry/briary light pencilly/oak bit alcoholic/Porty bit complex finish w/ light soft tannins; loads of grapey character but not the fumey/alcoholic character of old Porto; lost some of the sweetness & the alcohol is well-integrated and not obtrusive or fumey; definitely not old Porto but a lovely rendition of a mature Calif Port.
_____________
1. A wee BloodyPulpit: There is, of course, a story behind this wine. Around 1991, I was visiting ScottHarvey at Santino/Renwood and tasting thru brls. We finished off w/ a large cask of this Port made from traditional Portugese Porto varieties. I was quite taken w/ the wine and asked if my LosAlamos group could order some (it had not yet been bttld nor was a bttlg decision yet made). We ordered some 5-6 cases and Scott sold it to us for a song, about $6.00/750 ml btl. It arrived as shiners and I made up a special LosAlamos Release label w/ a mushroom cloud depicted on the label. The wine was such a huge hit that we went back for another 6-8 cs, and the remainder of the cask was bttld/released under the Santino label, sans the mushroom cloud.
I hadn't had this wine in some 10 yrs. I was impressed how well it had matured and the alcohol had well-integrated into the wine. Lovely stuff and a steal at $6/btl.
Tom