I was given a glass of Port in Las Vegas at the Luxor Steak House and fell in love. I have been searching ever since to find that port. I made the mistake of not looking at the label when it was served. :( I have come close with Boardroom. But I really don't like the sweeeet koolaid Ports. Can you suggest something in the same direction or taste of Boardroom. The Port in LV was a suggestion from the server after eating steak and tail. No dessert, just Port. Very red and perfectly balanced. Not to sweet and no bad aftertaste. It went down warm almost hot burn in the throat. Chilled perfectly. I want more. I have tried to call the Luxor, but they will not return my call.
If the name was "Boardroom," then it was Dow's Tawny Boardroom Port. One thing that I find a bit strange, however, is that Tawnys are more in the amber color range. The Boardroom is Dow's "entry-level" Tawny and is done in a house style, and is not aged as, say their 20yr Tawny would be. This may account for the red color - less wood aging. As I have never had the Boardroom, I cannot attest to its flavor profile. OTOH, if you liked this (and it is their Boardroom Tawny), you might well find aged Tawnys to your liking. Most major houses do a general Tawny, then 10-20-30 & sometimes 40 yr "aged" Tawnys. If the "sweetness" is not to your liking, Cockburns does a 20yr aged Tawny that is a bit lighter than other houses', though there is a note of "spirits" in it. In the aged Tawny area, Taylor Fladgate's 20yr is at the top of my list. Fonseca's, Cockburn's, Dow's and Porto Barros are all close behind. I find Graham's good, but toward the sweeter side. All of these are wood aged Tawny Ports and should be available throughout much of the US, and certainly in Europe/UK.
Some houses do "tawny-style" Ports, that do not get the benefit of much wood aging, and are released at the low end of the Tawny Port scale. Some houses will blend white Port with their branded Ruby to get to the lighter color and style. I do not know if the Boardroom is wood aged (but without an average of aging time), or if Dow's blends it. It runs about US$20/.75ltr. An aged Tawny from a major house will only be a bit more, in the US$30/.75ltr. range. Unfortunately, if one is looking for a particular style, then dropping $30/ btl, until you find it, might not be the best thing to do. However, if one sticks to the major houses, they will taste some very fine Tawny Ports!
Hunt
PS, maybe someone can give you an exact description of the Boardroom, as to whether it is an aged, or blended (nearly all Ports are blended in some way, but I'm referring to the "creation" of a Tawny here) Tawny.
in article snipped-for-privacy@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, portismmm at snipped-for-privacy@netscape.net wrote on 2/7/05 1:19 PM:
I wouldn't give up on the Luxor. If the restaurant itself won't do it while you wait, try going through the Concierge. It would be quite surprising if they can't get you an answer. If the Port was on their wine list you might get someone to find one and read it to you over the phone. I'm sure their list of Ports is a lot smaller than one of all those familiar to this group. I've often had surprising luck with such personal requests of businesses.
Then again..... trying the list of possible suspects you'll get here could be more fun.
"...... One thing that I find a bit strange, however, is that Tawnys are more in the amber color ....."
yes this Boardroom pours more amber than it looks in the glass. Yup $20.US It says Dow's Boardroom Porto Reserve Tawny. Are you saying you don't think it was a Port I drank in LV because of the color?
I agree with you on 6 grapes. I think I will splurge and try Taylor Fladgate's 20yr. Describe it.
Not necessarily. Some Tawnys, especially if they are "created," rather than fully aged in wood, do exhibit more of a ruby tinge. I even noticed more ruby in the recent Porto Barros 20yr, than before, AND they changed the bottle shape to that of a traditional Vintage Port (basically Bdx-style) from their original more squat bottle. At first, I thought my friend had bought the wrong Port (since I cannot get this one in AZ, I have to have it shipped in from Colorado). Regardless, it was still quite good, however lacking the "candied pecan" notes that I remember. The Tawnys (wood-aged) that I've had run from the light root-beer amber of the Cockburn's 20yr to the ruby-tinged darker amber of the Porto Barros.
As the Boardroom is a readily available "starter" Tawny, I think that it is probably what you did have in LV. Do you recall the /glass price? US$12+/-? That would usually put it (with LV markup) in the Boardroom price range.
Yes, do try some of the others, as well. I may be alone in this, but place the Taylor 20yr at the top of my list. The 30 & 40 are good, but even without the increased price factored in, give the nod to the 20.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few types of Port, each with its own characteristics, and though the Port trade is bound by about the strictest laws in all of winedom, there are some strange divergences in naming.
If you like a lighter style, with less "sweetness" the Cockburn's 20 is another one to try.
Hm-m-m, sounds more like a Ruby, or maybe an LBV (Late Bottled Vintage), than a Tawny. Over the years, I have had more Port poured incorrectly (not being what was listed, or what I had ordered), than any other wine type. I'm not sure why that is, but have had some pretty bad substitutions, that only came out, when I questioned the waitperson. I did a check for the wine lists at the various Luxor restaurants, but only found food menus - no wine.
We are in LV about six times per year, and since I am not into gambling, I haunt the restaurants and wine bars. Next trip I'll poke around the Luxor, and see what shakes out.
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