Robert Hall Vintage Port 2013
-
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Enjoy on its own or pair with a full-flavored cheese or “rich” dessert.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
This blend of 32% Alvarelhão, 31% Souzão, 24% Touriga and 13% Tinta Cão shows baked black cherries, licorice, gingerbread, iron and smashed asphalt on the nose. The palate is soft and rich, with jammy cherry, blueberry and blackberry flavors eloquently spiced by clove, framed by silky tannins and cut with a welcome acidity.
Born from a land. Driven by a spirit. Created by a legend. Robert Hall wines are a tribute to hard work and pride in craft. A reward well-earned.
Robert Hall was founded on hard work and self-made prosperity, and embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that turned one man’s vision into a truly world-class winery. A small-business visionary, Robert had a life-long passion for wine and the winery lifestyle. He viewed all his business success as a well-earned opportunity to venture west in search of the perfect landscape, and the perfect partner, to help him realize his true dream.
Acclaimed winemaker Don Brady has been the creative force behind our award-winning wines since the beginning. Through his hands-on approach, Don has been pivotal in bringing acclaim to Paso Robles wines, and instrumental to elevating the valley’s status as the premier winemaking region.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.