1994 Martinez

1994 Martinez

Product: 19948106045
Prices start from £500.00 per case Buying options
1994 Martinez

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
Case format
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Price per case
12 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 2 cases £500.00
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £525.00
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Description

Martinez started as an importer of port into London over 200 years ago, peaking in 1849 as the largest importer to the UK. Harvey's of Bristol then acquired the company and it is now a minnow in Allied-Domecq's portfolio. They made a very successful wine in the very fine, universally declared, 1994 vintage and it is good to see such an historic name back in business.

Rather than maturing their wines in Vila Nova da Gaia, Martinez keeps their casks for as long as possible in the heady temperatures of the Upper Douro. As a result, the wines can be distinctive and idiosyncratic, full-bodied and rich. From the attractive burnt nose to the palate, which marries raisin and cherry flavours, this wine oozes class and potential. Drink now to 2020.

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About this WINE

Martinez

Martinez

Martinez started as an importer of port into London over two hundred years ago, peaking in 1849 as the largest importer to the UK. Harvey's of Bristol then acquired the company and it is now a minnow in Allied-Domecq's portfolio.

They made a very successful wine in the very fine, universally declared, 1994 vintage and it is good to see so historic a name back in business.

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Vintage Port

Vintage Port

Vintage Port accounts for only a small percentage of the total Port production - which includes Tawny, Ruby, Late Bottled Vintage, Single Quinta Vintage styles, among others - but is the finest, longest-lived and most expensive style that is produced. The best are as good as any wine in existence.

With the exception of legendary vineyards like Quinta do Noval Nacional and Quinta do Vesuvio, Vintage Port is made from a blend of wines from a producer's finest plots. It is aged for around 18 months in wooden casks before bottling; from then on the watch-word is patience. At least 15 years ageing – and for the top wines it will be significantly longer – is required before the tannins, spirit and fruit are fully integrated. Indeed, the finest examples can last well over 50 years. 

Vintage Port is only made in exceptional years (normally around three times per decade) with considerable stylistic variation between different years and shippers. However, they all share a sweet, warming, spicy richness, power and complexity. In other good but not great vintages, many shippers produce a  Single Quinta Vintage Port from their finest vineyard. These are made in the same way and have the same style as Vintage Port but tend to mature faster and are less profound. All Vintage Port throws a sediment as it matures, and thus requires decanting.

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Port Blend

Port Blend

There are around 40 different grape varieties permitted in the production of Port - however the vast majority of Ports are produced from a blend of 5 grapes - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão.

Touriga Nacional produces small, dark-skinned grapes that produce opaque black wines of great extract and high tannins - it gives grip, body, and structure to the blend.

Touriga Franca has a thinner skin and consequently produces wines lighter in colour and tannins than Touriga Nacional. It contributes fruit, aroma, suppleness and roundness.

Tinta Roriz is the Portuguese name for Tempranillo and its high sugar content and low acidity contribute colour and fruit.

Tinta Barroca which is normally grown at highish altitudes and on north-facing slopes, is prized for producing wines of delicacy, finesse and with smooth, velvety fruit. It brings elegance and sweet, ripe fruit to the final blend.

Finally Tinto Cão produces fine and complex wines, though it is probably the least important of the 5 grapes as its painfully small yields have reduced plantings to almost insignificant levels.

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