Delaforce
Delaforce sons & C:a
| Founded | 1868 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Silva Reis |
| Vineyards | None |
| Vintage Port Brands | Delaforce, Quinta da Corte (until Vintage 2004) |
When King Louis XIV declared Catholicism as the French religion in 1685, some Huguenots fled via Holland to England, among other the Delaforce family. However 26 years old John Fleuriet Delaforce came to Oporto in 1834 to be a book keeper in the Martinez Gassiot company. His son George Delaforce founded in 1868 the house and has since then undergone many take-over. By the end of the 19th century George Delaforce was purveyor to the Portugese kings, an unusual honour for a non-Portuguese citizen. In spite of the proclamation of a republic in 1910, the royal coat-of-arms still appears on the label of Delafoce Vintage Port. The family has continued to be linked to the Port trade for six generations, building up a business under the brand name. A Single Quinta Vintage wine was earlier made under the name of Quinta da Corte, which the house had a long time contract with from 1980 until early in the 21st century. Delaforce remained in family hands until 1968 when it was sold to Croft and IDV i.e.United Destillers and Vintners ( a part of Grand Metropolitan Group). In 2001 The Fladgate Partnership acquired both Croft and the name Delaforce only to sell Delaforce again in 2009 when it became a brand in Real Comp. Velha which is owned by the Silva Reis Family.
| Delaforce Vintages: | 1870, 1871*, 1873, 1875*, 1878, 1881, 1884, 1887, 1890, 1894, 1896, 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1922 (family bottling), 1927, 1935, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Quinta da Corte Vintages: | 1974, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004 |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1958 |
| Colour | Yellow, mature, quite beautiful in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Old grocery shop with lots of cacao, chocolate, coffee, coffee beans, some herbs, ginger and spiciness in the nose. | Score range | 17.00 - 17.00 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking. Balanced with some old, lovely acidity. Very elegant and tasty with all from an old grocery shop in the mouth. The finish is quite complex and lovely and astonishing long. A very surprising port which we really enjoyed to drink. | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 15th April 2022 | Point this date | 17.00 |
| Comment | Tasted at home with the family. This bottle was bottled by Paten. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1960 |
| Colour | Still very dark but yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Complex and lovely bouquet with butterscotch, toffee, cream candy, cacao, dark chocolate and some smokiness in the nose. | Score range | 17.00 - 17.00 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and on top. Cacao and butterscotch in taste. Balanced and elegant with some quite soft acidity. Lovely, quite long and attractive finish. | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 26th December 2016 | Point this date | 17.00 |
| Comment | At home with the family. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1963 |
| Colour | Yellow mature almost tawny in colour. | Number of tastings | 7 |
| Bouquet | Very generous and quite complex elegant nose with figs, liquorice, burned sugar, dried fruit and crème caramel. | Score range | 15.40 - 17.00 |
| Taste | Medium body. Full mature and peaking. Balanced with good concentration, very elegant sweet and delicious taste of crema caramel, burned sugar and liquorice. A nice rather long and sweet finish. Delicious port indeed. | Average score | 16.11 |
| Last tasted | 19th January 2018 | Point this date | 16.90 |
| Comment | At the Wine Society 18% Great Tasting in Malmö. In 2005 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. In 2013 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1970 |
| Colour | Beautiful mature yellow in colour. | Number of tastings | 6 |
| Bouquet | Complex delicious old grocery shop, raisin, crème caramel, cacao, some dark chocolate and ginger in the nose. | Score range | 16.00 - 17.00 |
| Taste | Medium body. Fully mature and on top indeed. Balanced and complex, elegant, sweet port with old grocery shop, crème caramel, cacao in taste. Really good and generous port with a lovely and very attractive finish. | Average score | 16.46 |
| Last tasted | 19th January 2018 | Point this date | 17.00 |
| Comment | At the Wine Society 18% Great Tasting in Malmö. In 2008 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1975 |
| Colour | Medium dark ruby with yellow mature quite beautiful in colour. | Number of tastings | 5 |
| Bouquet | Complex candy, cream candy toffee and some roasted coffee in the nose. | Score range | 16.25 - 16.75 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking. Balanced and very elegant port. Quite complex with a nice, attractive and quite long finish. Very delicious. | Average score | 16.30 |
| Last tasted | 5th October 2019 | Point this date | 16.75 |
| Comment | At a wine friend’s tasting in Hørsholm, Denmark. This bottle was a Magnum. In 2006 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1977 |
| Colour | Pale ruby with yellow mature rim in colour. | Number of tastings | 7 |
| Bouquet | Cinnamon, ginger, cacao, some spiciness and coffee in the nose. | Score range | 16.00 - 16.90 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking. Elegant and balanced. A lovely port. Spiciness and ginger in taste with a long wonderful and attractive finish. | Average score | 16.33 |
| Last tasted | 16th May 2022 | Point this date | 16.90 |
| Comment | Tasted at home in 8th International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. In 2010 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1982 |
| Colour | Yellow very mature, almost tawny in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
| Bouquet | Old grocery shop, chocolate, cacao, some spiciness and pharmacy in the nose. | Score range | 14.00 - 16.00 |
| Taste | Medium body. Quite mature and developed and even quite old in taste. Will not be better. Some chocolate and old hospital in taste. Nice finish but not impressive at all so drink up this still very enjoyable port. | Average score | 15.17 |
| Last tasted | 16th March 2022 | Point this date | 15.50 |
| Comment | Tasted at home in 7th International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1985 |
| Colour | Yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 5 |
| Bouquet | Raisin, crème caramel, candy, a hint of cacao and burned sugar in the nose. | Score range | 14.25 - 16.40 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking and will not be better. Balanced and silky, sweet and complex with crème caramel, candy and burned sugar in taste. Easy to drink and enjoy. Quite delicious finish. | Average score | 15.51 |
| Last tasted | 17th September 2020 | Point this date | 16.25 |
| Comment | Tasted at the Wine Society 18% Great Tasting in Malmö. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. In 2020 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1992 |
| Colour | Still rather dark but yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 4 |
| Bouquet | Mint, candy, sweetmeats, cream candy and some spiciness in the nose. | Score range | 15.00 - 16.40 |
| Taste | Medium body. Candy, sweet meats and mint in taste. Still some very soft tannin and will maybe be better but is quite mature and almost peaking. Balanced and rather complex with a nice and quite long finish. Lovely and enjoyable port today. | Average score | 15.79 |
| Last tasted | 16th March 2022 | Point this date | 16.00 |
| Comment | Tasted at home in 7th International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 1994 |
| Colour | Still rather dark but yellow and mature rim in colour. | Number of tastings | 11 |
| Bouquet | Sweetmeats, nougat, sweet liquorice, toffee, fudge, cream candy cacao and chocolate in the nose. | Score range | 15.75 - 16.25 |
| Taste | Medium bodied. Mature and peaking and will probably not be much better. Herbal, cream candy and sweet liquorice in flavour. Balanced with an attractive, elegant and a quite long finish. A lovely port indeed. | Average score | 16.08 |
| Last tasted | 7th February 2024 | Point this date | 16.25 |
| Comment | Tasted at home in 16th International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. In 2018 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 2000 |
| Colour | Still rather dark but with a yellow mature edge in colour. | Number of tastings | 2 |
| Bouquet | Cacao, chocolate, crème caramel, dried fruit and old grocery shop in the nose. | Score range | 16.40 |
| Taste | Medium body. Rather mature but still with some soft tannins left. Balanced, rather complex and will be better. Cacao, dark chocolate, dried fruit and candy in taste which has a long and rather complex finish. | Average score | 16.33 |
| Last tasted | 30th August 2020 | Point this date | 16.40 |
| Comment | Tasted in the home of good friends. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 2003 |
| Colour | Still very dark blue almost black in colour. | Number of tastings | 2 |
| Bouquet | Dark berry, blue berry, black berry and mulberry but also minty in the nose. | Score range | 15.90 |
| Taste | Medium body. Dark berry, dried fruit and mint in taste and lot of tannin. Balanced with attractive acidity. A long life ahead but rather easy to swallow already now and very enjoyable with a quite long and very attractive finish. Will be lovely to follow. | Average score | 15.50 |
| Last tasted | 12th February 2018 | Point this date | 15.90 |
| Comment | At the Wine Society 18% tasting in Malmö. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 2011 |
| Colour | Dense, almost black in colour. | Number of tastings | 2 |
| Bouquet | Dried fruit, blueberry, mulberry, dark berry, mint and herbs in the nose. | Score range | 16.00 - 16.00 |
| Taste | Medium body. Still very immature but balanced with lots of lovely tannins. Very tasty loaded with dark berry such as blueberry, dark cherry and mulberry but also mint and herbs. Easy to really enjoy with an elegant and long finish. Will be lovely to follow. | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 13th June 2020 | Point this date | 16.00 |
| Comment | Tasted at home with the family. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 2017 |
| Colour | Ruby in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Dark cherry, mulberry, fruit and some spiciness in the nose. | ||
| Taste | Hardly medium body. Balanced but easy to drink and enjoy today, Modern style of port but very tasty indeed with dark berry, mulberry, spiciness and lots of fruit. The finish is very light but elegant indeed. | ||
| Last tasted | 29th November 2019 | Rating this date | Very Good |
| Comment | Tasted at the Port Wine Festival in Leverkusen, Germany. Port so young we evaluate only as : Good – Very good- Impressive – Very Impressive | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Delaforce | Vintage | 2020 |
| Colour | Deep ruby in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Dark berries, blackberry, mulberry, fruit and some mint in the nose. | ||
| Taste | Medium body. Medium dry. Balanced and easy to drink and enjoy today, Dark berry, mulberry and lots of fruit. Quite a lot of tannins with a medium long finish. | ||
| Last tasted | 25th September 2023 | Rating this date | Very Good |
| Comment | Tasted at Real Companhia Velha’s lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Port so young we evaluate only as : Good – Very good- Impressive – Very Impressive | Tasters | JB |