Late-bottled Port: No smoking jacket required

Port conjures images of “old geezers in smoking jackets” who puff on cigars after dinner and interlard their speech with phrases like “I say,” said Dave McIntyre in The Washington Post. A hip drink, in other words, Port is not. “Well, it should be.” The late-bottled vintages from the “fantastic” year of 2003 have recently been released. These are “eminently affordable” and can either be drunk now or allowed to mature a few more years. These three are especially worth trying.

Taylor Fladgate LBV 2003 ($25)

“Great value.” A flavor of dark cherries that’s “heaven with dark chocolate.”

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Fonseca LBV 2003 ($24)

From Taylor Fladgate’s sister winery, an exuberant but less complex wine with blackberry aromas.

Warre’s LBV 1999 ($30)

This producer keeps its LBVs in the bottle for several years before releasing them. The result is a “more restrained and refined” wine with “an emphasis on complexity.”