For The Love Of Port

1967 Kopke Colheita
Vista Alegre 50 Year Old Tawny
1985 Vista Alegre Colheita
purchased at their sources.

Two weeks ago I bought two bottles of Flagman's Port in a German auction. ... THE DOURO WINE SHIPPERS AND GROWERS ASSOCIATION, LDA VILLA NOVA DE GAIA - PORTUGAL FOR FLAGMAN LTD - LONDON I wouldn't pay much attention to the Flagman part. The Douro Wine Shippers and Growers Association is more releva...

1952 Dalva Golden White (500 ml) How does it compare to the older 750ml bottle (if you’ve had the larger version)? This was a 2009 bottling, and I think it was good to drink now instead of later. I will post a separate tasting note, but the short answer is that I gave it 94 points, and while I have...

1952 Dalva Golden White (500 ml)

(Bottled 2021.) Smells of cream soda, honey, apricot, fenugreek, sweet mango, and cantaloupe. Incredibly sweet flavor with a little wood character. Really nice, but the sugar is straightforward and overpowering the other flavors. Later this tasted more like vanilla cream and improved. And chilling f...

(Bottled 2017). Deep spirit and mahogany in the aroma, along with sweet sugars. Deep and thick in the flavor, with molasses without the sulfur, and sugar syrup. Later the aroma suggested walnut and balsamic wood, without the acetobacter. This improved and was even thicker later. 96 points. A good, b...

Very light spirit shows up for the first aroma, and is followed by some honey and wood, perhaps Cyprus. Lighter bodied. A little musty later. This is really nice, but suffers against a line-up of outstanding wines. 93 points. (19 Nov 23)

(Bottled 2019.) Presents a more subdued aroma than the previous wines, with a little floral character, and some spirit. Swirling makes the aroma a little more solventy. Wonderful balance of acidity and flavor. But not as complex as the 1937 Kopke. 94-95 points. (19 Nov 23)

(Bottled 2017.) Like the 1957 Kopke colheita, this wine was also spirity in the aroma, but the varnish character was lighter. Then there was some sugar aroma. There is more sugar complexity than most of the other wines tasted, with some caramel, treacle, and brown sugar. Great acidity, nicely in bal...

(Bottled 2011.) Aromas of a musty cellar with some wood dust. It tastes a bit musty too, but nicely integrated. Medium-heavy bodied, and syrupy. Lots of acidity, suggesting orange. The mustiness is not a detractor, and thus this was a really great wine. 96 points. (19 Nov 23)

(Bottled 2019.) Spirity Pledge lemon furniture polish aroma, with brown sugar as well. Tastes of orange, pear, and marmalade. Lighter bodied. Warm in the finish. 94 points. (19 Nov 23)

(Bottled 2012.) Tangy sweet and sour aroma, then woody. Not as much acidity as the previous wine (1966 Kopke colheita), but the acidity is more integraty into the body and flavors which overall are very nice. A great wine. 95 points. (19 Nov 23)

(Bottled 2019.) Smells of cinnamon, spice, orange, Belgian candi sugar, and cedar. Strong, biting acidity, then comes the wave of sugar—brown sugar, with orange and tangerine. This is so tangy. The sugar is nice, but not overly complex. Later I noticed a pecan aroma. 94+ points. (19 Nov 23)

Dark color with a little brown tint, much like the 1983 Gould Campbell tasted immediately prior. Deep cellar aroma, with apple butter. Medium heavy body with a long, tangy, persistent finish. Also tastes like a sugar syrup, perhaps molasses without the sulfur. Maybe treacle? Quite nice overall. 93-9...

Dark color with a little brown tint. The aroma suggests a hint of mustiness, and it isn’t distinctly expressive. There is some old cellar and leather, and it smells of acidity, not balsamic, but possibly a plainer vinegar. It was still musty later, maybe like pot pourri. There is strong Port flavor,...

Dark garnet color. Smells of grape, Concord grape, also with sweet black currant artificial berry, and mulberry. It was still grapy later, and tasted that way too. Sweet and tangy, with some blueberry flavor as well. 92 points. (18 Nov 23)

Best clarity in this group of wines (compared to 1983 Quarels Harris and Dow), with a light garnet hue. Later I noticed a lot of sediment in the bottom of the glass. Subtle aroma with a little spiciness, and dried red fruit roll-up. Light mint. Quite sweet, and not spirity, this does not fit the Tay...

Fairly brown in color on the red-brown spectrum, with some cloudiness and suspended sediment. Totally different than the previously tasted wine (1983 Quarels Harris), with aromas of sweet fruits, cotton candy, caramel, and crème brûlée. (Yes, those aromas came out of a VP!) There was also an aroma l...

Very dark color, with a little brown; overall, garnet. Aroma reveals alcohol warmth, dark fruit, black currant, chocolate, cola, and perhaps sassafras. Nice medium body, with a medium finish. Lots of berry in the flavor, with some orange citrus in the background. Sweeter later, with flavors of boyse...

TCA or some bad funk in the first whiff. This was still there later, leading me to think this was corked. When tasted, I got retronasal TCA effects. Not scored. (18 Nov 23)