For The Love Of Port

As far as vintage port goes I'd have to say (top to bottom) that Quinta Do Noval Nacional would take the top spot. In terms of a top producer of premium ports - Taylor would probably be my choice. Finally, IMHO Warre would be my selection as the finest port house across the board. Noval Nacional typ...

I tend to keep most of my OWCs. I have a Cockburn 1955 case that I've found makes a nice display container.

To a large extent the styles reflect choices that have made by the individual houses. For example Dow's typically arrests the fermentation at a later stage than most and as a result a greater amount of sugar has been converted into alcohol, thereby producing a VP with a lower natural sugar content (...

In my experience Dow's is somewhat drier (less sweet) than most while Grahams tends to produce fairly sweet wines. Warres falls somewhere between those two houses and is on the opulent side. Taylors typically is very structured and had a tannic backbone that needs many years to soften and Fonseca is...

Over the years I've picked up a number of '91s and at this point I'm just cellaring them. Possibly in four to five years I may begin to pop a few corks but for the time being I'm letting them sleep.

I recently purchased a number of bottles of the '95 Fonseca at $40.00 a bottle, so I'd say that 40 euros a bottle was a fair price.

I'd say that the '70 Taylor would be my first choice. That selection would be followed by the '63 Warre & the '85 Fonseca. Whatever you decide to choose off that list should be fantastic!

As someone who is at ground zero in this entire David Beckham hoopla I'd just like all the hype to die down. EVERY news broadcast has some sort of special segment about David and/or Posh and/or their dog and/or their choice in laundry detergent. From all indication Beckham is a little past his prime...

Port: 70% (after VP, age indicated tawnys would be the second largest port category)
Maderia: 0%
Douro Table Wines: 2%

I tried port-on-the-rocks this past weekend and I must say that I was somewhat disappointed. Although I think that there it has the potential of being a nice refreshing drink - a liitle more tinkering will need to be done to fine tune the taste. I did try altering the mix a bit by combining 50% whit...

I like a certain amount of sweetness, but not something that will be overpowering. I also like to know that the backbone is there, but I'd rather not experience mouth puckering tannins. With that said, Warre typically provides the balance that I'm looking for. Noval, Niepoort & Burmester are als...

I have a ton of this particular wine and I'd say that you got a deal! Your per bottle price (even including auction fees) is the lowest price that I've seen for a Taylor's '95.

I'm in total agreement with you. I'd say that the overall quality of crusted ports across the board is generally higher than that of the LBV segment. Although I must say that there are a few LBVs out there (Churchill for example) that can rival the best crusted ports. In America it is fairly difficu...

My first port was a Taylor 30 year old. The experience was amazing! I had no idea that Port had so many layers or that the flavors would be so pronounced. Like Andy said, the rest is history....

I'd have to go with 1955. The '55 vintage was outstanding and wines produced combine a nice amount of very enjoyable fruit along with a backbone that will allow them to keep for a very long time. Niepoort, Cockburn & Graham are simply stunning, Taylor & Fonseca aren't far behind either.

Great notes!

Personally, I'll focusing on older vintages 30's, 40's, 50's & some 60's. I'm not really looking for anything younger than a '77, but with that being said I do tend to come across "deals" on younger vintages (80's & 90's) and when I find a bargain I tend to buy in quantity. These b...

The 95's are a great choice for medium-term drinking. The current prices are reasonable and the wines are of very high quality. Since the fantasic 94's were already in barrel there was NO chance of a general declaration in 95 -otherwise I think you would of seen quite a few additional shippers decla...

I'd have to go with the '70 Niepoort.

If you're looking for a port to enjoy in the near future go with the Grahams. If you're able to source the Taylor's for 25% less than the Grahams AND you're willing to wait until the Taylors reaches its true drinking window then I'd say that the clear choice is the Taylor's.