1983 Cockburn Vintage Port

[Eric Menchen]

Tasted blind in a lineup of 1983 Vintage Ports.

Nice garnet color with good clarity. Classic Port aroma, but nothing distinct initially. Later there was some alcohol and menthol. In the mouth, dark berry; sharp heat competing with strong fruit flavors. 91 points.

Not corked!

[John Vachon]

Your lucky.

[Eric Menchen]

Your lucky.

It was not my first try, but the first success.

[Bradley Bogdan]

I can also vouch that the last couple sips were still TCA free the next morning, so this seems to have been quite the bottle. I'm curious whether there's a rhyme or reason to the corked bottles that could be divined. I know they're all Douro bottled, but perhaps the cases that went to importer X were relatively sound vs the ones that went to importer Y? Probably something that would have been easier to try to track beginning years ago.

[Glenn E.]

I'm curious whether there's a rhyme or reason to the corked bottles that could be divined.

It seems to be mostly just the bottles from 1983 that say "Cockburn" on the label.

Though to be fair, I'm having pretty good luck with them. This is the 2nd (or 3rd?) in a row that has been superb, and I can only recall a single corked bottle waaay back at one of my earliest tastings - the final session of the 2009 Port Gala. Which, of course, I didn't notice and had to be told it was corked.

[Eric Menchen]

I think there have been some reports of mixed results even from a single case, but this is just hearsay to me.

[Andy Velebil]

This was a rock'n bottle for sure. Only the second non-TCA tainted bottle I've had of this...out of many opened.

[Roy Hersh]

This one came from my cellar. I've had quite a few that were not corked and go into detail about how often I've found them in previous cases that I've gone through. Check on the homepage, the Blog entry on how to avoid TCA in this particular VP.

[John Vachon]

Had my first good one last nite it was better than the 83 Fonseca with it(is one of three good?).

[Glenn E.]

(is one of three good?)

For '83 Cockburn? From what I've heard, yes.

[Andy Velebil]

Had my first good one last nite it was better than the 83 Fonseca with it(is one of three good?).

I've never been a fan of the 1980 or 1983 Fonseca. Both are far from the normal greatness this house can achieve. A solid, non-corked, Cockburn blows away any 1983 Fonseca.

[Glenn E.]

A solid, non-corked, Cockburn blows away any 1983 Fonseca.

The corked ones do, too.