1994 Offley Boa Vista vintage port

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Lindsay E.
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1994 Offley Boa Vista vintage port

Post by Lindsay E. »

On pop 'n pour (and for 2 days after) this had a nose of purple fruits, leather and banana. The palate was extremely primary and concentrated with the most dominant flavor being blueberry. The finish was fairly long with spiky acid and distinct tannins that were not too overpowering. Based on the initial showing of this wine, my advice would be to hold for 10 more years minimum.

However, this wine really hit its stride on day 4 & 5 where the purple fruit nose had calmed down and was replaced by cigar box and black licorice. The palate was raisiny, with tobacco and cassis. The finish was still grippy acidity and blue/blackberry. My day 1 score on this was 91pts and by day 4 & 5 I've upgraded to 92-93pts.
Last edited by Lindsay E. on Fri Nov 11, 2016 10:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Glenn E.
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Re: 1994 Offley vintage port

Post by Glenn E. »

'94 Offley Boa Vista did very well at the 1994 Horizontal, as I recall. A bit of a surprise for most people. Was yours an OBV or just a straight Offley?
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Mahmoud Ali
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Re: 1994 Offley vintage port

Post by Mahmoud Ali »

Ooh, glad to hear that the '94 Offley Boa Vista fared well as I'm sure I have a bottle (as well as '95). And speaking of the 1994s, was there a Duff Gordon in the tasting? I bought that on a whim and am hoping that it doesn't turn out to be a "duff" bottle.

Mahmoud

PS: I am using "duff" referring to the Brit/Aus/NZ meaning: bad, poor, useless, pathetic, inferior, worthless, unsatisfactory, defective, deficient, imperfect, substandard, low-rent. Also, the informal British adjective meaning not working out or operating correctly; dud: a duff idea; a duff engine; a duff port.

I am not referring to the other usages:
- a stiff flour pudding steamed or boiled usually and containing e.g. currants and raisins and citron.
- decaying leaves and branches covering a forest floor.
- fine coal; slack.
- the rump or buttocks.
- up the duff: (slang) pregnant.
- (slang) to change the appearance of or give a false appearance to (old or stolen goods); fake.
(thanks to the the Free Dictionary)
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Lindsay E.
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Re: 1994 Offley vintage port

Post by Lindsay E. »

Glenn E. wrote:'94 Offley Boa Vista did very well at the 1994 Horizontal, as I recall. A bit of a surprise for most people. Was yours an OBV or just a straight Offley?

Thanks for the reminder, Glenn. It was a Boa Vista and I'be edited the title of my original post to reflect that.
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Glenn E.
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Re: 1994 Offley vintage port

Post by Glenn E. »

Mahmoud Ali wrote:Ooh, glad to hear that the '94 Offley Boa Vista fared well as I'm sure I have a bottle (as well as '95). And speaking of the 1994s, was there a Duff Gordon in the tasting? I bought that on a whim and am hoping that it doesn't turn out to be a "duff" bottle.
I had to dig up my tasting notes, but yes there was!

I gave it 87 points:

Color: medium light red, almost tawny
Nose: Tangy, almost like yellow mustard. Cider vinegar.
Palate: Toasted. Tawny-like. Medium dry. Way too tawny overall - about like a poor 20-year old. Likely damaged in some way, but difficult to tell exactly.

So... probably not a great TN to use to judge a purchase, as I strongly suspect it was an off bottle. I don't recall (and did not note) what others thought. I do go ahead and rate most off bottles, though, just so that I know how I felt about them at the time, I just make sure to note that it was off so that I can discount the rating appropriately in the future. (As should you.)
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Mahmoud Ali
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Re: 1994 Offley Boa Vista vintage port

Post by Mahmoud Ali »

Thanks Glen, much obliged. Your mention of digging up notes reminded me that I had an old file with some port reviews and sure enough there were a few reviews of the '94 Boa Vista and Duff Gordon. From my records:

94 Offley Boa Vista:
Decanter magazine's tasting panel described this Port as "A wine with a nice, fresh nose from beginning to close. Big and powerful, with good fruit integration and showing jammy, spicy, black currant fruit and a powerful finish."

94 Duff Gordon (Offley): surprisingly there were three reviews of this port.
• 'Highly Recommended' by England's Decanter magazine. Their tasting panel described the wine as a Port with "a fat nose and very soft, plump palate. Easy tannins come through on the finish and the fruit flavour is clean, with all the right attributes. Perfect for winter sipping."
Clear dark ruby, with appealing scents of licorice, dark plums and stone fruit, a holiday fruitcake in a glass. Very full-bodied and ripe, tart acidity and firm tannins, but there's so much fruit that it's surprisingly accessible already. Like most Vintage Port, it will benefit from much more aging. But - especially if you can find it for a price like this - there's no reason not to enjoy it now. U.S. importer: Palm Bay Imports, Boca Raton, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2001) ($24.99). 30 Second Wine Advisor.
Inky colored with plenty of crushed raspberry and orange peel character on the nose. Full-bodied and sweet, with big, soft tannins and a long, chocolatey aftertaste. Best from 2005 through 2015. US$54.99. Rated 89 Wine Spectator.

This record of old reviews suggested that I probably have a '94 Offley LBV in my collection. Sure enough when I checked my cellar list (outdated though it is) there it was, a bottle bought in London for £9.99. The review for that:

"A fresh and vibrant LBV, with berry violet and cherry aromas. Medium bodied, with firm tannins and a sleek and fruity finish. Well crafted. Drink now or hold for a few years." 88 points (1999-07-31)Wine Spectator.

Of course these are all old notes that I collected some time ago so they do not reflect how they might be today.

Cheers .................... Mahmoud.
Moses Botbol
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Re: 1994 Offley Boa Vista vintage port

Post by Moses Botbol »

I just saw a bunch of these in my cellar yesterday I never knew I had! [yahoo.gif]
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Mahmoud Ali
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Re: 1994 Offley Boa Vista vintage port

Post by Mahmoud Ali »

Good news there Moses, congratulations.
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