What have you opened this week?

[Mike J. W.]

1997 Pocas Colheita. Bottled 2016, so 19 years in barrel. Pocas makes delicious Colheitas and TWAIOA. This is a really good port, but I prefer the '92. That's not to say this isn't good. It is, it's very good, but the '92 is really good IMHO.

[David Spriggs]

2000 Quinta De La Prelada LBV - Impressive!

[Moses Botbol]

Had a good run of port the last couple of days. It's snowing so why not?

Thursday was 1970 Ramos Pinto Vintage, 1980 Ramos Pinto Vintage, 1970 Grahams Vintage, and 1985 Niepoort Vintage

Last night was 1963 Warre Vintage and 1966 Croft Vintage.

I plan to take it easy tonight, maybe some madeira? Feeling it from all those bottles...

[Mike J. W.]

What are your thoughts on the '85 Niepoort?

[Mike J. W.]

2000 Quinta De La Prelada LBV - Impressive!

That's a new one on me. Did you buy it locally? I just found the '15 and '12 LBV on Wine-Searcher, but only in Europe.

[Moses Botbol]

What are your thoughts on the '85 Niepoort?

They're okay, mid pack at best for the vintage. A bit of bottle variation. I'm about halfway down on a case of it. This particular bottle showed pretty well. By the time in the night I opened it, I wasn't looking for a show stopper.

[Glenn E.]

Quinta da Romaneira 40 Year Old Tawny Port, bottled 2018

i.e. not the spectacular ones of old. This was one of the new ones with the black and gold only (no red) label. I still have one of the old ones left, along with now just one more of the new ones, and those will probably get opened together some time to compare and contrast.

Others like this better than I did, scoring it as high as 95 points. I gave it 93... I felt the acidity was too prominent to go any higher.

[Mike J. W.]

Quinta da Romaneira 40 Year Old Tawny Port, bottled 2018

i.e. not the spectacular ones of old. This was one of the new ones with the black and gold only (no red) label. I still have one of the old ones left, along with now just one more of the new ones, and those will probably get opened together some time to compare and contrast.

Others like this better than I did, scoring it as high as 95 points. I gave it 93... I felt the acidity was too prominent to go any higher.

Do you think the acidity will mellow with more time in the bottle and thus the score might be higher later?

[Glenn E.]

Quinta da Romaneira 40 Year Old Tawny Port, bottled 2018

i.e. not the spectacular ones of old. This was one of the new ones with the black and gold only (no red) label. I still have one of the old ones left, along with now just one more of the new ones, and those will probably get opened together some time to compare and contrast.

Others like this better than I did, scoring it as high as 95 points. I gave it 93... I felt the acidity was too prominent to go any higher.

Do you think the acidity will mellow with more time in the bottle and thus the score might be higher later?

That's tough to predict. I suspect that the answer is yes, but can only guess as to how much time in bottle that might take. Given the level of acidity in it I would guess that 5 years wouldn't be enough, so maybe 8-10? The problem being that you'd probably need a large supply to be able to really dial it in, and AFAIK it is only sold in Denmark now.

[John M.]

Ramos Pinto 20 TWAIOA

Superb! Really love this brand--whatever they make I seem to enjoy; cannot recall anything sub-par.

[Andy Velebil]

1995 Taylor’s Qta d. Vargellas VP. Posted a note but forgot to list here. Very good.

[Andy Velebil]

Ramos Pinto 20 TWAIOA

Superb! Really love this brand--whatever they make I seem to enjoy; cannot recall anything sub-par.

Agree

[Eric Ifune]

San Leonardo 20 yo white

[Mike J. W.]

San Leonardo 20 yo white

I opened one a few weeks back. It is superb!

[David Spriggs]

2000 Quinta De La Prelada LBV - Impressive!

That's a new one on me. Did you buy it locally? I just found the '15 and '12 LBV on Wine-Searcher, but only in Europe.

I bought it on my second Port Harvest Tour in 2006 at Vinologia in Porto. I have never seen it in the USA.

[Thomas V]

Drank a Kopke 10 YO White over a week. I tend to forget just how amazing quality of wine you get with even entry level port. This 10 YO from Kopke is no exception. Just crystal clear, succulent and packed with tropical flavours coated with honey. It was gone in a whiff.

Tonight I will be joined by 2 childhood friends and I intend to crack open a 2003 Kopke White colheita. A special vintage for me and one of the best white colheitas on the market in my humble opinion. If they behave I might add a 1985 Warre's VP to the pot. We shall see.

Have a great weekend and crack open something nice. Spring is coming and hope of getting out from under the corona-shadow.

[Andy Velebil]

Morgado 10 yr tawny (by Sogrape). Picked up at my local Trader Joe’s for $12. This is my second bottle of it and it’s a very good value. At this price will make a good house port.

[Mike J. W.]

2015 Graham's LBV. Filtered. A nice, easy drinking LBV although I prefer the 2015 Sandeman LBV over it.

[Glenn E.]

1983 Gould Campbell. Outstanding. It's a real shame that the Symingtons have retired this brand, as the Ports are among the most consistent in the business. Right up there with Graham in terms of reliability year after year.

[Mike J. W.]

1983 Gould Campbell. Outstanding. It's a real shame that the Symingtons have retired this brand, as the Ports are among the most consistent in the business. Right up there with Graham in terms of reliability year after year.

I like Gould a lot, but the last 2 1980's I had were badly corked and the '77 I had was off as well. I'm hoping I hit a bad patch with them and that's the end of it. I have a few more 63's, 80's, '83's, 91's and 00's still to drink through.