Why is one classic vintage hold and another classic vintage drink/hold?

[WJ Evans]

After this questions, I'll give the 20 questions a rest for a while, as you guys have been very patient answering my noobish questions.

I'm curious about when I look at the FTLOP vintage charts how some classic vintages (1994, 2000, 2003) are listed as hold, and there are multiple older excellent vintages that are also listed as hold, even if 20+ years old, however most of the recent classic/excellent vintages are hold/drink.

Is this purely vintage by vintage based on tasting on where that vintage stands of whether it's ready to drink now, and the recent vintage cluster of drink/hold is just a random pattern/cluster, or is there a different explanation for why it seems like the recent vintages are drink/hold and the older vintages are hold?

[Glenn E.]

Winemaking has improved pretty dramatically in the Douro over the last 30-some years. In the past, VP was often too tannic and beastly to be fully enjoyed when young, not that it stopped some people from trying! But massive improvements started with roughly the 1994 vintage that made young Port more approachable, and those improvements have continued to the present day. To the point that now, a brand-new Graham or Fonseca is wonderfully enjoyable while young yet will still likely last for 50+ years.

Ergo, drink/hold. Hold them if you want to because they will improve with age, or drink them if you want to because they are delicious and very approachable right now.

Note that the early 1990s vintages are reaching the beginnings of maturity now anyway, so some of those that are listed as "hold" might be ready to switch over to drink/hold. They are at the beginning of their maturity, but will continue to age gracefully (in most cases) for easily another 20 years. Or even 50 years for the best ones.

[WJ Evans]

Glenn,

Thanks for explanation. I was wondering if new winemaking techniques were part of it.

I think I'm going to try some of my 2011 and 2016 bottles, which I have a lot of and I've been holding off trying.

[Mike J. W.]

Glenn,

Thanks for explanation. I was wondering if new winemaking techniques were part of it.

I think I'm going to try some of my 2011 and 2016 bottles, which I have a lot of and I've been holding off trying.

If you have multiple bottles of the same Port, trying one now also gives you the opportunity of establishing a baseline for them. You can take notes and refer to them later when you open the same bottle in say 20 years. The similarities and contrasts will be fun to discover.

[WJ Evans]

Glenn,

Thanks for explanation. I was wondering if new winemaking techniques were part of it.

I think I'm going to try some of my 2011 and 2016 bottles, which I have a lot of and I've been holding off trying.

If you have multiple bottles of the same Port, trying one now also gives you the opportunity of establishing a baseline for them. You can take notes and refer to them later when you open the same bottle in say 20 years. The similarities and contrasts will be fun to discover.

Good point. I think I'll start doing this and make notes as I go.

At one time I thought Coravin would be great for doing this as well, but have read some mixed reviews on it and whether bottles survive long term.