I guess I can get the tasting notes for this event started off!
First of all, thank you Glenn and Roy for putting together such an epic tasting,
![[cheers.gif]](./images/smilies/cheers.gif "Toast")
these wines were much, much older than what I've tried before and it was a real treat. A great way to celebrate the 5th anniversary of
First Flight
1900 Nieport Colheita
Bottled in 1972
This port had a great colour, diluted "cola" brown with a bright yellow rim. A swirl in the glass showed heavy tears, which I later checked and saw that it's at 22% alc. The aromas to me reminded me of coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon. The first sip of this was quite sharp (again the high alcohol) but that gave way to a very nice high acidity with toffee and citrus notes. It also had a bit of jammyness in the background which I liked. It had a long finish, a great balance and was very Madeira like. An impressive tawny for the amount of time its been in the bottle for. 95+ points
1
904 Sandeman VP
Bottle from an auction and was labelled "believed Sandeman". The cork read 1904 vintage but no indication of the port house.
This port was a light brown/tawnyish colour, though it did have a bit of ruby left, and was cloudy. Tilting the glass gave way to a rim clear as water. On the nose, it smelled smokey, of "hickory sticks and BBQ chips" (to borrow others words) and could be all related to a bit of bottle stink. Once it aired out a bit, I had a lot more cedar on the nose. It tasted of toasted spices, hickory (which faded as the port aired out) and a hint of jam was still left that felt like it was just about to fade. It was an interesting bottle but felt past its time (drink now). 88 points
1934 Fonseca VP
This port was slightly darker than the 1904 Sandeman, and was more tawny and clearer than the 1935 Cockburn. The aromas were a nicely balanced dark fruit blended with cinnamon and had an almost matured tawny like nose. It has a very crisp acidity, had an almost root beer and vanilla flavour and was a little smokey in the background. Overall, I quite liked this bottle, however it was beginning to show its age and should probably be drank now. 94 points
1935 Cockburn VP
The Cockburn was a dark brown with a clear rim and a little cloudy. The nose was a combination of spices and mint. It had some dark fruit on the palate, cherry notably, and a bit of heat. This port was definitely changing over the night and tasted a little different every time. It was interesting to try split declaration VPs ('34/'35) but this time I preferred the '34. Overall, it was very good, but not quite great. 91 points.
1937 Quinta do Noval Colheita
Bottled in 2008
This tawny was a dark brown with a yellow/lime rim (less yellow than the 1900). It had a wonderful bouquet of toasted pecan and almonds, with the pecan aroma developing as the wine aired out. It had quite high acidity and very Madeira like flavours. One of my favourites of the night. 96 points.
1940 Kopke Colheita
Bottled in 1988
The Kopke was a dark brown with a light brown / lime rim (noticeably less yellow than the '37 Noval). There was quite a bit of bottle stink on the nose that was hard to get past but I picked up on some cinnamon and apple. It tasted of pecan pie and as others described, also had some rhubarb in it. I was a little disappointed with the bottle, it was good but I was hoping it'd be in the 90s, though it may be a few points higher with a better bottle. 88 points
1944 Nieport Colheita
Bottled 1974
The second of the "WWII Colheitas", the tawny was a similar colour as the '40 Kopke (dark brown with a light brown / lime rim). The aromatics were lighter than expected and I couldn't get much off of it. The palate was full of spices and caramel but was one dimensional. I suspect it has to do with the 36 years its been sitting in the bottle for, this could be much better with a newer bottling. 89 points
Winner of the first flight: Very difficult, both the 1900 Nieport and '37 Noval were wonderful.
I'll get to typing up the next batch of notes shortly
![[yahoo.gif]](./images/smilies/yahoo.gif "YIKES!"){kind=small}
![[berserker.gif]](./images/smilies/berserker.gif "Challenger"){kind=small}
![[dash1.gif]](./images/smilies/dash1.gif "Pointless"){kind=small}
![[shrug.gif]](./images/smilies/shrug.gif "Huh?"){kind=small}
He did ask me for the URL and expressed interest in next year's Harvest Tour ![[friends.gif]](./images/smilies/friends.gif "Friends"){kind=small}
