What have you opened this week?

[Andy Velebil]

Friday the High Bridge Port Club is Meeting and we will be having a vertical of Quinta do Crasto LBVs. Annually I would buy at least a case, drink some, give some away, swap some but I saved 2 per year thinking someday have a vertical. So this Friday we will be tasting one set. In the line up are 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 (there is no 2009), 2011, 2012 and 2014 (missing 2013 & 2015 and anything prior to 2006). To make an even 8 we are adding in a 1994 Q. do Crasto VP (Mike J. W. is bringing that!--he is the Honored Guest).

Looking forward to this one. I've long felt the Crasto LBVs are very good and most I got for $12 to $18/per so an awesome QPR. That and some I've not tasted in a decade so interested to see how they have evolved. The plan is to taste all blind.

BTW, the other set has the 2004 and 2005 and I need to get the 2013 and 2015. So hoping in another 5-10 to be repeating this on a grander scale.

Crasto does make some excellent LBVs. While still young it should be a fun tasting. So let us know how it goes.

[Al B.]

A bottle of Warre 1963. Absolutely delicious.

Warre 1963

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[David Spriggs]

A bottle of Warre 1963. Absolutely delicious.

Wow! Nice!

[David Spriggs]

1994 Quinta do Vesuvio VP in the wooden case with all the goodies inside.

[Andy Velebil]

Quevedo 10 yr tawny.

[Glenn E.]

1937 Quinta do Noval Colheita, bottled 1997

I've had this for quite a few years... possibly 10?... and was really wondering how it would taste with so much bottle age. The answer was: fantastic! There was no sign of bottle age in the glass (I decanted it for 2 hours, then it took us another 2.5 hours to get to it during the tasting) and it contrasted very nicely with a 1952 Burmester Colheita. The Burmester was smoother and more refined, whereas the Noval was bigger, bolder, and more powerful. Not to the level of a 1937 Kopke Colheita, but in that range.

We commented that the Burmester seemed very much like a DR L70, while the Noval seemed very much like a Mourao "60". High praise!

[Mike J. W.]

1937 Quinta do Noval Colheita, bottled 1997

I've had this for quite a few years... possibly 10?... and was really wondering how it would taste with so much bottle age. The answer was: fantastic! There was no sign of bottle age in the glass (I decanted it for 2 hours, then it took us another 2.5 hours to get to it during the tasting) and it contrasted very nicely with a 1952 Burmester Colheita. The Burmester was smoother and more refined, whereas the Noval was bigger, bolder, and more powerful. Not to the level of a 1937 Kopke Colheita, but in that range.

We commented that the Burmester seemed very much like a DR L70, while the Noval seemed very much like a Mourao "60". High praise!

That makes me really happy to read this, as you know I just recently picked up two of these. Mine was bottled a year earlier. I'm opening 1 up in September when I do a Colheita "vertical" with a bunch of friends. It won't be the same Producer, but we'll have a Colheita from the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's & 80's.

[Eric Menchen]

1985 Kopke Colheita, 375 ml, bottled 2015. Very tasty.

[Mike J. W.]

1985 Warre's. It's a leaker, high mid-shoulder. I found some mold under the capsule and the cork was saturated. It's sitting in the decanter for tonight, but a quick taste gave off some slight hints of TCA. We'll see.

+8 hours - Corked

[Eric Ifune]

Vieira de Sousa Very Old White.

[Mike J. W.]

After confirming tonight that the '85 Warre's I opened earlier today was corked, I opened up a Maynard's 20 y.o. tawny.

[Andy Velebil]

2007 Dows Colheita. Bottled in 2021, very good I may add.

[John M.]

Tonight dinner at a very nice restaurant in NJ that is BYO....For dessert have a 20 Yr Pacheca--excited as I've never had before. One of the reds is a Quevedo Grande Reserva from one of the buying ops!!

[Al B.]

1937 Quinta do Noval Colheita, bottled 1997

I've had this for quite a few years... possibly 10?... and was really wondering how it would taste with so much bottle age. The answer was: fantastic! There was no sign of bottle age in the glass (I decanted it for 2 hours, then it took us another 2.5 hours to get to it during the tasting) and it contrasted very nicely with a 1952 Burmester Colheita. The Burmester was smoother and more refined, whereas the Noval was bigger, bolder, and more powerful. Not to the level of a 1937 Kopke Colheita, but in that range.

We commented that the Burmester seemed very much like a DR L70, while the Noval seemed very much like a Mourao "60". High praise!

Did you buy that bottle direct from the Quinta back in 2006 when we went there on Roy’s trip? It rings a vague bell…

[Andy Velebil]

Tonight dinner at a very nice restaurant in NJ that is BYO....For dessert have a 20 Yr Pacheca--excited as I've never had before. One of the reds is a Quevedo Grande Reserva from one of the buying ops!!

How were they?

[John M.]

Tonight dinner at a very nice restaurant in NJ that is BYO....For dessert have a 20 Yr Pacheca--excited as I've never had before. One of the reds is a Quevedo Grande Reserva from one of the buying ops!!

How were they?

The Quevedo was superb but really needed some air (as an aside, I feel most Portuguese reds need considerable air time to be at their best--more that typical). Wish I had purchased more of these.

The Pacheca was stunning (I wrote a TN). Easily in the top tier of the best 20 Year TWAIOA.

[John M.]

I've started a Port Wine group at work, too. We meet once a month or so over Zoom (we are all over the USA, with occasional overseas) and try to get the same Port to drink. Tonight it is the Dow's 20 Year Tawny. Mine is bottled in 2020. Last month was any Warre's LBV (everybody else's was 2008, mine was 2002); the month before that Fonseca 20 Year Tawny. It just takes an hour and just one bottle--but still quite enjoyable to sip Port and share conversation.

[Andy Velebil]

I've started a Port Wine group at work, too. We meet once a month or so over Zoom (we are all over the USA, with occasional overseas) and try to get the same Port to drink. Tonight it is the Dow's 20 Year Tawny. Mine is bottled in 2020. Last month was any Warre's LBV (everybody else's was 2008, mine was 2002); the month before that Fonseca 20 Year Tawny. It just takes an hour and just one bottle--but still quite enjoyable to sip Port and share conversation.

That’s cool!!

[Glenn E.]

DR L70, bottle number 106/200. (Read as: 2021 bottling.)

Pretty spectacular. One person gave it 99 points... I gave it 98.

[Al B.]

Vieira de Sousa 1981 LBV - an odd bottle I bought a few years ago and meant to open last year but COVID got in the way. Opened with tongs for some friends round for a barbecue so they could compare it with a Poças 2017 LBV.

Not bad, but I’m not looking to replace it.