What have you opened this week?

[Glenn E.]

2003 Taylor LBV b. 2008
2003 Quevedo LBV (unfiltered) b. 2007
2003 Noval LBV (unfiltered, but not the single vineyard version) b. 2008
2003 Noval Silval VP
2003 Noval VP

I have owned all but the Silval since release, and had intended to open them last year for their 20th birthday. But this year for their 21st "legal drinking age" birthday also worked.

The original idea was to see how the 2 unfiltered LBVs would age. I purchased 6-packs of each and tried 1 of each back in 2018, and at that time determined that they were not yet "ready". The Taylor was added to see how a filtered LBV would compare with the same bottle age, and the Noval VP was added as a reference point since we all know that VP ages well in bottle.

The Silval was added as a "ringer" when I was shopping for something else and noticed it. But it sort of completes the picture, because it meant that the 5 bottles covered all of the tiers of premium Port in the same tasting, albeit not all from the same producer. (Sorry, IVDP, I don't count Ruby Reserve as a premium Port.)

Surprisingly, there wasn't a consensus for Port of the Night. The Noval VP shared that honor... with the Taylor (filtered) LBV. I guess maybe they do age nicely in bottle after all?

[Mike J. W.]

1973 Quinta d Devesa special reserve white port. Best showing of it so far. The two components seem to be integrating nicely.

Andy, how does this stack up against the Casa de Santa Eufemia Reserva Especial White Port from the same year?

[Andy Velebil]

1973 Quinta d Devesa special reserve white port. Best showing of it so far. The two components seem to be integrating nicely.

Andy, how does this stack up against the Casa de Santa Eufemia Reserva Especial White Port from the same year?

The SE was better of the two, last I had the SE.