Event: Brief notes from a huge tasting

[Otto Nieminen]

Domingos Alves de Sousa Quinta da Gaivosa LBV 1999 was a rather dark toned and masculine style, deep and interesting. Nice!

Domingos Alves de Sousa Quinta da Gaivosa VP 2003 was also a very dark toned, inky port, that reminded me of Portal's style. Pretty serious stuff!

Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1998 was a spicy and peachy Port with a good balance between dark and red fruit notes. Typically for the house, it isn't the very sweetest style of Port.

Dow's Senhora da Ribeira VP 2001 is grapey, dark toned with only a little lift; nicely balanced palate but sweeter than I expected for Dow.

Dow's VP 2000 is aromatically closed, with prominent tannins. Despite perhaps a more sugary outlook than in most vintages, the style is very typical for the house. Lovely, but totally shut down.

Calem Colheita Port 1998 (bottled '07) is young and primary in its fruit and shows little oxidative style - frankly I don't understand why such young Colheitas are made! Can someone explain their appeal to me?

Calem Colheita Port 1988 (bottled '07) still has some primary fruit, but also the nuance of the oxidative process. It has very delectable orange-like aromatics and lift. Nice! This is still young I guess, but at this age I begin to understand and like the Colheita style.

Ferreira Duque de Bragança 20 YO Tawny is always a firm favourite with me: sweet and elegant, not overly woody but with true oxidative and orange character. Lovely.

Ferreira VP 1982 is drinking beautifully now: a sweet and red toned nose; elegant palate, fair length. Nice, but not great. But 40€ for a fully mature Port that brings great pleasure is always nice to have around! :)

Graham's Malvedos 2001 is nice, thick and primary and surprisingly dark toned in its fruit for Graham's that I've always thought of as red toned, sweet and strawberry-like. Nice enough.

Graham's VP 1991 is a very nice drop: spicy and strawberried, very sweet but with depth of character - quintessential Graham's style IMO. Nice!

Graham's VP 2003 is nice, don't get me wrong, but I was a bit disappointed with my expectations for the house and the year. A bit simple and one dimensional IMO.

Graham's 30 YO Tawny (bottled '04!!) is just lovely: herbal and even a touch medicinal, yet lovely sweetness and savouryness combined. Not at all overly woody. Elegant and lovely. Though bottled a while back, this doesn't seem like it has suffered.

Kopke VP 2005 is a tough brute at the moment: inky, grapey, primary; sweet and hugely tannic. I like the balance of the components and that the alcohol doesn't stick out - I guess this means that I might like it also in the future! Tough to talk about such a young Port, but it was nice to taste it.

Kopke Colheita 1975 is rather thick and clunky with a surplus of toffee scents. Nice, but IMO cries out more age.

Kopke Colheita 1965 is showing very nicely with a fresh lift and citrussiness in addition to the toffeed notes. Lovely savouryness on the palate. Nice!

Kopke Colheita 1952 is just stunning: a nose of orange, green tea, and lifted and woody notes as well. The palate is sweet but nicely acidic and refreshing. Complex and stunningly beautiful!

Niepoort Secundum VP 1999 is a rather dark and slick style, thick and chocolatey. Nice and fun but rather inelegant.

Quinta das Tecedeiras VP 2003 is a new name to me, but I really enjoyed it! A nose of violets and dark fruit underneath the floral high notes. The palate is thick, well structured, concentrated - all really, really nice, except the finish was a bit too hot.

Quinta de la Rosa VP 1991 is a bit dark and clunky at the moment, a bit tight and inelegant, but still fun to drink.

Quinta de la Rosa VP 1992 is a lighter and more elegant style than the '91, with a more lifted nose and more resolved structure. Very nice!

Quinta de la Rosa LBV 2003 is spicy and full of tobacco scents, dark toned and sweet and much fun.

Quinta de la Rosa Lote 601 Ruby is spicy and red toned and amazingly good for a Ruby! I wouldn't have believed Ruby could be so good.

Quinta do Noval Silval VP 1995 is a charming wine, with a lifted and peachy nose with dark, brooding low notes as well. Very nice.

Quinta do Noval Silval VP 2000 is aromatically very similar to the '95 except it shows more alcohol. Nice, but not at all as good drinking now.

Taylor's Quinta do Vargellas 1998 is red toned and sweet, but with stunning depth - lovely, peachy and sweet. Quite astonishingly good!

Warre's Otima 10 YO Tawny was a bit dull IMO: nutty and simple - goes down easily but doesn't leave much of an impression.

Warre's Otima 20 YO Tawny does leave an impression and a very positive one at that. It has charming citrussy lift in addition to all the heavier and sweeter notes. Very nice.

Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha 1995 has a nice balance between savouryness and sweetness; dark fruit, good balance and length. Very nice.

Warre's VP 2000 is utterly closed. But still what emerges is typical Warre and I like it.

Krohn VP 2003 is primary and floral, dark and thick. Nice.

Krohn LBV 2003 was floral but marred by a fiery finish. I wasn't terribly impressed.

Krohn Colheita 1968 was a charming wine: citrus/orange lift and toffeed low notes; the lovely sweetness is countered by good acidity and oxidative notes. This is an exciting wine because of all the countering sensations which then provide a very complete whole! I like it very much.

Krohn Colheita 1978 is young and too toffeed, a bit simple but nice enough. IMO could have used more time in wood.

-Otto-

[Frederick Blais]

Thanks for the note Otto, Dow's Senhora da Ribeira is not a Dow's from its style. It is really made in a smooth drink young VP.

I've had the 98 and 2005 so far and it is sweet, jammy, fat and definitively lacking nerve and backbone. For american palate only imo.

[Robert O.]

Wow, you weren't joking when you said a huge tasting...Seems like port heaven!

[Andy Velebil]

Otto,

WOW what a great tasting. (sorry I missed this thread earlier)

[Todd Pettinger]

Great notes Otto. That seems like a huge line-up... you must have been spitting or else you wouldn't have been walking I'm sure! :)

There were several interesting notes amoing the many samples you had and I was most interested in the Graham's 2003 VP as a bunch of this has recently landed in a local liquor store at a very decent price. I may pick up a bottle to try to see if I like before committing to a bunch more.

Thanks!

Todd

[Otto Nieminen]

Great notes Otto. That seems like a huge line-up... you must have been spitting or else you wouldn't have been walking I'm sure! :)

Being in Finland, there were a couple people who had somehow obtained entrance and just used the free booze to get totally plastered. I was so embrassed and felt sorry for our Portuguese guests. Does this sort of behaviour happen outside of Finland regularily? I always read it is a typically northern trait...

There were several interesting notes amoing the many samples you had and I was most interested in the Graham's 2003 VP as a bunch of this has recently landed in a local liquor store at a very decent price. I may pick up a bottle to try to see if I like before committing to a bunch more.

Do taste it - it hasn't yet started shutting down. As I said, it is a good wine, but I just expected a bit more. In fact, I might invest in one bottle to see if age will make it more to my taste.

-O-

[Roy Hersh]

Otto,

Fabulous notes and with so many at one time it is impressive to say the least. I know what it is like to walk around and have to assess up to 100 Ports at a time. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often!

Would you do us all a big favor and when you can find the time, please post each note seperately so we can have an improved searchable resource in 2008 with all entries included. Your notes are too valuable not to have them in there. Again, please do take your time.

Thanks!

Roy

[Otto Nieminen]

Would you do us all a big favor and when you can find the time, please post each note seperately so we can have an improved searchable resource in 2008 with all entries included. Your notes are too valuable not to have them in there. Again, please do take your time.

Hello Roy,

May I ask for a bit of clarification? Did you mean that I should post the notes as they are now into separate threads? Or did you mean that I should expand my brief thoughts into proper TNs and then post them each in a separate thread? I'll try to get around to whichever you wish as soon as possible.

-Otto-

[Roy Hersh]

If you chose to elaborate into proper TNs then great, but even if you don't (totally up to you) it would be great to have these in individual threads within the TN Forum.

Thanks and again, take your time!

[SEAN C.]

Wow what a tasting! If I wasn't still recovering from the harvest tour I'd wish I had been there!
I'm very fond of the 80's Ferreira's!