For The Love Of Port

Consumed at an offline in London with Roy, Nicos and Tom on 11 Oct 07

Believed bottled in 1973

Decanted 12 hours
I bought this on Ebay some time ago and had promised to share it with Roy Hersh at some point during the 50th anniversary of his Vintage. This was a very composed wine, no heat, no harsh edges, just very smooth and viscous. Declared wine of the night by Nicos with no disagreement form the rest of us.

Decanted 66 Days
Yes, 66 days - I found the N57C bottle in my kithchen cupboard tonight. It still had the T-cork in it that I had used when transporting the bottle to the offline. I was pleased to discover that there was still a small amount of port left in the bottle. Enough for about one third of a glass

Ths mouthfeel was thick and incredibly smooth. Delicious caramel flavours with no flaws whatsoever and no heat. The finish was incredibly long. My cheeks were still watering 4 or 5 minutes after tasting it.

This is the first time I have tasted a Colhieta that has been open this long. This is very sturdy stuff

Derek

Derek,

Good note, but I'd love to know how you forgot about a wine like this for over 2 months :wall:

Andy,

I thought the bottle was empty and had kept it as a momento of the event. Finding the small amount left yesterday was a big surprise.

Derek

Excellant surprise this close to X-mas

It's not a surprise for me, since i think Colheitas can hold on until up to 6 months and sometimes more without loosing properties.

Depends on the producer but I don't agree when a Colheita is at its best. The Niepoort 1957 is a great example. Like Madeira, sometimes these Colheitas as well as some producers of Moscatel de Setubal, can make wines that become more luxurious and concentrated with extended slow aging in the bottle, the way that Derek describes.

It was a pretty wonderful bottle and a great night together with Derek, Nicos and Uncle Tom at London's top Port venue ... The Crusting Pipe.

Thanks for the TN here, Derek and best wishes to you and Jo for a wonderful Christmas!