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Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 1:04 pm
by Scott Esterly
Maybe this is a dumb question, but is it common for the cork to have a different vintage than the label?
1992 Quinta do Infantado (it also says “estate bottled”)
Also interesting is that it’s a numbered bottle, Bottle 0944 of 16,250
- IMG_1992.jpeg (473.91 KiB) Viewed 2141 times
Re: Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 1:49 pm
by Andy Velebil
Common, no. Does it happen once in a great while, yes.
Common causes: accidental, ran out of current supply and used what was on hand, cork supplier made a mistake and too late to correct it, sample bottle (used what they had on hand)…
Re: Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2023 9:08 am
by Moses Botbol
So which one is right? '91 or '92?
Re: Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:21 am
by Mike J. W.
How's the '92 Infantado, Scott? I have a few bottles but have never tried that year from Infantado.
Re: Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2023 3:42 pm
by Glenn E.
Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 9:08 am
So which one is right? '91 or '92?
Almost certainly the label. They might run out of corks and use one that's technically for a different product because the cork isn't visible, but I seriously doubt that they'd intentionally use the wrong label.
(An old-style label, but for the same Port? Sure. But never a
wrong label.)
Re: Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 8:08 am
by Scott Esterly
Mike J. W. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:21 am
How's the '92 Infantado, Scott? I have a few bottles but have never tried that year from Infantado.
It's a very interesting port. I liked it a lot, would probably score it 90 or maybe even 91. The main reason I wouldn't score it any higher is because it lacks complexity. For instance, the only other 1992 vintage I've had was the Fonseca, which was robust with complexity. I'm not experienced enough to know whether or not the 92 Infantado will improve with more cellaring, but my hunch is that it might (I'm also wondering what this might've tasted like 5-10 years ago). The most striking thing about it, for me, was the color. It practically looked like a tawny. I even detected some raisin notes along with the predominantly creamy & cherry flavor as I drank it over two nights. (It tasted better the first night).
I came across one tasting note on Cellar Tracker that said it was drinking great right after pulling the cork. That wasn't my experience. After about 5 hours of decanting it was much better.
The bottom line for me is that the 92 Infantado is a pleasant drinker. It didn't knock my socks off, but I'll likely buy another bottle or two of it should I come across them in the future.
Re: Vintage - cork & label different years
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 2:56 pm
by Mike J. W.
Scott Esterly wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 8:08 am
Mike J. W. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:21 am
How's the '92 Infantado, Scott? I have a few bottles but have never tried that year from Infantado.
It's a very interesting port. I liked it a lot, would probably score it 90 or maybe even 91. The main reason I wouldn't score it any higher is because it lacks complexity. For instance, the only other 1992 vintage I've had was the Fonseca, which was robust with complexity. I'm not experienced enough to know whether or not the 92 Infantado will improve with more cellaring, but my hunch is that it might (I'm also wondering what this might've tasted like 5-10 years ago). The most striking thing about it, for me, was the color. It practically looked like a tawny. I even detected some raisin notes along with the predominantly creamy & cherry flavor as I drank it over two nights. (It tasted better the first night).
I came across one tasting note on Cellar Tracker that said it was drinking great right after pulling the cork. That wasn't my experience. After about 5 hours of decanting it was much better.
The bottom line for me is that the 92 Infantado is a pleasant drinker. It didn't knock my socks off, but I'll likely buy another bottle or two of it should I come across them in the future.
Thanks Scott. It sounds like a decent Port. I'll have to try one soon.