For The Love Of Port

1999 Churchill's LBV, bottled 2003. Very nice. I love aged LBV's.

Pocas 2011 vp, still very young and primary

I’ve decanted a 1994 Kopke VP for later today.

Quinta da Pacheca 20 y.o. Tawny

Birthday bottle: 1964 Krohn Colheita Branco, bottled 2007. These went through a down spot where they seemed to be showing too much bottle age, but this one is really good and not showing the bottle age at all, at least not to me. I suspect that this bottle is one I did not acquire from Premier Cru, so that may also have something to do with it.

Saturday night was an '85 Ferreira VP. I hope to finish it tonight.

Context can be everything. This is a Ferreira 10 year old tawny, probably 90-92 points. But tonight it felt like 96+ points.

1997 Dow's VP. Absolute beauty. A top port that will continue to improve. Was just so tasty that it was gone in 30 mins with 5 tasters. Dang

1985 Calem

A wine I have nine notes on - seven with VA, one corked, one good.

This bottle had only traces of VA, to be fair, but the underlying wine is no great superstar - one to avoid..

Thomas V wrote:1997 Dow's VP. Absolute beauty. A top port that will continue to improve. Was just so tasty that it was gone in 30 mins with 5 tasters. Dang

That’s quick even with 5 people. Well done!!

Tom Archer wrote:1985 Calem

A wine I have nine notes on - seven with VA, one corked, one good.

This bottle had only traces of VA, to be fair, but the underlying wine is no great superstar - one to avoid..

Not a good track record…

A UK bottled Taylor 1963. Very fiery, even after 24 hours.

A wine dinner with friends tonight for which I opened and decanted last night at 10pm, a bottle of Constantino 1963.

Noval '75

Bit pale on decanting, darkening soon after. Had good composure at D+6hrs, but at D+24 it was an absolute stunner! - perfect nose, and perfectly refined and mature on the palate.

My best bottle of the year to date, and worthy of the perfect 10. Will it now fade? Hopefully not, but I'll score it 10-9

This, I think, the first time I've given a 10 score to a '75

Grahams Six Grapes. While not a perfect 10 as Tom’s Noval, it’s still an enjoyable fruit driven port.

2008 Ramos Pinto LBV. It's a meh drink. It actually tasted better on Day 4 than Day 1. I have another bottle so I'll give it several more years and try again.

Getting together with college buddies this weekend at the shore. This is an annual event, but it was postponed last year due to Covid. Last year would have been 40 years since we graduated. My ports are 40 year themed as follows:

1976 Warre Colheita Reserve (bottled 2008)
1977 Fonseca VP (might be slightly corked, so I brought a back up 40 yo tawny. we'll see tonight)
1978 Krohn Colheita (bottled 2008)
nothing for 1979
1980 Dow VP
Kopke over 40 y.o. Tawny (bottled 2013)

I threw in a '94 Fonseca VP because everyone clamors for it every year.

1987 Kopke Colheita

A 375 ml bottle, bottled in 2007. While this was very nice, I think this is a bottle that suggests not letting some colheitas go that long in bottle.

2000 Ventozelo LBV and 1985 Ferreira VP on Saturday night.

1992 Pocas Colheita (bottled 2016). Pocas makes nice Colheitas. They're not overly complex, but they're smooth with a nice acidity as the backbone. Very drinkable. Very good QPR.