What have you opened this week?

[Al B.]

Bottled 2010

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Staying at a hotel for a weekend break, I came across this on the wine list. It’s 10 years since I last tasted it - I didn’t resist for very long.

[Mike J. W.]

That's a great looking Colheita, Alex. How was it?

[Mike J. W.]

1995 Dalva Colheita. Bottled 2020. This was very, very good. I had one of these a few years back and it wasn't nearly as good as this bottle (I don't recall what year the previous one was bottled, but it was earlier than 2020). This one was an acid bomb and reminded me more of a Boal Madeira, but it was great. Hopefully it holds up over the next few days. I bought this for $45 all in, so it's a bargain for a 25 year-old (bottling date) Colheita. If you see any of these bottled in 2020 and the price is good, I'd recommend you pick up a bottle or two, especially if you like acidity in your Colheitas.

[Al B.]

That's a great looking Colheita, Alex. How was it?

It was delicious, ripe and honeyed on the palate but surprisingly (and pleasingly) dry on the finish.

[Mike J. W.]

That's a great looking Colheita, Alex. How was it?

It was delicious, ripe and honeyed on the palate but surprisingly (and pleasingly) dry on the finish.

Amazing that you could find something that old (and a Branco no less) on a wine list. That would be a rarity here in the States.

[Andy Velebil]

Taylor’s 30 yr tawny.

[Edward J]

Alambre Moscatel Setubul 40 years.

[Edward J]

So I really wanted to see how a Moscatel (40yr Alambre) compaired to a white Port. Mission accomplished upon opening a bottle of Vista Alegre 40 years white tawny Port. Our shipment from Portugal from the Port Harvest Tour 2 arrived yesterday. I had a very difficult time deciding which bottle to open, since quite frankly, there is not a bad bottle in the bunch, and several I would consider world class. That said, they are different, in the same sort of way. The vanilla on the Moscatel didn't really show itself until tasted next to the Branco after 24 hours. In my opinion this elevated the Alambre a couple of points. The Vista Alegre branco is fantastic, and I have zero complaints (the ride up the mountain was fantastic) and the luncheon? I have not had many that would be considered better. We were stuffed just from the charcuterie, which featured fantastic estate grown olives and oil. Well....I do have one complaint. Had I known how great the wines that were being offered at such a price (never to be seen again), I would have allotted twice as much budget, perhaps even more for the trip. I won't make that mistake again. So here's to the Vista Alegre 40 year branco, a 94 point white Port. I think my recollections of this wine was affected by our visit in September. Perhaps not the best wines or property we visited, but among the most memorable. The lunch presented was off da hook, amazing! I realize that Roy has a stellar reputation in Portugal and I am grateful for the recognition that we received as "special guests". However it appears that they do indeed "roll out the red carpet" for FTLOP. The tour exceeded my expectations and I would gladly correspond with anyone contemplating a future tour with Mario and Roy. A trip of a lifetime with many cherished memories waiting to be explored. After going over the epilogue, I hope that Roy and Mario are still doing tour in 2027 for my 70th birthday...count us in!

[Mike J. W.]

S. Leonard 30 y.o. White Port. Such an amazing white Port.

[Frederick Blais]

Niepoort 2000, still all on primary fruit with nice tannins, a sleeper.
Smith Woodhouse 1983, a nice mature Port still offering great concentration
LBV 2019 NIepoort, top LBV for the price, 14 euros at Continente :)
Casa Santa Eufemia White 2013, so fresh and balanced, was too easy to drink!

[Al B.]

Opened on Thursday and sipped through until finished on Sunday, a magnum of Gould Campbell 1977. These are showing so well at the moment, just starting to show all those lovely secondary Christmas spices in the dark fruit.

[Moses Botbol]

Opened on Thursday and sipped through until finished on Sunday, a magnum of Gould Campbell 1977. These are showing so well at the moment, just starting to show all those lovely secondary Christmas spices in the dark fruit.

I'll keep that magnum in mind for something to open over Christmas!

[Andy Velebil]

2019 Taylor’s LBV. Very nice filtered LBV. A recent show up to my local Trader Joe’s for $18.

[John M.]

DR White 30---yowza!!! easy 95-96 points

[Edward J]

DR White 30---yowza!!! easy 95-96 points

I also opened a DR 30 white over the weekend. We were so impressed with it at the Quinta we bought a whole case. I compared it with the remaining Vista Allegre 40 white I opened last week. The DR 30, to my tastes, is the superior wine. My wife picked it blind.

[Al B.]

I finally got round to starting my Quevedo adventure calendar.

December 1st - check!

Only 23 more (9cl) bottles to open…

[Mike J. W.]

Well I had brought a bottle of Delaforce Curious & Ancient 20 year-old Tawny up to my daughter's in Binghamton as I thought it was finally time to open it. I had found it cheap, like really cheap in an old wine shop. 4 or 5 years ago, It was a bottling from 2004. There was nothing curious about this bottle other than it was bad, simply dreck, but clearly, it was ancient. Luckily I had a few other bottles with me, so I just popped open a Quevedo 1992 Colheita that I bought from the buying op a few years ago.

The first taste is nice but very different from most 27 year-old Colheitas (it was bottled in 2019). It's much drier and less sweet than I would have expected. It tastes, smells and looks like a mature, fully integrated, smooth and elegant Bordeaux (Merlot), with the lightest touch of sweetness. Very interesting. This is the first Quevedo Colheita I have ever tasted.

[Glenn E.]

I just popped open a Quevedo 1992 Colheita that I bought from the buying op a few years ago.

The first taste is nice but very different from most 27 year-old Colheitas (it was bottled in 2019). It's much drier and less sweet than I would have expected.

That is typical of Quevedo Colheitas (and whites). I also find them to be much more red than I would expect from a Colheita at any point across their lineup. So much so that I sometimes wonder how they manage to get them past the tasting panel!

Their mid-90s Colheitas (92, 94, 95, 96, 97) look and taste like variations on 10 Year Old Tawny Ports to me. Anything younger looks and tastes more like an LBV to me. (At least from the bottles included in their Advent calendars!)

[Mike J. W.]

I just popped open a Quevedo 1992 Colheita that I bought from the buying op a few years ago.

The first taste is nice but very different from most 27 year-old Colheitas (it was bottled in 2019). It's much drier and less sweet than I would have expected.

That is typical of Quevedo Colheitas (and whites). I also find them to be much more red than I would expect from a Colheita at any point across their lineup. So much so that I sometimes wonder how they manage to get them past the tasting panel!

Their mid-90s Colheitas (92, 94, 95, 96, 97) look and taste like variations on 10 Year Old Tawny Ports to me. Anything younger looks and tastes more like an LBV to me. (At least from the bottles included in their Advent calendars!)

It's definitely red, that's for sure, but there seems to be some brown running through it if you hold it up to the light. Sort of maybe like a 10 year-old? But this is a lot smoother than the 10 year-old Tawnies that I've had. It's nice, but so different than any other Colheita I've had before. And I agree with you about getting this past the tasting panel. How the hell do they manage that?

[Al B.]

I like the fact that Quevedo’s tawnies are different in style from most other producers. I am a firm supporter of giving consumers a choice. Glenn’s not sure about the style, but I love it. So I buy Quevedo colheitas and Glenn buys a different producer.

For what it’s worth, I believe that the Quevedo style comes from Claudia’s use of large wood containers rather than pipas and from the cooler conditions of storing at altitude in São João de Pesqueira. This preserves the fruit tones for longer, giving a colheita which is less tawny in character than one stored in smaller wood containers or at lower altitude.

I believe there was a debate with the IVDP tasting panel some years ago on the Quevedo interpretation of the required characteristics of a colheita, but the panel were persuaded — and I’m delighted they were.

And I have to say this same way of making colheitas means the White Colheitas are stunning. The 1970 and 1981 White Colheitas are some of the best around!