Search found 29 matches

by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:40 pm
Forum: Madeira Forum
Topic: TN: 1955 Barbieto Velha Madiera Bual Vintage Madeira
Replies: 0
Views: 374

TN: 1955 Barbieto Velha Madiera Bual Vintage Madeira

1955 Barbietto Velha Madiera Bual 1955 (bottled by Rare Wine Company 2002). Pale burnt-orange with a pale yellow rim. Nose shows high levels of VA, almost vinegary. Faint aromas of grilled nuts, toffee, but fairly inexpressive. Empty glass has a striking nose of shellac, but I don't really get that ...
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:39 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1955 Graham's Vintage Port
Replies: 0
Views: 184

1955 Graham's Vintage Port

1955 Graham’s port. Pale pink-tinted amber. Slightly dusty, subdued nose is dominated by a scents of hard candy and fruit-confit, oranges, bitter chocolate. Long and very sweet in the mouth with a palate-coating richness and a slightly bitter finish. Past its peak but still a pretty wine. 93. This t...
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:39 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1955 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Replies: 0
Views: 188

1955 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port

1955 Taylor’s port. Pale ruby with tawny rim. Restrained nose of tangerines, toasted almonds, bitter chocolate. Warm and rich with considerable sweet fruit still evident, a very layered and long finish, extremely balanced. A very enjoyable mature port but needs to be drunk. 94. This tasting note is ...
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:39 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1963 Graham’s Vintage Port
Replies: 0
Views: 208

1963 Graham’s Vintage Port

1963 Graham’s port. Pale garnet with a distinctly yellow hue. High-toned note of spicy red current syrup, raspberries, vanilla, toffee. Rich, sweet attack, very long finish, red-currents and raspberries, crème caramel. Finish has a remarkable tactile quality, like satin. Elegant and balanced. Some h...
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:38 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1966 Graham’s Vintage Port
Replies: 0
Views: 200

1966 Graham’s Vintage Port

1966 Graham’s port. Medium ruby with hint of yellow at the edge. Rich nose of crème de cassis, caramel, dusty stone. Quite sweet, with ripe red-current fruit, long in the mouth, very pretty. Slightly hot finish, although not to the point of bothering me, and my wife likes the wine a lot. Still has a...
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:38 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1985 Graham's Vintage Port
Replies: 2
Views: 219

1985 Graham's Vintage Port

1985 Graham’s port. Saturated black/red with no sign of age. Needed some air, then fantastic. Nose of crème-de-cassis, roses, citrus. Extremely young; rich and quite sweet, very long, framboise liqueur or crème de cassis; not at all hot. 96+ with a long positive evolution ahead. This tasting note is...
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:38 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1983 Graham's Vintage Port
Replies: 0
Views: 217

1983 Graham's Vintage Port

1983 Graham's port. Saturated black/red. That signature nose of creme-de-casis but with a very pronounced sugary tone. Beyond the cassis fruit I get lemon peel, almonds, hints of chocolate. Rich, long, and intensely sweet on the palate. Perhaps not quite as good as the 1985, but I love both of them....
by KenBirman
Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:38 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1970 Graham’s Vintage Port
Replies: 0
Views: 217

1970 Graham’s Vintage Port

1970 Graham’s port. Ruby. A stunning port. Nose of scented geraniums and cassis, bitter orange, chocolate Extremely long and balanced with wave upon wave of rich, ripe, cassis fruit and that same hint of oranges and chocolate. Alcohol and sweetness are well integrated, for Graham’s, and in fact this...
by KenBirman
Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:30 am
Forum: Port Forum
Topic: should i buy these ports?
Replies: 7
Views: 1416

If you plan to drink these wines "soon" (say within the next five years), I would offer your friend a deal: you'll jointly open one bottle, say one of the 1977 ports, and will evaluate it relative to expectations. Pick a wine you know from other settings, or where there is a wealth of data...
by KenBirman
Sun Dec 04, 2005 7:46 am
Forum: Port Forum
Topic: 1992 Fonseca Vintage Port
Replies: 1
Views: 613

1992 Fonseca Vintage Port

1992 Fonseca Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (12/4/2005) Saturated ruby out to the rim. Slightly dusty nose of sour cherries, vanilla, fruit-cake. Sweet and rich with a mouth-coating satiny texture; fruits tending towards very ripe sour cherries or red currents. Fairly long finish. Can drink...
by KenBirman
Sat Dec 03, 2005 6:48 am
Forum: Port Forum
Topic: 1992 Taylor
Replies: 10
Views: 2152

Derek, the port is nowhere near "mature", so if you like VP to have a mature taste and aroma, the wine is still a baby and needs 25 years more in the cellar. It just happens that the 92 Taylor has particularly soft, supple tannins and hence that the wine is showing amazing well in this you...
by KenBirman
Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:00 am
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1991 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port
Replies: 5
Views: 1592

Well, not every port needs to be a blockbuster. But I certainly agree that the 91 Vargellas probably never deserved 95 points and that it falls into a low 90-point range. Very young, it seems to me that it came across as a creme de cassis (or mulberries) and I can see why Parker might have been very...
by KenBirman
Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:42 pm
Forum: Port Forum
Topic: 1992 Taylor
Replies: 10
Views: 2152

As for me, I love this port and totally agree with the huckleberry pie description -- awesome wine. Nick, I think your bottle has to have been either a dud, or asleep (it happens for port, and wine...) This port is really hard to resist now -- but how will it taste in 25 years? I'm wishing I had puc...
by KenBirman
Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:06 pm
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1991 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port
Replies: 5
Views: 1592

This is interesting, because Roy's notes describe a totally different wine, too -- not quite yours but way remote from what I'm sipping on as I respond. This is really a very attractive port -- a bit high-toned, in a cranberry/red current style, but sweet, long and seductive. My wife loves it too --...
by KenBirman
Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:57 am
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1991 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port
Replies: 5
Views: 1592

1991 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

1991 Taylor (Fladgate) Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Porto - Portugal, Douro, Porto (12/1/2005) Saturated dark ruby to the rim, but not quite as opaque as these wines are on release. Sweet, dusty nose of cranberries, red currents, hints of spices. In the mouth, rich, sweet, cranberry liqueur with a v...
by KenBirman
Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:53 am
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: Multi: Graham's Vintage Port vertical + 1955 Taylor & Barbieto
Replies: 3
Views: 1277

Naturally! Although I don't drink as wide a range of ports as the rest of you guys, so my guess is that notes from me won't be frequent. Still, I love the stuff and when I have something to post, I will.

The board is a great resource, Roy...
by KenBirman
Sat Nov 26, 2005 10:16 am
Forum: Madeira Forum
Topic: TN: 1955 Barbieto Bual Vintage Madeira
Replies: 1
Views: 1469

TN: 1955 Barbieto Bual Vintage Madeira

[Cross-posted; this is also in a port-wine thread because we opened the wine next to some 1955 ports.... sorry if I was supposed to sort it out more carefully!] 1955 Barbietto Velha Madiera Bual 1955 (bottled by Rare Wine Company 2002). Pale burnt-orange with a pale yellow rim. Nose shows high level...
by KenBirman
Sat Nov 26, 2005 9:58 am
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1990 Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port -- (potentially flawed btl)
Replies: 0
Views: 704

1990 Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port -- (potentially flawed btl)

First, a long story. Daniel was born in 1990 and I decided to pick up a case of this port for him; bought it from some place in NYC. When I collected it, I didn't notice but the case must have been briefly but violently overheated (as you'll see below). Anyhow, it went into my dad's cellar and sat. ...
by KenBirman
Sat Nov 26, 2005 9:27 am
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: Multi: Graham's Vintage Port vertical + 1955 Taylor & Barbieto
Replies: 3
Views: 1277

Multi: Graham's Vintage Port vertical + 1955 Taylor & Barbieto

[Consumed over the past several months, except for the 1955's which were all served at Thanksgiving. I've had the 85 and 83 several times with consistent notes. TNs were from bottles that had been open or decanted for a few hours, but these wines all showed extremely well from the moment the cork wa...
by KenBirman
Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:43 pm
Forum: Port Forum
Topic: Port Buying Strategy
Replies: 8
Views: 1972

Maybe my approach is non-standard, but I buy almost exclusively mature 750cl bottles from bonded storage in the UK through brokers like Sokolin. I've realized that here in the US the prices for port, on release, are just very inflated compared to the prices for nicely aged bottles out of the UK, and...