Should I buy?

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Scheiny S
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Should I buy?

Post by Scheiny S »

i'm not a collector. i buy one or two bottles at a time, not by the case. pop n pours, not to age. and i generally try not to exceed $20 each which means i've mostly had Reserves and a few LBVs. i have a few bottles on hold at the liquor store because they're the last ones available in the county but i wanted to ask about them here before buying:

Quinta do Noval 2009 Single Vineyard Unfiltered LBV for $25. i've never had a SQ Port and i've never seen anything from Noval on the shelf except Noval Black. the one TN on it was pretty favorable. i'm going to get this one unless you recommend not getting it. the price is the only thing that gives me pause but PA tends to price LBVs around there as far as i've noticed.
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there are two 375ml VPs on sale for $37 down from $46. i've seen them for $46 before and couldn't even consider them. i might be being seduced by the Clearance sign! do you think $37 is a good price for a 375ml of:
Taylor Fladgate 2011 VP
Fonseca 2011 VP
Last edited by Scheiny S on Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:30 am, edited 4 times in total.
Moses Botbol
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Moses Botbol »

TFP sells 500 ml VP? Sounds like good prices for Pitt.
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Andy Velebil
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Andy Velebil »

I've never heard of a 500ml of 2011 Taylor's or Fonseca VP. At those prices I suspect they are actually 375ml's. That said, if they are 375's then it's not a great deal as that's about 1/2 of what the 750's were on release. If they truly are 500ml, and you can confirm it (please post pics too), then yes it would be a good deal and worth getting to try some really good young VP's.
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Eric Menchen
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Eric Menchen »

Are you sure those aren't 375ml? For 500ml that's a good price. For 375ml it is reasonable, but not a steal. I bought some 2011 Taylor 375s for $42 at retail, and $32 at auction. If I didn't already have those, I'd definitely consider picking one up for $36. Then wait! (Admittedly, I already tried one too as I recall.)
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Moses Botbol »

It's worth picking up some 2011 LBV's in PA since deals are few and far between. Prices are real low on LBV for a high quality vintage.
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Scheiny S
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Scheiny S »

Moses Botbol wrote:TFP sells 500 ml VP?
er, i meant 375.
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John M.
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by John M. »

Not a bad price--and small bottles age faster so wait time is less!
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Scheiny S
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Scheiny S »

if i get either or both VPs, how many years' wait are we talking?
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Thomas V
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Thomas V »

Scheiny S wrote:if i get either or both VPs, how many years' wait are we talking?
Depends on your preference and mood. Normally for those 2 brands and for a stellar year like 2011 I would say 30+ years before they are mature to my liking (They are great when young too). Since this is half sized bottles and they age faster, maybe 10-15 years time before I would crack open one to see how it was holding up if I only had a few of each.
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Andy Velebil
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Andy Velebil »

Scheiny S wrote:if i get either or both VPs, how many years' wait are we talking?
You won't wait that long so good thing they drink well now. Buy them both, crack them open in short order, give them a good 12+ hour decant and enjoy what are two very fine VP's. :winebath: [cheers.gif]
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Glenn E.
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Glenn E. »

Scheiny S wrote:if i get either or both VPs, how many years' wait are we talking?
First of all, I think $36/bottle for a 375 ml bottle is quite good at retail. Full bottles of those Ports were $80-$90 in the Seattle area, and two halves are usually slightly more expensive than a full bottle.

As far as aging goes, the 2011 vintage was superb so those Ports - even in 375 ml bottles - will easily last 40-50 years. They likely won't be "mature" for at least 20-25 years, though that depends on your personal preference. For me, the 2011 Vintage Ports will probably need 30 years to mature... assuming I can keep my hands off them!

For your purposes, since you typically purchase to drink and not to age, you can drink them any time. 2011 is now old enough for me that I prefer to let them age to maturity - they have likely lost much of that extremely boisterous fruitiness that makes very young VP so enjoyable, but have probably not yet resolved that fruit with the tannins. So for me, they're entering their "down" time sometimes also referred to as their teenage years. By tradition they should come back out of that period around their 21st birthday, but tradition and nature don't often sync up so it could be any time between 15 and 30 years old. They'll still be delicious during their down time, just not as delicious as when extremely young or fully mature.
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Scheiny S
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Scheiny S »

Glenn E. wrote:
Scheiny S wrote:if i get either or both VPs, how many years' wait are we talking?
They'll still be delicious during their down time, just not as delicious as when extremely young or fully mature.
will that be more delicious than a $20 full size bottle of a Reserve?
[you should be in sales. a "yes" and i'll be convinced. but then i'll be back with questions about how to best enjoy it! :munch: ]

do you recommend one over the other? i've only had one other Port by each company so i can't say i have a preference.

anyone have recommendations for the Quinta do Nval LBV? the only Port i've had of theirs is Noval Black which i dislike.
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Roy Hersh »

S.S. message sent.
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Glenn E.
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Glenn E. »

Scheiny S wrote:will that be more delicious than a $20 full size bottle of a Reserve?
[you should be in sales. a "yes" and i'll be convinced. but then i'll be back with questions about how to best enjoy it! :munch: ]
I think so, yes. Reserves are really very nice, but they're fairly simple by Port standards. A VP from a strong year like 2011 will be significantly more complex even during its "down time" and so therefore also more delicious. :-)
do you recommend one over the other? i've only had one other Port by each company so i can't say i have a preference.
I can't say that I do, either. That said, I'd probably pick the Fonseca. Maybe. Or maybe the Taylor. [help.gif]
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Scheiny S
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Scheiny S »

Glenn E. wrote:Reserves are really very nice, but they're fairly simple by Port standards. A VP from a strong year like 2011 will be significantly more complex even during its "down time" and so therefore also more delicious. :-)
that's exactly what i wanted to know. will they be better than the Noval SQ 2009 LBV?
will i particularly miss out if i don't get the Noval 2009 LBV at all? it's not on sale, it just happens to be available and i've never seen it before and this is the last bottle in the county.
Glenn E. wrote:
Scheiny S wrote:do you recommend one over the other? i've only had one other Port by each company so i can't say i have a preference.
I can't say that I do, either. That said, I'd probably pick the Fonseca. Maybe. Or maybe the Taylor. [help.gif]
rats, that's what i assumed. on one hand, bin 27 is my favorite Port so i'm very interested in trying other Fonseca products. on the other hand, hmmmmm.
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Glenn E.
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Glenn E. »

I'm probably not the best person to help you with Noval, but just in case no one else responds I'll give you my opinion.

I find that Noval's LBV Ports are more similar in flavor profile to Noval Black than they are to Noval's VPs. I'm not fond of Noval Black either, and haven't been thrilled by their LBVs since the 2003. (The 1994 was awrsome!) I do still like their regular VPs, but often struggle to appreciate Nacional.

So... I would personally pass on their 2009 LBV in favor of something else, but that's because I'm not a fan of their recent flavor profile and not because the Port is in any way weak. It's a fine Port... if you like that profile.
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Mahmoud Ali
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Mahmoud Ali »

I've neither had the 2011 ports nor do I intend on buying any - I've stopped at the 2000/2003 vintages - however if I was to choose between the two I would opt for the Fonseca over the Taylor's. As for the Quinta do Noval LBV all I can say is that I recently found a bottle of the 2007 for almost the same price (C$25 vs US$25) and would encourage you to do so. I've been drinking lots of the Bin 27 recenty as it was discounted to C$11 and we've been drinking it like water (just kidding) and as much as fun as it is to drink there is no question that the Noval LBV will be more serious and have way more intensity.

Cheers .................. Mahmoud.
Sete Mares
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Sete Mares »

2011 was one of the best years in Douro, many saws best since 1963.
For me Taylor's is much better than Fonseca.
Nowadays I do not buy Fonseca for my cellar but I buy a lot of Taylor's.
But you should buy what you love most!


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Scheiny S
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Scheiny S »

thanks so much for the recommendations!
Mahmoud Ali wrote:I've been drinking lots of the Bin 27 recenty as it was discounted to C$11 and we've been drinking it like water
i would, too! i wish i could find it for that cheap! i would always have a bottle in my bag and become the Port fairy!
Bert VD
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Re: Should I buy?

Post by Bert VD »

Glenn E. wrote:I'm probably not the best person to help you with Noval, but just in case no one else responds I'll give you my opinion.

I find that Noval's LBV Ports are more similar in flavor profile to Noval Black than they are to Noval's VPs. I'm not fond of Noval Black either, and haven't been thrilled by their LBVs since the 2003. (The 1994 was awrsome!) I do still like their regular VPs, but often struggle to appreciate Nacional.

So... I would personally pass on their 2009 LBV in favor of something else, but that's because I'm not a fan of their recent flavor profile and not because the Port is in any way weak. It's a fine Port... if you like that profile.

i have Noval Black and Noval 2009 LBV. i use Black to cook with and the LBV to drink. so far i've had 2007 and 2009 Noval LBV and i like both very much.
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