1978 Croft Quinta da Roeda Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

1978 Quinta da Roeda VP

Color: Cloudy, medium red purple.

Nose: Overripe plum, red licorice, some aromatic spirit. Very rich. Sweet stewed tomato or tomato paste.

Palate: A bit gritty and a bit hot. Softly sweet, some tannins, good acidity. A bit hollow and simple, slightly stewed.

Finish: Fairly short.

Score: 85 pts. It's fine, but not great.

[John M.]

Our TNs are completely divergent. Do you think your bottle was compromised in any way as mine showed well?

[Glenn E.]

I suppose that's possible, but based on our descriptions it sounds to me like both bottles were potentially damaged in some way.

Your bottle was maybe a bit prematurely aged. "Very pale orange pink" sounds a bit like a tired old VP, possibly past its prime, which I would then expect to show the softer raisin/fig/orange zest notes that you described. It's possible that the signs of past seepage caused some premature aging due to oxidation.

The stewed notes on the nose in my bottle may indicate some heat damage. It's hard to say, but I got it both on the nose and the palate. It looked perfectly normal, but looks can be deceiving.

I don't recall how long my bottle had been decanted, but it's possible that with more time it might have softened up a bit and my score might have improved. I really don't see it improving from 85 to 92, though... it just wasn't an excellent bottle of Port. For me, 90-93 means "excellent" and that I'd likely ask for a second glass. 86-90 means "very good" and I'd accept a second glass if you offered, but probably wouldn't ask for one. 80-85 means that it's good/fine/okay but I'd likely decline a second glass if offered. This bottle sat right on the edge... if it were a little softer and less warm I'd probably accept a second glass, but as it was I doubt I'd take another glass especially if there was anything else available.

[Andy Velebil]

I don't know the provenance of this. It was bought for not a lot of money to be used as a daily drinker so I wasn't super concerned. It did have a very good fill into the neck, no signs of seepage, and a pretty solid cork. In other words, no obvious signs of any issues.