Multi: 1977 Fonseca & 1977 Taylor's Vintage Port

[Mike Halerz]

As promised, (semi-lengthy) impressions on the 1977 Fonseca and Taylor. Now, my birthday isn't actually until Saturday, but *this* was the night our best friends were available to help consume, so bottles needed to be opened now.

I grabbed a couple empty 375mL bottles late morning, marked off 6oz lines on each, labeled one as Taylor, one as Fonseca and opened both bottles of VP. Decanted into two large decanters, pouring off 6oz of each into the half bottles for tomorrow. The rest was to sit in decanters in the cellar until after dinner. The Taylor had a pretty small amount of fine sediment, the Fonseca quite a bit more (and chunky). Neither cork came out in one piece, but neither disintegrated into trillions of tiny pieces either. I had two attempts at a 94 Cockburn VP back in Feb where the cork turned to dust and both bottles were clearly bad. Luckily that was not the case here.

So, we're looking at approximately Roy's recommendation of 10-ish hours on these bottles. Food to make and a friend in the hospital kept me from staggering the decanting and giving the Fonseca 7-8 hours and the Taylor 10+. They both went in around noon and were consumed starting about 10:30pm or so.

Going back a ways, when I was trying to make a decision on which of these bottles to pick up for my birthday, Roy made the analogy that the Fonseca was like a Maserati and the Taylor was like a Lamborghini. Not only do I relate to car analogies, but I would say this is a pretty accurate assessment. The Fonseca was the more elegant wine and the Taylor a little more brash and forward at this stage.

Both bottles (the 18oz portions from the decanters) were consumed on their own, after dessert over the course of a couple hours.

Onto actual TNs at 10-ish hours after opening:

1977 Taylor
A pretty clear ruby red when held to the light. Really nice color. An immediate wash of mustiness on the nose, but I don't think the bottle was corked. It didn't have that wet cardboard smell I'm sensitive to and know as TCA. Just beyond that was pencil shavings, ink, star anise and cherry. Still tasting fairly youthful. Over time, I got a whiff of cotton candy and some nice spicy fruit developed in the mouth. Licorice and black pepper, too. At one point I would swear I tasted a little bit of cinnamon and chili pepper and not just because the dessert course had both of those things in it. This started more alcoholic smelling/tasting than the Fonseca, but mellowed a bit over time.

1977 Fonseca
Slightly more purple in color than the Taylor. More of a "mulberry" than a cherry red in the light. Much more opaque, mainly due to sediment. Lilac and cranberry. Yellow curry on the nose and in the mouth. Maybe a bit of cocoa in there, but not nearly as much as the Pride Merlot consumed earlier in the evening. Softer and rounder tasting (and smelling) than the Taylor. The "masculine vs. feminine" descriptors fit well here. I think others probably preferred the Fonseca, but I also think the Taylor started showing better as time wore on.

Honestly, I'm not sure I could choose between these bottles. I'm glad I decided to open them side by side. I'm also glad there are 6oz of each left in small bottles for tomorrow. Hopefully they'll hold well (at 40 degrees F). We'll be driving to Chicago and sharing the rest with my parents, so I'll post Day Two notes when I get a chance.

Overall, it was a really fun way to end the day. I don't have any more of either Port around and these weren't cheap bottles, so this may have been a one-shot deal for me, but it was highly enjoyable. With the youthfulness both of these bottles still showed, I'm curious to explore significantly older bottles at some point. 1976-1977 is about as old as I've had a chance to go. But, these were clearly a cut above other 77s I've had in the past (Presidential, Warre's).

Thanks for the decanting suggestions. Day Two notes to follow tomorrow night!

[Roy Hersh]

Mike,

In case I am not around on Saturday, Happy Birthday in advance!

Very descriptive notes and I truly appreciate you coming back here to post them. I enjoyed reading about both and could taste them right along with you. Great stuff.

Now I can joke and say that I have used all of the same descriptors as you did (over the years) but never the Curry reference. That is a new one on me for Port, but hey ... I know folks who think I am nuts with the boysenberry and/or grenadine that I often find.

But more importantly, you did capture the essence of the wine. I can bet that the two remaining six ounce pours you have left will show perfectly tomorrow and maybe even provide more drinking pleasure than the initial 18 ozs. I look forward to the follow up. Thanks again.

One last thought. You know, even five years from now ... these two wines will not be THAT expensive. I can pretty much assure you that they'll still be under $200 apiece and to buy a pair for your 40th, would not be difficult or that insanely pricey that you could not purchase them at some time in the future.

[Mike Halerz]

My wife's grandmother makes a curried fruit dish that I pretty much had in mind with my curry note. Sort of a yellow curry/golden raisin treatment to the various other fruits. Sounds like an odd combo but is pretty tasty. It just reminded me a lot of that.

I hope that I *am* able to pick up more of these for future birthdays. It would be a lot of fun to track these bottles over time.

It also turns out that our best friend's dad who joined us for dinner is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his graduation from the Air Force academy, so the bottles were double timely :)

I definitely feel as though both bottles tasted like they will hold up fine for tomorrow. Looking forward to the second round. After consolidating little remaining bits from the decanters into the 375s, it looks like about 7-8oz of each is left. Normally, we're not lightweights, but people were a bit worn out by 12:30am or so. We're usually a "an open bottle is an empty bottle" crowd, especially with good stuff...

[Alan C.]

Mike,

Interesting observations. Its been said before, its surprising how they can continue to improve over a day or so. The difficulty is having any left to notice!
I also thought for a minute we had found a vintage Port that combined my love of Port with a raging hot Chicken Vindaloo! Never mind, maybe one day. :)

Alan

[Todd Pettinger]

Now I can joke and say that I have used all of the same descriptors as you did (over the years) but never the Curry reference. That is a new one on me for Port, but hey ... I know folks who think I am nuts with the boysenberry and/or grenadine that I often find.

Hurrah! I'm not alone! I thought I detected boysenberry notes on my Ferreira '97 as well and threw it in the TN. I'm not alone!



Mike,

Good stuff! These notes are convincing me to go spend the $300 dollars (CAD) on a bottle of Taylor that has been tracked down ('77 being my wife's birth year) It seems a bit steep for a single bottle of port, but I suppose after notes like these and others, it seems worthy.

Todd

[Mike Halerz]

Todd,

I'm glad the notes were helpful. I'm also glad I don't tend to put numerical scores to things, as I'm apparently a *very* tough grader (when forced to score things) and neither of these bottles would have seemed like they were at all worth the money :) I just don't believe in handing out 90+ scores for bottles that aren't truly outstanding.

BTW, I also use boysenberry a lot. Maybe I'm just more likely to taste it since it's probably my favorite Dannon Fruit on the Bottom yogurt?

I will say that I got a weird look at the table when I said pencil shavings. Then, as usual, they all sniffed, paused, looked at me and called me a bastard. This is a regular occurrence.

[Mike Halerz]

My Day Two notes...

The Taylor has opened up even more. Rounder now. Whiff of marmalade, brown sugar and a touch of roses on the nose. More licorice in the mouth, and molasses that wasn't coming through last night. Really nice, long clover honey finish. 30+ seconds. I just can't imagine this bottle falling apart anytime in the next 10 years.

The Fonseca has changed a little, but not nearly as much. I stand by my curry note :) It's actually even more present tonight. Lilac and five spice are also more prominent tonight. Similarly long 30+ second finish.

For those looking for a stated preference between these bottles, you're not going to get it from me. My wife, however, preferred the Fonseca last night, but was maybe leaning towards the Taylor tonight. Both parents preferred the Fonseca. My brother wanted to mix it with his stout. I smacked him as the stout is good on its own (homebrew from a Chicago friend).

Okay, so I'm tired enough after the day and drive to Chicago that, amazingly, I'm leaving a last bit of each for Day Three (a.k.a Actual Birthday). This is not something that normally happens with me. An open bottle is an empty bottle.

Based on evolution from yesterday to today, I think both Ports will last until tomorrow without issues. I think they were, in fact, slightly better tonight.

Day Three notes as they happen...

[Todd Pettinger]

I will say that I got a weird look at the table when I said pencil shavings. Then, as usual, they all sniffed, paused, looked at me and called me a bastard. This is a regular occurrence.

Pencil shavings, huh? Guess I haven't run into that one before, although I have detected things such as leather, tar, tobacco, etc. Just aromas you wouldn't expect to associate with Port or wine in general. Things like... say... Curry! :o

Todd

[Mike Halerz]

Go sharpen a pencil and then smell it (careful not to poke yourself in the nose!). I didn't know what else to call it. Maybe others would say "graphite?" This wasn't one of those "stretches" either...several looks were shot in my general direction after they stuck their noses back in the glass. Like "yeah, I remember those thick pencils and hand crank pencil sharpeners from third grade....this smells just like that."

I would say that there are more discrete components that I've been able to pull from the Taylor so far. A longer list of individual smells and tastes. I don't know that it makes it better necessarily, just more identifiable in its individual parts to me.

[Alan C.]

Mike,

Go on then, if you've got time, list them. I only get a smell reference or two from Port, and then as it changes, I may get another emerging, but I've been amazed at your detailed descriptions. I might as well see the full list and see things from another perspective.

Alan

[Mike Halerz]

Alan,

A list of individual smells and/or tastes collected from my notes posted above.

Taylor 77:
Pencil shavings, ink, star anise, cherry, cotton candy, licorice, black pepper, cinnamon, marmalade, brown sugar, molasses, rose.

Fonseca 77:
Lilac, cranberry, yellow curry, cocoa, raisins, five spice.

Day Three notes:
All gone now! Not much new to report, other than the pleasant surprise of being able to share the last bits of both bottles with two very good friends who, unbeknownst to me, were invited over for the birthday party. Surprise! One I've known since kindergarten.

Neither bottle had really evolved a whole lot more, but both were holding pretty strongly. I think the peak was maybe Day Two but I think both would hold up for another day in the 375s without tons of decline.

One of the things I love about VP (and many other styles of Port) is that it tends to be long lived enough that it can last for more than one sitting. In this case, it gave me a chance to share both bottles with my best friends one night, my parents the next and my best childhood friends on the third night without having to apologize for how tired the wine was on night three. I don't imagine I could have had that sort of experience with a similarly old non-fortified wine. Lots of fun. Thanks for playing along everyone! :)

Hopefully I can repeat this experience in 5 or 10 years! Maybe next time around I'll even have the chance to meet and share with some of you!

[Alan C.]

Mike,

Sorry if I misunderstood, I read all of your initial taste references, but when you then put...

I would say that there are more discrete components that I've been able to pull from the Taylor so far. A longer list of individual smells and tastes. I don't know that it makes it better necessarily, just more identifiable in its individual parts to me

I thought there were yet more. Glad you enjoyed your Birthday Bash and the Ports.

Alan

[Mike Halerz]

Ah, gotcha. I was just making the comparison between the two bottles. I was getting more individual smells/flavors from the Taylor than the Fonseca. I suppose I could interpret this as "the Taylor was more complex," but I'm not sure that was the case either. It just had more things I was able to put a name to.

Both delicious though!

Next step will be asking advice on which semi-affordable older VPs are worth checking out :)

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Very interesting TNs Mike. I’m sorry my invitatation didn’t come in time (really: I am extremely sorry), but the second-day tasting was most interesting. Happily for me I still have a virgin case of the T77, and six bottles from two sources of the F77.

If there’s only one thing that FTLoP has taught me, it is not to finish a decanter on the first go, but to put some in the fridge for the following day. Very interesting. Very very hard to do.

[Roy Hersh]

Mike,

Actually that has been an often discussed topic and if you peruse the PORT and BASICS Forums, you will find many similar threads with a plethora of suggestions on affordable older and young VPs.

Not much new to report, other than the pleasant surprise of being able to share the last bits of both bottles with two very good friends who, unbeknownst to me, were invited over for the birthday party. Surprise! One I've known since kindergarten.

Since that individual has only been out of kindergarten for two years now, did you need to get their parents permission?

[Al B.]

Mike

A belated Happy Birthday and also a belated note to say thanks for sharing your impressions of these ports over the three days, very interesting.

And when you come to look to buy those "semi-affordable" older vintage ports, just let us know and we will be sure to offer lots of different suggestions....such as the Gould Campbell 1977 for US$75 per bottle or the Warre 1983 for US$64 per bottle....

Alex

[Todd Pettinger]

And when you come to look to buy those "semi-affordable" older vintage ports, just let us know and we will be sure to offer lots of different suggestions....such as the Gould Campbell 1977 for US$75 per bottle or the Warre 1983 for US$64 per bottle....

I WISH I could find a GC'77 for $75USD... around my neck of the woods, it;s fairly tough!
Although I have found a collector here in Edmonton who has ""a few"" bottles of my birthyear 1976 in his cellar. Going to have to explore that soon as my own b-day is creeping up alarmingly quickly and I need to get things in motion if I wish to have one of these increasingly rare 1976 SQVPs.

Todd

[Al B.]

Todd

It looks like you are going to need to find an excuse to travel to the US more often. The prices I quoted come from Winesearcher for retailers in the US - one was in Chicago but I forget where the other was.

So, where are you and the family planning to travel for your summer vacation?



Alex

[Todd Pettinger]

Todd

It looks like you are going to need to find an excuse to travel to the US more often. The prices I quoted come from Winesearcher for retailers in the US - one was in Chicago but I forget where the other was.

So, where are you and the family planning to travel for your summer vacation?



Alex

Alex - it would have to be to the UK... but the exchange rate might very well kill me...

Todd

[Al B.]

Todd,

I'm not sure the family would even see you if you came to the UK for your family holidays. Between morning visits to the wine shops and afternoon and evening visits to Port offlines with the UK forumites, where would you fit the family in?



Alex