For The Love Of Port

When I joined FTLOP one of the first things I read was an article on the front page entitled Roy's Top 12 Vintage Ports. I was still pretty new to Port at the time, but I immediately set out to collect the set fully intending to some day hold a tasting of those 12 Ports. While doing so, I planned ahead and always purchased 2 bottles. Might as well do the tasting twice, right?

The time has arrived for the first tasting!

When: Saturday, March 31st, 2012

Where: venue TBD (but probably the Holiday Inn in Issaquah like we have done in the past)
What: Roy's Top 12 Vintage Ports
Who: You! Sign up in this thread! We'll see how signups go, but I think we should probably limit the size to 12-14.

1. Glenn
2. Roy
3. Blair
4. Bronwynn
5. Gwynneth
6. Lisa
7. Vic
8. Sandy
9. Ruth
10. Stewart
11. Stewart +1
12. Tolga

Vic and I are in the for the 31st! Sounds like a great time!

-Lisa

Sounds great. Ruth and I will be there, too.

What a great idea, Glenn! Please add me to the list.

Gonna miss it.
I'll be on may way back to the east coast again.

I would love to make this but at this point I don't know my work schedule. Let me work on it and get back to you..

Eric Ifune wrote:Gonna miss it.
I'll be on may way back to the east coast again.

Hi Eric,

I am not sure where you will be on the East Coast, but if you make it to the Baltimore/Washington corridor and would like to share a nice bottle of your choosing, let me know. Maybe it could help dull the pain of missing out on Roy's top 12. Actually, that offer stands for any of the regular posters on the board ... I am always looking for a reason to open something!

-- Gary

I just may be able to make this. If I recall correctly, I have a business trip planned to the Seattle area in late March. I'll need to double check the dates before I can positively confirm that I can make it.

Sounds like a fun time with a great group of people and Ports that are likely to provide a fantastic sense of delineation, from vintages and producers.

Glenn, I would like to attend. Please add me if there is room or wait list me if there current isn't.

David Spriggs wrote:Glenn, I would like to attend. Please add me if there is room or wait list me if there current isn't.

Confirmed gets priority over tentative! But either way there's still room.

Gary,
Will be working in the wilds of Northern Maine. Won't really have time to leave to visit since I'll be on call the whole time I'm there. Thanks for the invite however. I'll definitely take you up if I make it more south!

In!

+guest if there is an available spot.

I've added you and your guest to the list as I think there's a pretty decent chance that some of the tentatives won't be able to make it.

Since people have been asking, here's some clarification.

I already have all 12 bottles for this tasting, so there's no need for anyone to purchase a bottle to bring.

If you would like to bring a bottle in exchange, I would be happy to accept. I went through my records and added up the average cost of the bottles in the tasting... sadly, since I'm relatively new to Port and did most of this purchasing in 2008-2009, it's not all that much cheaper than current WineSearcher prices. The ones I purchased for the tasting come to an average of ~$115/bottle. Current WineSearcher price on verifiable non-auction bottles is around $125-$130/bottle. Most of the "savings" comes from the current prices on the 1970 Fonseca, 1977 Taylor, and 1997 Quinta do Noval.

Glassware: if the usual suspects could bring their boxes of glasses we purchased from Marjorie Lumm, I think that will cover us. I'll verify that closer to the date of the tasting and, if we're not covered, I'll have people bring some of their own glasses for their own personal use. But I don't think it will be necessary.

Food: unless the Holiday Inn changes their policy again, we won't be able to bring in food during the tasting. They've let us bring in food before but seem to have recently changed that policy because they're telling us that we can't do that anymore. I'll sneak in some baguettes so that we're not completely barren, but plan to eat before the tasting.

Taxis: as usual, we can arrange taxis through the hotel for after the tasting but should do so in advance in order to ensure that they're available when we need them. Simply let the front desk know that you'll need one around midnight or 12:30 and they'll make it happen.

Thanks for arranging this Glenn! I have my flight booked and will be there!

Thanks Glenn,

Sounds like a great event. I know you will love the 1983 Cockburn's.

Seriously, this should be a lot of fun trying these all at one time! Very psyched and also glad that David will be able to join us.

Roy Hersh wrote:I know you will love the 1983 Cockburn's.

How many of those do you plan to open to get a good one?

Eric Menchen wrote:

Roy Hersh wrote:I know you will love the 1983 Cockburn's.

How many of those do you plan to open to get a good one?

Unfortunately I only have two of them, and the second is reserved for the second tasting.

I figured it was worth including on the off chance we get a good one, but not worth buying multiples in order to try to ensure that we get a good one. I do plan to pop-n-pour that one, though, as it seems like the TCA sometimes doesn't appear for a couple of hours. Might as well get a taste of it before it gets foul! I, of course, will enjoy it all evening long.

From my trials, it seems to become clear at the 5 hour point in time.