For those that don't know, Shawn used to bottle his own ports here in California. So, we started the night with a 1985 vintage port from Shawn (Shawn, help me out here as I didn't write down the full name
). I am not a fan of California "ports" but this was one of the better Cali "ports" that I have had. IIRC, it is a blend of various Cali grapes (no typical Port varieties). A solid effort indeed.1992 Niepoort VP (from magnum):
Opened when I got there at about 7:30pm and we drank it until 2am. This really started to blossem as the night went on, as it should. No signs of fading, with the typical blend of spices and fruit that is typical Niepoort. Still lots of tannins and very well balanced with a med-long finish. My impressions was this is going to make a great mid-term drinker. However, more on the late side of that mid-term. If you have any, they are drinking great now and will hold for some time. 91+
1985 Warre's VP:
This started off with great promise, good solid fruit and finish. However, it then slowly developed this really musty dirty sock smell that became just horrid and the fruit disappeared. I thought it was corked, Shawn disagreed. Possibly a bad bottle. N/R
1985 Taylor's VP:
This had already been open a couple of days in the fridge. Although it was starting to lose a bit of freshness it was still very enjoyable. The color seemed a bit light for a 20 year old VP, but not sure if that was due to being open for so long. Still had a decent palate and good finish. Much better than it's older brother, the 1983.
Overall, it was a fun evening and a true pleasure to meet Shawn and Mike. Thanks Shawn
