2014: The BEST Port(s) you have consumed this year?

[Mark Henderson]

I don't normally drink a lot of tawnies/colheitas; in fact very rarely at all but have been exposed to several this year after three friends journeyed to Pinhao and then Porto in the midst of a larger European trip. Several friends met up in the Southern Rhone for a significant birthday of one of the three and a handful of their purchases in Portugal were opened over the week.The 1989 Burmester Colhita showed rather nicely and is the oldest colheita I've had to date so it was a good 'sighter' for the style for me.

My value go to port for many years has been LBV and the 2006 Offley LBV is both incredibly well priced and a little belter at the money.

My top three vintage ports this year go to 2000 Grahams, 2000 Fonseca and 2011 Grahams though if push came to shove and I had to nominate one it would have to fall with the 2011 Grahams which was an exercise in sheer, hedonistic exuberance. Just soooo lovely now yet you know it is going to be even lovelier in the future.

[Roy Hersh]

Great note Mark, and thanks!

I think you are spot on about the 2011 Graham's and having had it again six weeks ago, found it to be in such a wonderful spot right now and delivering a ton of drinking pleasure for those that can appreciate the beauty in such youngsters!

[Phil W]

In 2014 I had six ports for which I scored excellent+ (or better) rating; of these, four were vintage and (unusually) two were tawny. On the VP side, my ports of the year were:

• Graham 1955 - at Vinum, Graham's Lodge, Oporto
• Croft 1917 (recorked in 1978) - at WoP Croft vertical in Leverkusen
• Warre 1955 ('late' bottled 1959) - at TPF Xmas tasting
• Graham 1933 - at TPF Xmas tasting

On the tawny side, my ports of the year were:

• Graham 1952 Colheita - at the Graham's Lodge, Oporto
• Graham Ne Oublie - at Vinum, Graham's Lodge, Oporto

While difficult to choose an overall winner, the only wine I scored as excellent++ in 2014 was the Graham 1952 Colheita which makes this my port of the year. My port of the year is a tawny? This cannot be!

[Glenn E.]

My port of the year is a tawny? This cannot be!

Welcome to the dark side!

[Eric Menchen]

I didn't take notes or score everything, but I think my favorite was the 1966 Taylor at the vertical in March. With a possible bias because of its recentness, a 1985 Fonseca really stood out as well.

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[R Bull]

Just returned back home and can now catch up on my Porto forum fix.

For me, the best in 2014 was probably the 2 bottles of 1963 Graham's -- really wonderful port. The 1945 Croft we had over Christmas may have been corked and really did not show well. I also was really impressed with the 1976 Warre's Colheita, so much so that I would love to find a case or more.

[Joni H]

It's got to be Taylor's Very Old Single Harvest 1964. Also Kopke Colheita 1979 was delicious.

[David Spriggs]

As usual, so many this year.

Tawny: Quinta do Mourao 100 year old Tawny
Vintage: 1963 Fonseca Vintage Port
Young: 2011 Dow's Vintage Port

I'm sure that I've missed something, but these certainly stood out.

[Allan Engelsted Laurents]

I know I posted in december 2014 (with a Niepoort 1935, as my finest Colheita) but I had a Niepoort Colheita 1912 for New Year's. We started with desserts and Ports around 9 pm, and 3.30 am in the morning, I still had the last drop of the old Colheita in my Glass.

Days later, I could still taste the Wine. It was in my Nose, on my fingers, and in my kitchen cabinet, where I have my old Corks, the Ni 12 still embraces me, when I open it

I am not sharp in giving points, but if I could, I might would have given the Niepoort Colheita 1935 1 or 2 points more than this Bottle.
But the freshnes and long aftertaste of this Port was amazing, and having in mind, that the content was just a little more than 100 years old, it was a magnificent experience.

My goal is, to find and purchase the Colheita 1900 for the next New Year's......