Just received some QH '77 and after letting it rest for a bit may open a bottle.
This is a house from which I have never tasted so am wondering about decanting time. Any experience out there?
Quarles Harris '77 Decanting Time?
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Jay Woodruff
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- Location: Mesa, Arizona, United States of America - USA
Quarles Harris '77 Decanting Time?
- Jay Woodruff.
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Frederick Blais
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Quarles Harris is a good house, producing some early maturing port but always balanced and complex. I've tasted the 1977 around 2-3 years ago, it is very good and fully ready for my palate beginning to show tertiary flavors of tobacco and sandal wood with dried fruits like dates and raisin.
3 hours of decanting was ok for me.
3 hours of decanting was ok for me.
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
Jay,
I had a bottle of the Quarles Harris '77 in July 2004. My tasting note was very brief "Smooth and mature. Fruit still lovely and good length." The wines was drunk over 2 days and was first tasted (when the tasting note was written) after around 3 hours of decanting time.
Good to see Frederic and I are consistent on the decanting time!
Enjoy it. I think its a good wine.
Alex
I had a bottle of the Quarles Harris '77 in July 2004. My tasting note was very brief "Smooth and mature. Fruit still lovely and good length." The wines was drunk over 2 days and was first tasted (when the tasting note was written) after around 3 hours of decanting time.
Good to see Frederic and I are consistent on the decanting time!
Enjoy it. I think its a good wine.
Alex
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Jay Woodruff
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2005 2:48 pm
- Location: Mesa, Arizona, United States of America - USA
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Shawn Denkler
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 10:21 am
- Location: Napa, California, United States of America - USA
1977 Quarles Harris
About 15 years ago I did a horizontal of 1977s and the Quarles Harris won. It had the darkest color with lots of tannin and even more fruit. Many people thought it was the Taylor since the tasting was blind.
I periodically imported five cases or so and kept track of it. In the last two years I've had it four times. It has softened and is at the middle of its peak. One bottle was poor - perhaps the decanting time was not right, or? The other times, including last week it has had good fruit with nice developement. A very fine bottle after 2-3 hours decanting. I feel it still needs some hours of decanting to open up. It holds in the decanter quite a while. I feel you do not need to be in a rush to open it, but it is port weather and the bottle is ready now, so.....
So fifteen years later the 1977 Quarles Harris has not turned out to be better than the Taylor as it looked in my tasting. That is why Taylor is in the first tier - it has the aging potential required for a first growth. But the 77 Quarles is a very fine value and fine in the glass. The 1980 is light but OK. The 1983 is too acidic and I've never enjoyed it.
Shawn
I periodically imported five cases or so and kept track of it. In the last two years I've had it four times. It has softened and is at the middle of its peak. One bottle was poor - perhaps the decanting time was not right, or? The other times, including last week it has had good fruit with nice developement. A very fine bottle after 2-3 hours decanting. I feel it still needs some hours of decanting to open up. It holds in the decanter quite a while. I feel you do not need to be in a rush to open it, but it is port weather and the bottle is ready now, so.....
So fifteen years later the 1977 Quarles Harris has not turned out to be better than the Taylor as it looked in my tasting. That is why Taylor is in the first tier - it has the aging potential required for a first growth. But the 77 Quarles is a very fine value and fine in the glass. The 1980 is light but OK. The 1983 is too acidic and I've never enjoyed it.
Shawn