Major newbie question

[David Sawyer]

Hi all. I'm a wine collector but own zero Ports other than the one in the glass in front of me. I've decided to have a 25th birthday party with birthyear wines in May and luckily I'm an 85er. I want to learn a little more about Ports before purchasing some of these. I plan to buy 85 Graham's and Fonseca for the party btw.

So here goes- I just bought a bottle of Fonseca Bin 27 which I'm sure isn't that great. I've only had a few VPs from the early 80s which I enjoyed. Tell me about this wine and more importantly what others I might seek please. This basically reminds me of a huge zin/spanish wine (not necessarily a bad thing). I don't remember the VPs tasting like this.

Should this be chilled?

Should I decant it? (Doing so now)

How long will this last now that I've opened it?

Are there more dry ports? (This is a little too sweet for my tastes)

Thanks very much,

David Sawyer

[Eric Menchen]

... and luckily I'm an 85er.

You are lucky as far as Port goes. I just have some colheitas and rare SQVPs to look for for my birth year. There are plenty of good 1985s out there. Weather was good that year for the grapes, although temperatures were high after harvest leading to warmer fermentations and perhaps some higher alcohols produced. Some people report a bit of VA in the 1985s and cite the warm fermentations, but I don't recall this being a problem in my tasting.

I want to learn a little more about Ports before purchasing some of these. I plan to buy 85 Graham's and Fonseca for the party btw.

Most people around here love the Graham's. It's nice and certainly worth tasting, but I like others more, like the Fonseca. I really like 1985 Smith Woodhouse, and Burmester the first time I had it, although my last bottle didn't live up to the first. Luckily I have a few more to learn where this one really stands.

So here goes- I just bought a bottle of Fonseca Bin 27 which I'm sure isn't that great. I've only had a few VPs from the early 80s which I enjoyed. Tell me about this wine and more importantly what others I might seek please. This basically reminds me of a huge zin/spanish wine (not necessarily a bad thing). I don't remember the VPs tasting like this.

I don't have any notes about Bin 27, so I'll let others chime in.

Should this be chilled?

I don't think so. Serve somewhere between cellar temp and room temp, to your taste. Some people like to serve tawny chilled, but I'm not one of those people.

Should I decant it? (Doing so now)

Not necessary for reserve rubies like Bin 27. You should decant your VPs. If you get any LBVs, some are unfiltered and need decanting, some are filtered and don't.

How long will this last now that I've opened it?

That Bin 27 should last a week or two, maybe more if you keep it in the refrigerator between pours. Your 1985 VPs will just last a few days after opening.

Are there more dry ports? (This is a little too sweet for my tastes)

The standard answer is that Graham's is on the sweet end, and Dow's on the dry end. Check tasting notes for where others fall.

Thanks very much,

You're welcome, and welcome to

[David Sawyer]

Wow thanks a ton! I'm looking forward to experimenting with Port in the coming months.

[Glenn E.]

I plan to buy 85 Graham's and Fonseca for the party btw.

Good choices! You're a lucky guy to have 1985 as your vintage. I'm stuck with a handful of Colheitas and 2nd label VPs, but that's still preferable to poor Andy who knows of only 2 Ports period from his birth year. 1985 has a lot of good Ports, with the Fonseca and Grahams being probably the two best.

So here goes- I just bought a bottle of Fonseca Bin 27 which I'm sure isn't that great. I've only had a few VPs from the early 80s which I enjoyed. Tell me about this wine and more importantly what others I might seek please. This basically reminds me of a huge zin/spanish wine (not necessarily a bad thing). I don't remember the VPs tasting like this.

Fonseca Bin 27 is one of the best selling Ports in the world, but that's more due to price and positioning than raw quality. It's a good Ruby Reserve (one step up from the most basic Rubies) but not the best. Don't tell my Mom, though, because it's her favorite Port.

Generally speaking, Ruby Reserves lack complexity and depth when compared to Vintage Ports. To me they compare most closely with very young vintage Ports, but that's only a loose comparison based on their fruit-forward flavors. The strange thing about Ruby Reserves is that price-wise they're often not a lot cheaper than LBVs (Late Bottled Vintage Ports), and the LBVs are usually a fairly noticeable step up in quality.

If you like your Bin 27 and want to try another Ruby Reserve, I recommend that you try Graham's Six Grapes. It is unique among Ruby Reserves in that Graham's uses their second best grapes to make Six Grapes after using their best grapes to make Vintage Port. Most producers use their second best grapes to make their LBVs.

Should this be chilled?

I wouldn't chill it. I generally drink all types of Rubies at right about room temperature or maybe very slightly below room temperature. 65-68 degrees F.

Should I decant it? (Doing so now)

Also not necessary, but it certainly won't hurt it. Ruby Reserves are usually fine straight out of the bottle, but occasionally might need an hour or two in a decanter if they've managed to develop some bottle stink. They're not intended to be aged in bottle, but you never know how long one has been in a store so sometimes they get a little funky and need air to mellow out again.

Your Vintage Ports will need to be decanted. The Fonseca is a bit of a beast and should probably be given 8-10 hours in a decanter to fully open up... some may even recommend longer. The Graham only needs 5-6 hours as I recall.

How long will this last now that I've opened it?

In a way, that's a matter of taste and how you store the bottle. Bin 27 is perfectly capable of lasting a month once opened if you store it in the fridge, but even just re-corked and sitting on the counter it will last for a week or two. Note that it will change a bit over time, but I think its overall quality level will remain fairly constant for at least a week (or a month in the fridge).

As Eric said, your Vintage Ports won't last that long. They've been aging in bottle and so will react much more quickly to oxygen. The Fonseca might last 3-5 days once opened because it is such a powerful Port, but the Graham should probably be consumed within 2-3 days once you open it. Store them in the fridge if you think you'll be pushing the limit and let your evening's pour warm back up to room temperature in the glass before you drink it.

Are there more dry ports? (This is a little too sweet for my tastes)

Ruby Reserves to tend to be a little sweeter, at least to me, but generally speaking Port is a sweet drink. There are certainly dryer Ports, though. Dow as a brand strives to be on the dryer end of the spectrum, but that's the Port spectrum not the wine spectrum. I also think that White Ports tend to be dryer than Rubies and Tawnies. (Not Lagrima, though, that's used to denote a sweeter style of White Port.) I also usually feel like Tawnies seem dryer than Rubies, though on the baume scale I don't believe that's actually true.

BTW, to FTLOP!

[Roy Hersh]

David,

After what we go through with all the barbs and testosterone over on Ebob, isn't this a kinder and gentler place?

It is hard to add anything to what Eric and Glenn have already mentioned.

I recently had a Fonseca Bin No. 27 and my tasting note along with nearly 100 in total, will be in this month's newsletter. One thing I will say about the Port in question, it is shows lots of spirit and for my palate is a bit too hot. Enjoy your explorations here and spend some time also checking out the articles and features on the homepage. There's lots to provide you with solid reading for a few ... years.

[Eric Menchen]

It is hard to add anything to what Eric and Glenn have already mentioned.

Woohoo! Where's the high-five to Glenn emoticon? This will have to do:

[Andy Velebil]

Yeap, Glenn and Eric did a good job.

Like Roy, since the stylistic change a few years ago Bin 27 now shows a little too much heat for me as well. I prefer Six Grapes and now the just released Noval "Black"....but sometime soon I need to put all three of these side by side and compare them just for the sake of doing it. Even though I said I probably wouldn't....that part of the Port Nerd in me just can't resist.