The order of things

[John M.]

Hi All;

I'm getting together with good friends for a modest off-line: 2 rubies, 2 LBVs and a VP. I wanted to pair the rubies and LBVs in two groups and the VP by itself. What do you think is the best order? I do not recall a thread along these lines.

I was thinking:
Rubies, then LBVs, then the VP

Then I started thinking the VP may get lost after all that jammy fruit and the subtleties would not be appreciated. Perhaps I should lead off with the Cavadinha. So here I am asking the faithful.

Since you'll probably wonder, here are the ports:

Niepoort Ruby; Quinta de la Rosa Reserve Ruby
Quinta do Crasto LBV 2005; Dow LBV 2004
Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha VP 1989 (also, any advice on decant time?)

Thank you.

[Lamont Huxley]

I would definitley drink them in the order you mentioned: rubies then LBVs then VP. I always prefer to save the best for last because doing it the opposite way can be anticlimactic. If you drink the VP first and it shows well it could make the rest of the wines seem unexciting. The rubies may be more jammy and primary than the VP but I don't think that would detract from the VP in any way. If anything it will help you appreciate the nuance of the VP that much more.

But of course... just my

[Andy Velebil]

Your order (Ruby, LBV, VP) is spot on and what I'd do. That gives a nice step up with each new flight and can highlight the difference in quality and style between them. However, I would serve the Dow's LBV before the Crasto LBV.

As for decant times.
The Crasto LBV is a little closer to a mid tier VP so I'd give it a good 10-12 or so hours.
The Warre's Cavadinha would probably be best at about 6-8 hours

[John M.]

Thanks Lamont & Andy --appreciate the advice (I also asked Roy, he said 4 hours for the Warre's). However, since we meet tonight, I opened it early this AM for tonight's gathering (I should have asked a day earlier-----I had no replies to date when I opened that bottle).

I was going to serve the rubies side by side for comparison purposes. Same with the LBVs. I'll keep the original order.

[Andy Velebil]

John,
Please let us know how this tasting went, I'm really curious to know how everything showed and how those in attendance reacted to them.

[John M.]

A fun night with these 5 ports. Our meeting of 8 became 6 due to 2 last minute cancellations--good thing we could all walk home!!

Round One: The Rubies - Niepoort v. Quinta de la Rosa

Niepoort: Approach seemed a little off at first but sweet--subsequent tastes were better. Full bodied. Long aftertaste that just wafts--you keep getting a fruity flavor. Alcohol finish. Decanted for 24hrs. Group 92 points, Me 90 points

Quinta de la Rosa: Well put together--smooth and complete for a ruby, shot aftertaste. Perfect!Decanted for 24hrs. Group 94 points, Me 92 points

The QdlRosa was overall better than the Niepoort, smoother and gentler, the Niepoort was more robust but both were very enjoyable. Niepoort has an amazingly long finish. Winner: Quinta de la Rosa

Round Two: The LBVs - 2004 Dows v. 2005 Quinta do Crasto

2004 Dows: Bit of a coffee and prune aroma on an other wise jammy flavor-plums and boysenberries. Full bodied-well balanced. (Had 2001 & 2003s and while all good, 2004 is my favorite) Decanted for 5 hrs. Group 93 points, Me 92 points

2005 Quinta do Crasto: A bit tartish with an essence of sweet leather. Has some aging potential which may serve this well. Light, but lasting finish--good anytime port. (I've had the 2004 which is an excellent LBV and better than the 2005) Decanted for 24hrs. Group 92 points, Me 90 points

A very close pair and more of a split decision (2 favor Dows, 1 Crasto, 2 Ties). The aroma's were so different from each other I spent considerable time sniffing before tasting just taking in the differences. Winner, by a slight margin: 2004 Dows

Round Three: 1989 Quinta da Cavadinha

This is our first properly aged port--decanted 11 hours before the event. Tending towards a light adobe red brick color, aromas of a type of trail mix: raisins, a touch of nuts and leather. The taste yielded the same raisins, slightly nutty, prune and leather. Not very complex, but pleasing--average. Decanted for 11hrs. Group 88 points, Me 89 points

The WOTN was, surprisingly, the Quinta de la Rosa Reserve Ruby. Overall, a good selection of ports as there were no duds. Glad we went in the order we did--thanks to Lamont & Andy for the advice.

[Lamont Huxley]

John,

Thanks for posting the notes. Definitely some interesting results!

[Andy Velebil]

John,

Great job putting that together and thanks for posting the results. Quinta da la Rosa does make a very good basic Ruby port and if I'm not mistaken it isn't filtered like most, so it doesn't surprise me that it won.

[Moses Botbol]

Wait until you try 2005 Dow LBV compared to 2004. If you liked 2004, you'll be stoked on the 2005. Big difference.

[John M.]

Wise men think alike--fools seldom differ................Moses, we're on the same page - I have some 2005 and one 2004 left---and the plan is to try them side by side sometime. I've had the 2001 and the 2003 of this in the past as well. 2003 was my least favorite, 2001 was good and 2004 has been my favorite. Wish I had one of each for an LBV vertical!