1978 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:55 pm

This is the oldest bottle of Port that I have ever opened (at least until I go to Portugal with Roy in October), and it was a treat! (I did manage to abscound half a bottle of '66 Rocha from a dinner with Roy, but I didn't open and decant that one, so it doesn't count!)

I decanted the Port 4 hours per the Hersh method of decanting - food grade cheesecloth and a steady hand (see link to Roys article on decating below).

Color was light- to medium- ruby with some purple hues. Picked up cherry and some light mint on the nose. It carried more tannins and spicyness than I expected for a 28 year old VP, but it was well balanced, sprite (I always wanted to use that word in a tasting note), and not overly complex. The slight spice on the finish completed this wonderful tasting experience.

Stewart

Decanting - The Roy Hersh method - FTLOP Newsletter - January 2006:
http://www.fortheloveofport.com/newslet ... letter.htm

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:11 am

Be still my heart. I nearly fell over when I saw an actual tasting note from my friend Stewart. It may just very well be his "first ever" TN. Congratulations Stewart, we hope this is the beginning of something new and exciting. Now get busy and you can create your own Port TN dbase!

In all seriousness, thank you for sharing with us!

Tom Archer · Post by **Tom Archer** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 2:10 pm

I was favourably impressed with the Vargellas '78.

It's sod's law that in a decade when vintages were thin on the ground, they got two good years in a row...

Still, the drinker is the winner on these years, getting good SQVP at very good prices - '78 - '95 - '01 maybe??

Tom