For The Love Of Port

Quevedo 1992 Colheita, drinking nicely.

1927 Taylor VP
1931 Quinta do Noval
1945 Taylor
1945 Croft
1948 Taylor

Now that was a fun time last night.

That lineup sure looks fantastic!

On my end opened Ferreira Duque de Bragança 20 yr Tawny last night.

Wasnt overly impressed when side by side w the Calem 20 yr i had open. Blamed it on just having opened the Ferreira... will have to inspect it again tonight!

Duque de Braganca 20 year by Ferreira always shows its best on day two and three. Enjoy!

Roy Hersh wrote:1931 Quinta do Noval

Roy Hersh wrote:Duque de Braganca 20 year by Ferreira always shows its best on day two and three. Enjoy!

Left me ask a beginner question. When you guys say a certain port is better on day 1 or 2 do you actually leave the wine open (no cork) for a day or two. Of do you mean the bottle was opened like a day or two but the cork was pushed back in after each use.

1962 Grahams Malvedos

Taylor Fladgate LBV 2007. Roy mentioned that steak and LBV port can be a delicious pairing. With the weather so nice in the Seattle area this week I decided to open the port figuring I be grilling this weekend...still haven't fired up the grill, but I keep drinking the port. This is my first LBV ever so I didn't know what to expect. Its decent. I accidentally left a nearly full glass out overnight. It was far better the second evening after sitting out in a glass for 24hrs, the air smoothed out this port's rough edges and brought all the elements into a mellow balance.

Left me ask a beginner question. When you guys say a certain port is better on day 1 or 2 do you actually leave the wine open (no cork) for a day or two. Of do you mean the bottle was opened like a day or two but the cork was pushed back in after each use.

For a Tawny Port, it's just sticking the (usually) tee type cork back in.
For a decanted Vintage Port, it's usually left in the decanter.

Roy,
How was the 45 Taylor/Croft matchup?

Lindsay E. wrote:Taylor Fladgate LBV 2007. Roy mentioned that steak and LBV port can be a delicious pairing. With the weather so nice in the Seattle area this week I decided to open the port figuring I be grilling this weekend...still haven't fired up the grill, but I keep drinking the port. This is my first LBV ever so I didn't know what to expect. Its decent. I accidentally left a nearly full glass out overnight. It was far better the second evening after sitting out in a glass for 24hrs, the air smoothed out this port's rough edges and brought all the elements into a mellow balance.

Beef and red wine is good, Beef and red wine with a healthy amount of fruit and sweetness is great. I think this is partly why people love stereotypical California Cabs, and why port, berry or other fruit reductions are awesome on a hunk of good beef.

Also, this week: Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserve Port NV

And pizza with a good ruby, ruby reserve, or young LBV also is a good pairing too :).

Roy Hersh wrote:1927 Taylor VP
1931 Quinta do Noval
1945 Taylor
1945 Croft
1948 Taylor

Now that was a fun time last night.

Very nice! When and where do we get to hear more? I love reading about line-ups like this.

It's a leftover from a small horizontal we did on Wednesday last week of 2007 LBVs, but I've spent this weekend finishing off a bottle of Offley 2007 LBV. This is really good LBV juice - 90 points.

Alex there is more on the FOR THE LOVE OF PORT facebook page.

Eric, the 1945 Croft was my favorite of all, suprisingly because in the past when I've had them together the 1931 Noval showed up the Croft. Not on this night. The 1945 Taylor was absolutely showing its best, a really great bottle. Nonetheless, the Croft stole the show. TN's in the next newsletter.

I am judging at a wine competition in a remote part of Oregon (from this afternoon, through late day on Tuesday). It is amazingly beautiful here and extremely remote mountains and a huge confluence of the Columbia and Hood Rivers. For tonight, I brought a 1999 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir to blow some of the other judges on my panel away during dinner. For those of you that know BF, this is a killer producer and 1999 was a GREAT year for PN in OR and I only have two left from my original case.

That being said, I am more looking forward to share a bottle of 20 year old Churchill's Tawny Port with them for dessert, as these are almost all winemakers from BC, Walla Walla/Columbia Valley and OR's Willamette Valley and none of them know Port. We'll see what they think.

BF is one of my two fav oregon producers, hands down. I hope your '99 showed well, I've only tried '01 and later.

And at a tasting for older (and mostly esoteric) wines: '75 Grahams

Also, of you're at the meeting of those two rivers, Roy, and consider it remote, get east of The Dalles. It will likely redefine remote! And if you want truly out there, visit Klamath Falls, Lakeview and Burns, which I drove through yesterday. Beautiful terrain, but all lacking in creature comforts, to be sure!

My 7th bottle of Fonseca 2007 LBV.

It really is outstanding. So fruity, tannins strong to balance things out, together overpowering the spirit. I've been enjoying it even more since switched to a riedel red wine glass (a really big one!).

Decided to give it a shot in the fridge this time, to keep it from deteriorating too fast (starts to show after about a week in bottle after open at room temperature). It is really great, being colder makes its body show less as you first drink it.

Compares to the glass of 1991 Fonseca Guimaraens I had in Porto over Xmas and to the bottle of 2007 Grahams VP I had late last year. Have to acknowledge to those tasting better.

But how nice LBV tastes... at under $20/bottle (check the thread on the porto and madeira marketplace), can see myself get a case or two when i run out of my initial 10 bottles!

It was standing for about 3 hours after I got it home from the store. Now it's open.... 2007 Quarles Harris LBV

Andy Velebil wrote:It was standing for about 3 hours after I got it home from the store. Now it's open.... 2007 Quarles Harris LBV

Tasting note POSTED HERE