What have you opened this week?

[Moses Botbol]

2005 Dow LBV. Some bottle stink on pop and pour. Has a t cork. Expecting it to be fine the next day.

[John M.]

For Tonight, having a few friends over for dinner:

1985 Royal Oporto
1995 Smith Woodhouse Madelena

[Tom Archer]

Next up:

Smith Woodhouse '70 - a wine that I don't think I've ever drunk at home before, despite having had stock for the past ten years

[Tom Archer]

SW70

I have two stashes, both of which have to date gone under the radar of my computer's selection system because they were both near pristine with good levels.

This bottle a Wine Society bottling - full, rich, dark and a really very lovely quaff, which left me thinking: What is peak vintage port? At what age do declared vintages, on average, show their best?

Do 40 year old Vintage Ports show better, on average, than 30 year olds? That has to be an emphatic yes - only a few lame ducks deteriorate over that period, whilst many temperamental players mellow.

Do 50 year old Vintage Ports show better, on average, than 40 year olds? I would say the majority of wines from the majority of vintages show improvement over that period, against which a few decline, sometimes significantly; but the overall picture seems upward.

Do 60 year old Vintage ports show better, on average than 50 year olds? The best wines, from here to a century of age, can evolve an ever increasing elegance and refinement. Others mark time, some go south. The decline of some can easily outweigh the more modest gains of others.

Without a drinking policy to weed out and drink through the weaklings, peak VP is perhaps a little shy of 50 years, but if weaklings are spotted and prioritised early, so the gains of the stars are not neutered through averaging with the proles, I feel that peak point is probably approaching 60

[Mike J. W.]

1994 Fonseca
1994 Taylor Fladgate
1994 Quinta do Vesuvio
1994 Graham's
1997 Quinta do Noval
2011 Alvear Pedro Ximenez de Anada Sherry

A bunch of my college buddies and I met at the beach over the weekend as we do every summer. I bring the ports and usually a single bottle of Sauternes as well. This year I decided to bring a Sherry instead of a Sauternes and do a small horizontal of 1994's. I tossed in the '97 Noval just to see what it's like at this point in its life. All of the 1994's are ready and open for business, with the Fonseca being the star of the show. Unfortunately, I could not say the same for the Quinta do Noval. It still hasn't integrated completely and I would say it easily needs at least 5 more years if not 10. I can tell that it's going to be very good when it's ready, but it's just not ready.

[Tom Archer]

I've only had two encounters with Noval '97 and both were bad. One bottle had lost a lot of colour and was unpleasant on every level, the other was earthy.

A wine that seems to have been promoted way above its ability..

[Mike J. W.]

I've only had two encounters with Noval '97 and both were bad. One bottle had lost a lot of colour and was unpleasant on every level, the other was earthy.

A wine that seems to have been promoted way above its ability..

I know it's been highly touted, but it's hard to say yet if it's been promoted way above its ability.
The color on my bottle was very dark. The problem right now is it just isn't ready. I think it'll get there and be a very good bottle of Port, but it's going to take time. I might open one in another 5 years, but I honestly don't think this will be ready for another 10, maybe longer. I'm not living forever though, so I sure hope it hurries the hell up.

[Andy Velebil]

1964 Taylor's Single Harvest Tawny (that was corked )
1970 Royal Oporto Quinta das Carvalhas VP

[Eric Menchen]

1955 Cockburn VP
1992 Smith Woodhouse LBV
Barros 100th Anniversary tawny

[Eric Menchen]

Barros 100th Anniversary tawny
2nd bottle of three purchased. The first was good, but this one was even better. Possibility one is bottle variation, as this one seemed a little less hot. Second possibility is that it was served own its own after a meal, whereas the first was in a tasting lineup against some very good Ports, e.g. S. Leonardo "60".

[Andy Velebil]

Quinta de la Rosa 20 year Tawny (b.2018)

[Eric Ifune]

San Leonardo 40 year old.

[Mike J. W.]

'85 Graham's VP. I just decanted it a few minutes ago. The label was a little roughed up but not bad. Took the foil off it and saw some mold on the top of the cork and label. It's always disappointing to see that. Pulled the cork and it was saturated. After opening, it smelled of mold / VA. I wiped the lip and decanted. It came out a medium ruby color. A little lighter than I would have expected. Once it was in the decanter, it smelled mostly of alcohol with some fruit in the background. I took just a very small sip as I always do once I decant and it was nothing but heat / alcohol. It'll get a long decant until tonight, so I'm hoping the alcohol will dissipate. It's my first '85 Graham's so I'm hoping for the best. If it is bad, I'll be opening a 20 y.o. tawny, lol.

[Tom Archer]

Pulled the cork and it was saturated.

Typically, full penetration of the wine into the cork occurs around the 40th year with port, so at 34 years, this is not too far off the mark.

There were a lot of duff corks around in the eighties however, although the Symington wines are amongst the least badly affected. Let the initial bottle stink blow off, and judge it after it's been in decanter for 24 hours. Make sure the decanter stays cool.

[Moses Botbol]

Opened a 1980 Grahams Vintage. Showed a lot of fruit and was pretty sweet. Still holding on well.

[David Spriggs]

Ramos Pinto 30 Year old (bottles 2013).... AWESOME!

[Al B.]

I opened an unknown bottle which I estimated from the bottle style to be from the early '60s or '50s. The cork was branded "Cockburn Vintage 1935". Nice!

[Tom Archer]

Smith Woodhouse standard Ruby

Came as part of a mixed auction lot recently purchased, no date of course, but label is of the current design.

Remarkably smooth, fruity and quaffable, could easily pass as a reserve.

Looking to see where this is sold, this seems to be a wine reserved for the non-supermarket wine trade. Definitely a cut above the norm.

[Eric Menchen]

Remarkably smooth, fruity and quaffable, could easily pass as a reserve.

I felt that way about Noval ruby a good number of years back. Unfortunately I tend to scoff at the idea of drinking "just a ruby," when many of them are quite good.

[Mike J. W.]

Pulled the cork and it was saturated.

Typically, full penetration of the wine into the cork occurs around the 40th year with port, so at 34 years, this is not too far off the mark.

There were a lot of duff corks around in the eighties however, although the Symington wines are amongst the least badly affected. Let the initial bottle stink blow off, and judge it after it's been in decanter for 24 hours. Make sure the decanter stays cool.

This bottle just never came around. It's decent, but not at all what I would have expected from a Graham's in a good year. At best it's a 90. I'm disappointed with how it fared, but I have a few other bottles in my cellar and I'll try again in another year or so.