What have you opened this week?

[A.S. Demka]

Quevedo 40 yo tawny, bottled in 2019

[A.S. Demka]

A great bottle of Pocas Bonificador!

[John M.]

1995 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 375mm Bottle. Got a case of these recently (24 bottles), first one opening.

[Moses Botbol]

1980 Gould Campbell VP. A brute of a port like other GC vintages.

[Roy Hersh]

1991 Andresen was opened after dinner last night, surprising George Sandeman who had never had this before. It showed up to par, a 2022 bottling that was singingd.

[Al B.]

We held our Christmas tasting last week, with a theme of those bottles which have lost labels and capsules so we have no idea what they are. We hope they are Port…

We opened 12 bottles. 1 was Madeira, 1 was Sherry. 1 was sealed with a screw cap — but was Port! 1 was probably Port but the cork wasn’t branded.

The other bottles were Graham 1970, Croft 1960, Cockburn 1950, Taylor 1948, Delaforce 1945, Martinez 1922, Fonseca 1922 and Taylor 1908.

So at the weekend with my palate full of beautiful mature VP, I opened a superb and very young bottle of Fonseca 1963.

[Mike J. W.]

We held our Christmas tasting last week, with a theme of those bottles which have lost labels and capsules so we have no idea what they are. We hope they are Port…

We opened 12 bottles. 1 was Madeira, 1 was Sherry. 1 was sealed with a screw cap — but was Port! 1 was probably Port but the cork wasn’t branded.

The other bottles were Graham 1970, Croft 1960, Cockburn 1950, Taylor 1948, Delaforce 1945, Martinez 1922, Fonseca 1922 and Taylor 1908.

So at the weekend with my palate full of beautiful mature VP, I opened a superb and very young bottle of Fonseca 1963.

What a great lineup, Alex. That must have been a mind blowing tasting. The Fonseca 1963 is no slouch either, although I prefer the 1966 version.

[Mike J. W.]

DR 20 y.o. Tawny. It's probably one of the best 20 year olds that I've ever had. Even the Mrs. liked it and she's not a big Port fan (more for me).

[Eric Ifune]

2015 Crasto LBV. Still very primary.

[Edward J]

Last night for me and my wife, a DR 50 year old Tawny, bottle 153/200. This stuff is magic, so viscous, so tantalizing so much MORE. The amazing thing is I've had 3 older DR tawnies that might be considered better. At this level we just enjoy it. 3 ounce pour lasted all evening.

[Glenn E.]

1937 Kopke Colheita (bottled 2017) for the Sammamish Port Club's holiday party.

[Mike J. W.]

Quinta Da Pacheca 30 year old Tawny (bottled 2020). Thanks to John M. for picking this up for me at Portugalia.

[Moses Botbol]

On Sunday night we opened an '85 Fonseca VP. Last night it was marvelous. Hope to finish it on Christmas night.

This vintage seems to have a little variation in maturity bottle to bottle.

[Al B.]

In the last week I’ve opened bottles of Messias 1963 Colheita (bottled 1983) — not great but drinkable — Kopke 1963 Colheita (bottled 2023) — stunning — Cabral 40YO — decent, but not a great 40YO, more like a decent 20YO — Churchill 30YO (bottled 2018) — enjoyable — and a bottle of Churchill Club Ruby Reserve, which is rounded and delicious (basically a limited bottling of a 2015 LBV).

Next up is some VP.

[Mike J. W.]

For after Christmas dinner I opened a 1963 Croft VP. It's in a decline, but still enjoyable. Good, not great.

[Lucas S]

2000 Ferreira VP
2nd one I'm opening, been two years since the 1st. Much more acidic and less muted than I remember from last time, and still very good. Getting secondary now. I expect significant improvement still.

[Roy Hersh]

1961 Krohn Vintage Port - better than I expected, but it came from a person who used to purchase Krohn from the Carneiro family and was a reseller of sorts, for them, about 30 miles from Porto.

2 dozen 2022 Vintage Ports.

[Al B.]

1961 Krohn Vintage Port - better than I expected, but it came from a person who used to purchase Krohn from the Carneiro family and was a reseller of sorts, for them, about 30 miles from Porto.

2 dozen 2022 Vintage Ports.

I opened a bottle earlier this year for a dinner hosted by a friend who lives in Lisbon. One of his guests was born in 1961 and, while particular guest drinks Port quite often, it had been about 15 years since they'd last drunk this particular wine. I was pleased with the way it showed back in February. It was evolved and getting to be tertiary, but it was a lovely glass of Port. (Disclaimer: I am well known for liking my wines to be very evolved.)

[Roy Hersh]

Hi Alex,

I assume you are talking about William W. who came on one of our tours a decade or so ago, shortly after their baby was born.

This was quite mature too, a really well stored bottle direct from a Krohn reseller north of Porto that has one heck of a stock of Krohn Ports.

This was somewhere on the saddle between secondary and tertiary. I have several more bottles but this was one of the handful in the best condition.

You wrote: (Disclaimer: I am well known for liking my wines to be very evolved.) Amen. I am the same way and that goes for anything from Burgundy, CA Cabs, Bdx,, Meursault, Montrachet, Chablis, Barolo, Amarone, Zins ... oh yeah, great oldies from Dao, (i opened a bottle of 1954 earlier this year that blew the minds of my friends at the table who were all from Pico and then purchased a mag from the same year). But when it comes to VP, Recioto, Vin Santo, Madeira, Sauternes, Banyuls, Moscatel de Setubal, and many others dessert wines ... the older the better. Of course, said in jest, but I share your penchant for wine "hanging on to dear life." My brother once nicknamed me, "the oeno-necrophiliac."

[Al B.]

You're right, it was Will who was the host.

Your bottle of Krohn 1961 sounds similar to mine, although mine was more evolved and definitely tertiary, but still delicious.

My experience of Dão wines is quite limited, but I have been very impressed by the wines from the 1950s and 1960s which people have opened for me. I don't own any and (hopefully) never will since I am desperately trying not to buy any more wine of any kind.

If and when you manage to make a trip to the UK, please let me know and we can meet for dinner. I'll open something really old and which has completely fallen apart that we can enjoy together.