For The Love Of Port

Glenn E. wrote:

John M. wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 2:50 pm The Souza buying op was so awesome.....amazing cellar defenders and quite enjoyable and the price was amazing. I may have one left, unless I traded them all to you, Mike. For all you non-member lurkers out there, if you want to see one of the best joys of being a member, read through the archives to this Buying-OP. Nice, well aged Ports at a phenomenal price.

I bought 6 cases during that buying op - 2 of each vintage. I think I still have a case of the 1987 left, but I'm down to 4-5 bottles each of the 1995 and 1997.

I still have some 1987’s left. And I think one 1997

John M. wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 2:50 pm

Mike J. W. wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 9:12 am

Glenn E. wrote: ↑Wed Apr 30, 2025 3:46 pm

Makes for a good "game night" Port.

I agree.

Some of the heat and rough edges have dissipated on night 2 and it is drinking better. I'll post my tasting note after I try it again tonight.

The Souza buying op was so awesome.....amazing cellar defenders and quite enjoyable and the price was amazing. I may have one left, unless I traded them all to you, Mike. For all you non-member lurkers out there, if you want to see one of the best joys of being a member, read through the archives to this Buying-OP. Nice, well aged Ports at a phenomenal price.

I think you traded me an '87 and '95 (and maybe a '97?) which I haven't tried yet. I won two '97's from Winebid and this is the first Souza that I've tried. The second night was definitely better than the first. We'll see what tonight brings.

I tried these Souza VPs, two years before putting them into a buying op. I had been contacted by the seller and knew leverage was good. Really liked them when I first had them, and I knew this importer was moving back to PT and did not want to have to pay a fortune for storing or shipping. I negotiated really hard and got them all down by $14-16 per bottle. They wound up after six months of back and tedious forth, at LBV prices for solid 89-92 point VPs, none of which was too mature at the time. I thought people would fall all over themselves to buy some. I liked the 1997 a lot, but even the 1995 was worthy, especially for the price, and it was very young. I thought the 1997 was about a decade younger though. I shared a lot with my friends who were learning about Port and brought them to BC and Edmonton with me with frequency, CO often, (although my brother bought a bunch). The importer was so grateful for FTLOP, as we purchased about 90 of all that he had left in the USA. I helped him offload the rest to a retailer in Portland. Great guy, but I hope he is still alive, he had a very serious heart condition and was going back to spend his later-life years with his family.

There was not much of some and lots of others. I bought 5 cases of the 1987, as it was my favorite. I know I still have one unopened case in storage. Like Andy, I bought 2 cases of the others. It was similar to when Alex/Uncle Tom et al in the UK purchased their slew of 1991 VP, momentarily forgetting the name, but it was quite good although I only had it once while in Cambridgeshire. Although I was there more than once.

Alex, do you still see Tom and drink with him? I will be meeting with Chris G. when he comes here soon. Looking forward to see him, and you too of course.

Just reading through some threads with a glass of 2006 Colheita by DR. An earlier glass shared with a friend dropping off a Port delivery, and he guessed 1992 Colheita. This is really good, but I will take more careful notes tonight

Roy Hersh wrote: ↑Fri May 02, 2025 7:48 am It was similar to when Alex/Uncle Tom et al in the UK purchased their slew of 1991 VP, momentarily forgetting the name, but it was quite good although I only had it once while in Cambridgeshire.

IIRC that 1991 Port was Morgan. They sure did have a lot of it in London!

1989 Warre Quinta da Cavadinha
TN to follow.

Glenn E. wrote: ↑Fri May 02, 2025 9:18 am

Roy Hersh wrote: ↑Fri May 02, 2025 7:48 am It was similar to when Alex/Uncle Tom et al in the UK purchased their slew of 1991 VP, momentarily forgetting the name, but it was quite good although I only had it once while in Cambridgeshire.

IIRC that 1991 Port was Morgan. They sure did have a lot of it in London!

It was Morgan, good memory.

Between us all, we bought 72 cases of 6, so about half a pipe. Most of it has been drunk, but there are still a few people with a case or two.

Roy Hersh wrote: ↑Fri May 02, 2025 7:48 am Alex, do you still see Tom and drink with him? I will be meeting with Chris G. when he comes here soon. Looking forward to see him, and you too of course.

We still see Tom at some of the London tastings and he still hosts us in his pub for our Christmas tasting each year.

I promise to catch up with you again soon when I'm in Porto - but I always seem to coincide my visits with times when you're busy!

Give me a little heads up and unless I have a tour, I am pretty flexible. It would be great to see you again, although I know we will see one another in a few months. Are you coming for the Confraria dinner this year?

Roy

Last night, David Spriggs was visiting Porto and we had dinner together. The restaurant I wanted to take him to was closed unfortunately. So, we did a last minute dinner at T. do Manel. Had a great table and a bunch of wines, I won't bore you but a really fine 1983 from Dao was a real hit. I also brought a 1978 Colheita by Burmester. It was unusual as it only had 11 years in wood and 36 years in bottle. Very odd to find that dynamic, but lately I have been seeking out wines with more time in bottle, trying to learn how they react. I decanted at home for 30 minutes. There was some funk on the nose initially but that was gone pretty quick. David liked it more than I did. But by later in the night it filled out quite a bit. We'd had a white and red already, so after 2/3 of the bottle were gone, I let him take the rest back to his hotel room.

Martha's 10 year-old Tawny. Took a sample sip as I always do and it's very nice for a 10 year-old. A tasting note will follow in a few days.

Roy Hersh wrote: ↑Mon May 05, 2025 2:39 pm Give me a little heads up and unless I have a tour, I am pretty flexible. It would be great to see you again, although I know we will see one another in a few months. Are you coming for the Confraria dinner this year?

Roy

We’re not in Porto for the Confraria dinner this year. Having done it 3 years in a row since COVID, we’re taking a break this year.

1977 Warres Vintage Port
Still going strong was this bottle. I don't think it will get better, but I'm not going to rush to drink my remaining bottles either.

1985 Warres VP. A touch advanced but very nice.

2014 Noble & Murat LBV

A solidly above average LBV, bodes very well for this new reborn brand.

DR Agri-Roncao 20 year-old White Port.

Quinta do Vesúvio 1995 - as good as expected - and Niepoort 1991, which suffered by being closely followed by the Vesuvio 1995.

2003 Croft, in a 375 ml bottle
Even in a half bottle, this wine was still all primary with lots of berry flavors along with some eucalyptus and grape stem. I'll hold off and drink older bottles before opening another one of these. But hey, it was pretty enjoyable as it was.

Palmer 10 Year White

Quite feminine in nature. Light, and crisp. Hints of passionfruit and pear with a touch of pecan on the finish. One of the more subtle ports. I have a little left and waiting to see how it evolves, if at all. Lovely. Perfect after a meal.

92 Points

From Roy's 2025 buying opportunity:
NV Enólogo 10-Year-Old White Port, an easy drinker. Too bad it's only available in 0,5l bottles, as Marguérite and I would not have mind to have another tasty refill by the end of the evening. Next time we'll open a S. Leonardo's 10-Year-Old White Port as well for a mini tasting.