What have you opened this week?

[Roy Hersh]

Another 1987 Souza Vintage Port.

[David Spriggs]

J. M. Fonseca Mostcatel Roxo 20 Year Old
Barbeito Mae Manuela Malvasia 40 Year Old

[Moses Botbol]

1970 Dow's Vintage Port for the fight.

[jeff t.]

Kopke Colheita 1985.

[Glenn E.]

Another 1987 Souza Vintage Port.

Me too!

[Thomas V]

2008 Gould Campbell LBV

[Eric Ifune]

1977 Taylors

[Moses Botbol]

1999 Noval LBV

[Thomas V]

2004 Maynard's Colheita

[Roy Hersh]

A half dozen 2015 Vintage Ports.

[Eric Ifune]

Bulas 20 year old.

[Andy Velebil]

Andresen 40 year old white Port.

[Jasper A.]

Technically didn't open these my self, but i tasted yesterday:

- Fonseca Guimaraens 2015 VP
- Calem 2015 VP & 1985 VP
- Dalva 2004 Colheita
- Kopke 2015 VP
- Quinta da Devesa 20 year old white port
- Taylor's Quinta da Vargellas 2015 VP
- Taylors 2003 VP
- Taylor's 325 anniversary tawny reserve
- Taylor's 2005 Terra Feita VP & Qd Vargellas VP
- Taylor's 30 year old tawny

Was a nice day :)

[Glenn E.]

1966 Porto Rocha Colheita, bottled 2006. Pretty sure this was from an old buying opportunity... still tasting fantastic!

[Glenn E.]

1995 Souza Vintage Port. Wow, I'm done with my New Year's Port Resolution for September already?

[Stewart T.]

Andy wrote:

IIRC Sogrape is not putting the producer on their corks anymore, just vintage (or the recork dates as you mentioned). From what I surmised it was a cost saving issue. Use the same batch of corks for many different SKU's of wines...I'm not a fan of it. I totally understand when it's a cheap bottle, say something under $25 bucks. When I spend good money on a bottle costing $50 or more, that I will probably be aging for some time, for god's sake put a properly branded cork in it. Charge me an extra $0.03 cents for it, I don't care. But it comes off as cheapening a quality and pricey product when producers take short cuts on cork related issues. My is over. :)

Some time ago, an operational decision was made to harmonize the corks used across all of Sogrape’s range of Vintage Ports and they started using the same high quality corks with only vintage date printed on them. Similarly on the vintages which are recorked only the vintage date and recorking date are printed.

The recorking of Vintage Port bottles is a very delicate process and one that seldom takes place and only when needed. Normally the wines involved in this process are old and rare vintages, special editions or niche products and therefore very small quantities. As the recorking is done manually, only vintage and recorking date are shown on their corks in order to simplify the process.

[Eric Menchen]

As the recorking is done manually, only vintage and recorking date are shown on their corks in order to simplify the process.

If it just had the recork date, I might understand. But with the original date as well, you're going to have to special make a bunch of corks knowing what the target is/are. Sure, there might be come commonality with 1948 brand X recorked in 2017 and 1948 brand Y recorked in 2017. But isn't the 1948/2017 a pretty special run as it is? Why not just make two runs, one each for X and Y?

[Eric Menchen]

1997 Kopke Colheita

[John M.]

Last minute gathering of friends--we enjoyed a 2007 Single Harvest Quinta do Noval LBV and a 2004 Warres LBV (bottled 2008) and then some German Beers. Both Ports showed well. I took no formal notes but the four of us discussed.

The Noval was thinner with a very short aftertaste. Lots of pepper on finish, not a lot of fruit. Think it would have been better with a longer decant than one house and 5 years more in the bottle. 89 Points

The Warres is the classic Warres LBV profile---just a jam packed fruit bomb, yet complex, dense and enjoyable. I often feel this could pass for a VP. 93 points

[Andy Velebil]

1984 Hooper's VP...TN posted