For The Love Of Port

I bought (and allready drunk some bt.) a case of Warre LBV 1992 about 3 years ago and the manager of the store told me they would still improve a bit and be quit enjoyable until 2012.

So my question is: Do unfiltert LBV's generally improve by bottle-aging?

Thanks, Monique.

In a word, YES. There is no question that an Unfiltered LBV can and will improve in the bottle. How long is very hard to say, as that depends on the particular bottling. But suffice it to say that these traditional styles of LBV have upside potential. Personally, I drink mine on the young side. If I want older Port, I'll do VP. I understand the penchant for aging LBVs, but I don't do that almost ever. 1994 Q d Noval is an exception.

Aged traditional LBV can be a real treat. For the better producers, and in my limited experience, 10 years seem to be the age when they peak.
Niepoort might be an exception (in my experience): the '84 was still amazingly young when I tasted it a month ago. The '90 and '92 are great to drink now, with the '92 still have room for improvement.

I like LBV a lot, as I don't have the budget to open a VP every time I feel like drinking Port. Over the next few months, my Port-loving friends and I will be tasting the remains of my collection of LBV from '95. I've waited for the Warre '95 to be released before starting on the "traditional" ones:

Barão de Vilar
Burmester
Messias - Quinta do Cachão
Niepoort
Offley
Osborne
Quinta das Heredias
Quinta de Baldias
Quinta de la Rosa
Quinta do Castelinho
Quinta do Passadouro
Ramos Pinto
Rozès – Unfiltered Reserve Edition
São Pedro das Aguias
Vallegre - Vista Alegra
Warre
Wiese & Krohn

If anyone knows of an unfiltered LBV from '95 that is missing from the above list, let me know! I do know Qta. d. Crasto made one, but the cheapest I saw it for was 40 Euros at the Modelo in Vila Real - a bit too much...I hope to add a Smith Woodhouse soon. Did Noval make an LBV in '95? I saw the '94 and '96 (both tasty), but never the '95.

Should there is any interest, I can post my TNs on the "modern" LBVs we've already tried:

Barros
Cockburn
Croft
Delaforce
Don Pablo
Dow
Graham
Fonseca
Freitas
Kopke
Martinez
Porto Almiro
Q.d. Portal
Rabelo's
Real Companhia Velha
Romariz
Rozès
Taylor

Monique,

I think it would be great for you to post your Tasting Notes on the "modern" LBVs you have had. Thanks!

Well, my name IS Steven , but will do!

Sorry about that Steven, I must have had Monique on my mind. 8)

My "eye-opening" revelation about aging LBVs was a 1961 Dow's opened some time in the 1980s. Wow!

FWIW, the 1995 Qta. do Crasto is wonderful, and I think I may have a bottle or two left . . . .

Cheers,
Jason

Jason, any chance one of your bottles making it to The Netherlands? I'd be more than happy to return the favour with something intersting for you as well...

I had a Smith-Woodhouse '94 LBV that was yummy!

I couldn't say whould have tasted like in '94, but if waiting (well, never have I had the patience to wait, I just buy it aged) 11 years has this effect, why mess with it?

Somebody (sorry, forgot who brought it - Alex?) brought along a bottle of Dow 1961 LBV to the off-line in Covent Garden. It looked and tasted pretty much like latter-day Dow LBV does but with some changes. This suggests that it has not bottle-aged noticebly in about forty years.

I have one remaining bottle of Krohn unfiltered LBV 1997, which is very nice.

The Dow '61 was a curiosity brought by Linden. He discovered a shop in Kensington selling off a case with excellent provenance, but an exorbitant price.

Alex

KillerB wrote: . . . Dow 1961 LBV to the off-line in Covent Garden. It looked and tasted pretty much like latter-day Dow LBV does but with some changes. This suggests that it has not bottle-aged noticebly in about forty years.

I'm not sure what you mean by "but with some changes."

FWIW, this was NOT our experience at all, IF what you're saying is along the lines of you couldn't tell any difference between the 1961 LBV and the 1994 LBV in terms of color and flavor. Twenty years ago, this tasted like a well-aged and MATURE Late Bottled Vintage Porto.

Gives one pause.

Jason

Jason, I don't think anybody thought that it was an aged Port. I picked up that it was a drier sytle as did others but nobody was going to commit. When it was revealed as Dow LBV I wasn't surprised, only the date got me. I put the differences down to hanging around in the bottle for a long time but not classical aging and the fact that Dow may have been using different blends at that time. I didn't say I didn't like it because I did, as I do modern Dow LBV, I just don't think that it went through the aging process that you would get from a Trad/Unfiltered LBV or a VP.

Some excellent points made by both sides. I know that I was certainly fooled by the bottle!