Definitely Yes. I used to love the young fruity rubies and even VP, but I'm now more interested I tawny - especially Colheitas - and older VPs. As I have grown older I'm less interested in power and more fascinated with balance and grace. I think this is true of many wine lovers as they age (I'm more drawn to Pinot Noir than Cabernet).
Of course I go though times where I suddenly am interested in young ruby and VP, but it doesn't last that long.
I'd agree with David in general, especially on dry wines... I like powerful ports when they are still like that after 20-30 years, but I have little interest in drinking young vintages. It's just too much; rather drink an Italian dry wine if I want that kind of assault!
In a way, it might all work out. The younger bottles one buys when young will age as one's palate evolves into liking older bottlings... That is, provided one doesnt drink them too fast!
David, what are you planning on doing w all the VP that I assume you purchased when younger?? Now that you're more into tawnies!
I still love VP! It's young VP that I'm less drawn to. Most if my VP is now older. . The last vintage that I bought a lot of was 1994, and to a lesser extent, 2003. But those aren't ready. I'm drinking my 1966,1970, and 1977s. Most of my tawnies (like 20 year old) are for keeping my hands off the older VP!
I went from drinking older Vintage Ports when I started out and never tasting young ones, to learning to appreciate young Vintage Ports. Now the young ones I open are from the 1980's, mostly stuff I bought when they were infants or before they were old enough to ride a bicycle.
I have also grown to love Tawny and Colheita Ports, White Ports, Crusted and even LBV's over the decades. I bought the majority of the Ports I own today between 1985-2005, not the vintages, those were the years in which I did my heaviest purchasing. Now I pretty much just replace stuff that I continue to drink from my own bottles as cases are depleted.
To answer your question though, although i don't open my young VP's unless doing verticals or horizontal tastings etc., I do appreciate them and typically open them more for TN's than sheer pleasure.
I try to open 3-4 bottles per year of young (less than 10 year old) port. Often this is LBV or Crusted but there is at least 1 bottle per year of the most recent Vesuvio vintage opened over Christmas.
I don't think my sweet spot has changed in the last 10 years. I like my port to be aged vintage port, 40-100 years of age. The 1970s are just reaching the stage where I really start to like them and the 1912s might just be starting to be a little too old to be perfect. Sadly, cost drives me to drink less from my sweet spot than I would like and I tend to drink more from the 1980s and less older wines.
Although I try aged tawny and colheitas on many occasions, I keep coming back to aged vintage port with really, really young vintage port as my second favourite style - as I type this I am drinking a glass or two of the Croft 2011.
Interesting comments thus far. Interesting in that most dry wine drinkers tend to prefer more delicate "old school style" or just older vintages of dry wines when they are young. Then they tend to gravitate toward more fruit forward younger wines as they get older. But with many Port drinkers it tends to be the opposite, they like older more delicate Ports the older they get. At least this is what I am seeing in my drinking circles, for both types of wines.
. The last vintage that I bought a lot of was 1994, and to a lesser extent, 2003. But those aren't ready. I'm drinking my 1966,1970, and 1977s. Most of my tawnies (like 20 year old) are for keeping my hands off the older VP!
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