OK time for some TN's and the run down. As you can see from this thread, this was a really last minute offline. But what time we lacked in planning, we sure made up for it in fun...including the grease fire
Nothing like Kris and I trying to blow out the flames on the BBQ and wondering if we should call 911. Anyways, at the 11th hour we ended up with a couple of others, Alex Rodriguez (from FTLOP), Marc's fiance, and a friend of mine from the wine store. Kris was nice enough to have some Flannagen's (sp?) 40-45 aged steaks shipped out for the festivities, and I made a homemade mint and zuchini soup. I'm not much in the way of a cook, but Kris sent me some easy to follow instructions and I was able to pull it off.
The only little snag we ran into, and we overcame it in true Port drinker fashion, was we ended up with 2 bottles of 1983 Dow's VP. What looked like a "What do we do next" quickly turned into "Hey, one was decanted 7 hours before the other...lets do a side-by-side comparison of decanting times." Ahh, we Port drinkers are quite resourceful chaps
Since Kris and I were busy in the kitchen I didn't take any written notes on the dry wines, so here are my impressions from a hazy memory.
We started out with the
2005 Niepoort Redoma Branco with some appetizers. This took about 1 1/2 hours after double decanting to start showing is legs. A smooth and slightly oily wine that is well balanced with some nice citrus notes. It was not overly buttery or oaky, which I don't like, and was a wine I could drink all day. 90 points
We moved on to the
1997 Ramos Pinto Reserva "Duas Quintas" and this was double decanted about 2 hours before we started drinking it. This started out a bit thin and not showing a whole lot. What I would say was a decent middle of the road Douro. By the time I had a last glass about 3 hours later it was finally starting to come alive with some aged fruit and better balance. I know the next time I open one to give it more time before finishing the bottle. 89+
Then onto the last two wines. One was a slight deveation from Portugal and a short hop over to Italy with the
2003 Carmignano "Piaggia" Riserva I've had very little good Italian wines, and although this wasn't really my style, it was shaping up to be a very good one. It was very tight and closed almost the whole time we drank it. There was some left at the end of the night and I tried it. It was just barily starting to loosen up and I liked what I saw. If you like these types of wine, this is one to get. 92+
Then on to the
1999 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional This had around 2 hours decant time when we got around to drinking it. Of the several vintages of this I've tried, I see what all the fuss is about. One heck of a wine here. Still showing some young fruit but those secondary charactaristics were also starting to show. An elegant long finish completed this...my dry wine of the night 93+
OK, on to the Ports...
1989 Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha SQVP: Decanted 13 hours. A nice cinnamon, spice, and spearmint nose with a nice touch of heat that rounded it out. While this was a medium bodied SQVP, it was quite elegant on the palate with some tannins still showing. The finish was medium/long. While this appears to be hitting its stride, and should hold there for another 5 or so years, this is a classic example of a mid-term drinking SQVP. 91
1983 Dows VP: (both of them) The one that was decanted was just barily lighter in the center, the edges being about the same. While the just decanted one showed more primary fruit on the nose, the 7 hour decanted one was showing some deep marion berries and had lost that in-your-face plums of the just opened bottle. The decanted bottles tannins was not so rough and had integrated quite well, but make no mistake, the tannins are still plentiful in these babies. While it was fun to compare two bottles side by side, the decanting really showed. 91+ for the decanted bottled and 89+ for the just opened bottle.
There was a little of the Dows left, and I finished it a few days later. While it wasn't the gem it was earlier, it was still a very tasty VP and I was glad there was some left overs.
1983 Taylor Fladgate VP I've had this about 4-5 times now and this bottle was no different. The color was a very light ruby, clearly showing a ton of age. It was very light on the palate with faded fruit and smoke with a medium finish. 85 (If you got em, drink up fast folks it aint going to get any better
)
1960 Kopke Colheita (B. 2001): Brown with a redish orange hue. Nose of carmel, nuts, mahogany, and some VA (what a couple people describe as Bual like). I was smelling and I was liking this already. A nice heavyweight on the palate with seemless layers of vanilla, almonds, carmel, acid, and a long elegant finish. This is one heck of a Colheita. 94 and my Port of the night.
It was a great time and I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity, great company, and for making it happen on such short notice.
and its time for me to hit the sack. 
