Multi: Offline at the Crusting Pipe, London - 12th October 2007

[Al B.]

My heartfelt thanks to Roy, Nicos, Christopher, Paul and Ian for such a fun evening on Friday night. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to have some very special ports in the company of people who really appreciate them.

My tasting notes follow, and I hope the other folks will post their impressions of the wines or at least of the evening.

I'd like to thank Roy for putting himself to the inconvenience of returning home from Portugal via London; to Paul for making the considerable effort to travel down from Scotland for the evening; to Nicos for providing the wines we drank with our food; to Ian for his constant hospitality at the Crusting Pipe and to Christopher for keeping his promise to take part in the offline when it would have been very easy for him to have gone straight home to his family given how late he had to work on Friday night.

We tasted all but one of these wines blind and had some tremendous fun trying (and failing) to guess producer and vintage. The scores are mine alone and are based in the way the wines showed on their initial pour as many of them (the Fonseca '80 and the Taylor '63 in particular) changed significantly and would have scored several points higher if I had had the sobriety to score them later in the evening.

Delaforce 1985 - double decanted for 24 hours
Paling colour, thin on the rim and showing signs of maturity. Alcohol dominates the nose, underneath I can pick up stewed rhubarb and cooked tomato. A slightly sharp entry, a little unbalanced but the fruit develops in the mid-palate with the wine blossoming beautifully into a full mouthfeel with a lovely balance. A long redcurrant syrup aftertaste that starts immediately after swallowing and lasts a long time. This port is close to the average of what I would hope to drink this year, let down only by the unbalanced initial entry, but is not likely to change significantly over the next 10 years so I rate it 5/10 for current drinking and 5/10 for drinking in 10 years time (5/5) or 88/100.


Port A with 9 hours double decanting.
Deep red but transparent center, colour holding into the rim. Sweet, ripe fruit nose. A touch of mustiness, brambles and obvious alcohol. Full bodied entry, sweet but with a fierce mid-palate pepperiness from the inintegrated alcohol. The tannins in the mouth are well integrated but the alcohol is fierce. The typical mintiness that a Taylor sometimes shows.
The aftertaste starts with a lot of red licorice and a very hot finish but has good length and development. The heat in the mid-palate spoiled this for me and made a good port poor, certainly below the average of what I would expect to drink this year. Very difficult to predict how this port will develop with the extremely obvious alcohol. I rated this a score (out of 10) of 3 for current drinking and 2 for drinking in 10 years time or 85/100

[Footnote: On Roy's suggestion we poured the remainder of this wine back into the decanter and came back to it at the end of the evening. With the additional 3 hours of time in the decanter, this wine had changed substantially with the alcohol having integrated beautifully. To me, this was the wine of the night (just) and I thank Paul for letting me have the last glass as a birthday present, but I admit to a bias for this particular port as it was the one I was given as a 21'st birthday gift. Scoring after having put this back in the decanter for three hours would have been 9/9 or 95/100 - this will have been one of the 15 best bottles I will taste this year, although probably not one of the best 5.]

Port B - 3 hours decanter time
A solid, deep ruby core thinning into the rim and paling to an orange meniscus. A nose of sweet mandarins and marmalade with some lovely clover honey tones. A balanced entry, sweet but with acidity to offset the sweetness. Dried fruits like prunes and figs come through. A little heat in the midpalate around huge depth and thick texture. Mature flavours, well into secondary life but still with lots of fruit and christmas cake. An aftertaste that is not huge, but just goes on and on with sweet black licorice dominating the flavours. Well above average and into the top quartile for drinking today. This wine is showing wonderfully and is not likely to fall apart anytime soon - 8/8 or 95/100 (and my very close runner-up as wine of the night).

Port C - 12 hours double decant time
A deep red colour, holding right into the rim, the colour expected of a vintage port around 15 years of age. The nose is slightly hot, but brings sweet mulberries out of the glass. A sweet entry, full of fruit, perhaps a touch drying from the tannins. The acidic structure is light, balanced and surrounded by fruit. The tannins are soft and hidden away. Midpalate development is lovely, bringing lots of layers of fruit, all-spice and a touch of pepperiness. A soft aftertaste starts quickly, holds for a while and then fades quickly away. This is a very pleasant drink today and one which is likely to be just as good in 10 years time. 6/6 or 91/100.

Port D - 17½ hours double decant time
Orange centre, deeply evolved colour, distinct orange rim - a wine which looks elderly. A nose of quince, honey, a touch of burnt rubber and some eucalyptus notes. In the mouth the initial impact is sweet but balanced with an acidic structure. Lots of tertiary caramel and burnt sugar flavours, a nice "brown sugar" complexity and an occasional bitterness like is found in walnut skins. The aftertaste is very quiet, lingers a while but then goes sooner than I would have hoped. A little above the average for drinking today and a port that I would anticipate will decline with grace over the next 10 years. 6/5 or 90/100.

Port E - 12 hours double decant time
Deep colour, holding right into the rim, Nose with an alcoholic overtone but with a lovely sweet menthol and licorice essence. Floods of sweet blackberries come into the mouth, with a light and creamy mid-palate. Lots of complexity in the development of the wine in the mouth. The aftertaste takes a while to kick in and is not massive or long lasting. Overall this is a youthful wine that is likely to develop a considerable elegance over time. Bottom of the top quartile and will improve over the next 10 years. 6/7 or 90/100.

Port F - 1 hour
A clear colour, light and transparent; rosey hue with some bricking on the rim. A lovely, uplifting nose of herbs and lavender over a strawberry syrup. A sweet, neutral entry with lots of redcurrants and some raisins; a nice and spicey mid-palate. A sweet, gentle aftertaste dominated by Seville orange marmalade that slowly morphs into a slightly bitter coffee. Drinking very nicely today but with lots of life ahead of it yet and probably still room for improvement. 6/7 or 90/100.

[This was another of the wines that changed dramatically in the glass over the course of the evening. When returning to this wine 3 hours later it was considerably more elegant and integrated than it had been when first tasted. On the later showing this port would probably have been rated as 7/7 or 91/100.]

Port G - 4 hours
A very dark brown colour, almost opaque at the centre. A maderised nose, very strong VA with a distinct appley core. A smooth impact with a lively sparkle from the VA. A lovely appley complexity and a stewed fruit mid-palate. The aftertaste brings a wallop of black molasses and creme brulee.

I did not rate this wine as it was so different from anything that I am used to tasting. As we discussed what we had tasted in this wine, we came to the conclusion that what we might be tasting was an extreme example of Douro bake. This was a very, very interesting wine. As a blending wine into an aged tawny, this would bring some considerable depth and complexity even if used in very small quantities.

The Wines Revealed
So what were the wines? They were:
Port A - Taylors 1963; a Berry Brothers bottling that had lain in their cellars since being bottled. In lovely condition and a great wine. Thanks to Paul for this contribution.

Port B - Cockburn 1955; an excellent bottle and one that showed very well indeed. My first 1955 port, for which I will be very grateful to Nicos.

Port C - Morgan 1991; I decided that we had to show Roy for himself what the fuss was all about. Now he has seen the Morgan 1991 and can understand why we keep drinking so much of it.

Port D - Grahams 1948; sold to me as a Croft 1945 but with no label on the bottle. The seal had all but fallen off the bottle and all I could make out from the seal was the letters INT across the middle. When the cork was pulled, it came out in one piece and was very clearly branded Grahams 1948. A bit of a surprise but one I decided I could cope with.

Port E - Warre 1970; Christopher's contribution and one that sparked off an interesting conversation about whether this port is starting to really come round after a very long time of being disappointing.

Port F - a Fonseca 1980 from Ian. Light and elegant, I really love this particular vintage of Fonseca. It is so different from the normal burliness I associate with the "great" vintages. To me, this is a Fonseca that gently carresses the senses as you sniff, sip and swallow.

Port G - a one off. Roy had this bottled a week ago when he was in the Douro especially for this tasting. Quinta da Brunheda (I hope I have the spelling right) 1906 colheita. Many thanks Roy!

And finally, we were thrown out at midnight and I only just made the last fast train home. It was a great evening, terrific company and some fabulous and interesting wines. I had so many firsts - my first '48, my first '55, my first experience of a real concentrated Douro bake blending wine - and learnt a very interesting lesson on the differences in the wine after double decanting compared to decanting into an open decanter.

I look forward to the next Crusting Pipe offline! Paul has requested a 1977 horizontal...

Alex

[Todd Pettinger]

Alex,

Thanks for all the great TNs... I liked the fact that you did not reveal the names of the wines until the end of the article. It was indeed an interesting read and in reading some of your TNs, and from knowing you, I guessed (correctly) at the Morgans 91... if only because I know it is one that yourself, Derek and especially Uncle Tom have a few cases of! :)

Now if only I could have made it TO London for the tasting of it, that would have made it much better.

Todd

[Paul Eddy]

I made it back safely to Scotland and what a great night I have had. A big thank-you to Alex for organising the night and a big thank you to Roy,Nicos,Christopher and Ian for a fantastically warm welcome and making me feel so at home.

It was a night of firsts for me also, my first '55, my first 1906, my first '48 my first offline and my first blind tasting.

Alex's notes are far better than anything I could produce but there are a few points that as a novice I found interesting. There have been many discussions re decanting times on this forum but I was amazed how the Taylor '63 improved with 3 hrs in a decanter. It is relevant to note that half the bottle which had been double decanted was put back into a 'ships decanter' which gave it considerable exposure to the air and it was vigorously swirled. I assume that if you had a full bottle in a decanter it would need longer to come around due to the reduced surface area.

The wines were terrific and I was priveleged to taste them. For me my WOTN was the '55 Cockburns which I thought was showing perfectly no doubt aided by Nicos cleverly bringing along a decanter for it.

The Grahams was delicious and as Alex said the Warre '70 looked young for its age and I am hoping it will come around as I recently bought a case of it. I was annoyed I didn't spot the Fonseca '80 as I have had this wine several times. The old Colheita that Roy produced was treat and so different to anything I have had before it reminded me of a rich Oloroso.

Well thanks to everyone for a great night and a '77 horizontal sounds a good idea - I might even nail a vintage or two!!

Paul.

[Andy Velebil]

Thanks for the notes and glad it was a good time...wish I could have made it.

[Roy Hersh]

What a great night and it was such a pleasure to see old friends and to meet Paul too. 2 nights in a row at the Crusting Pipe is something for me to remember during my UK trip.

I really enjoyed the Fonseca and the way it showed later in the night was unbelievable. Very tasty!

The 1906 was opened on Sunday for Uncle Tom and a friend of mine and Nicos' from the Ebob website BB, Phil Wilkins who also enjoys Port. It was great after the fantastic rugby win on Sat. night we were all in a festive mood. We met up at The Bell, a small and wonderful pub in the outskirts of Cambridge. We had a bunch of wine and finished off with a 1938 Kopke that I brought along with the 1906. The 1906 was a totally different wine than what we tasted, as Tom will attest to.

None of the VA or even alcohol was present at all. It was smooth and actually silky with caramel and butterscotch notes and was the beauty I had first tasted at Nicos' home prior to the train ride to see you guys on Friday. I believe that my decanting actually hurt its performance that night, but live and learn. I was glad to see how gorgeous this wine can show after 101 years in wood.

Anyway, the group on Friday at the Crusting Pipe was great and so nice to have Chris, Alex, Nicos and Paul to drink some fine reds and Ports with. A very memorable night with unique "war years" bottlings.

Anyway, I am looking back at the fabulous duo of back to back evenings at The Crusting Pipes and having a great time with new and old friends. Thanks again to Alex for putting this all together on Friday and for Paul traveling many hours to join us.

I can't wait to get back there.

P.S. Having the opportunity to visit Tom's home and see the massive Port collection was quite a fun experience. He is a lot of fun and it was great to have the chance to see him 2x in one trip after never having had the opportunity to meet him during previous visits to the UK.

[Phil Wilkins]

The 1906 was opened on Sunday for Uncle Tom and a friend of mine and Nicos' from the Ebob website BB, Phil Wilkins who also enjoys Port. It was great after the fantastic rugby win on Sat. night we were all in a festive mood. We met up at The Bell, a small and wonderful pub in the outskirts of Cambridge. We had a bunch of wine and finished off with a 1938 Kopke that I brought along with the 1906. The 1906 was a totally different wine than what we tasted, as Tom will attest to.

A real treat Roy & excellent to meet you again 2 years after the HoG 91 & 92 “Kristin Scott Thomas” off line. Just a pity I was driving as it would have just too easy to enjoy a touch more of 1938 Kopke Colheita & 1906 Quinta da Brunheda Colheita which had calmed down considerably reading the notes here. Beautiful wines & thank you for sharing.

[Phil Wilkins]

1906 Quinta da Brunheda Colheita Port

At lunch on 14 Oct 2007... 101 years in wood & hand drawn from one pipe! Very dark brown with distinct coffee, old wood, raisins, burnt walnut, molasses, sulpher free dried apricot & heaven. Medium bodied & slightly hot on the palate but so complex, long & very memorable on the finish. Defies its age by 60 years & rare treat. By far the oldest wine drunk by me. Thanks Roy! Bravo. 96/100

[Chris G]

It was a fantastic night at the Crusting pipe, thanks to all for the excellent ports and company. Rather embarassingly didn't recognise the Morgan 91!

It was great to catch up with Roy and hear about the trip. Nicos and Alex for their excellent tatsing comments, it was the first time we had met Paul and he was excellent company.

[nicos neocleous]

TN: Roy Hersh visits London - The Crusting Pipe offline (1906 – 1998)– Part 2 – 12 Oct 2007

Having nursed myself back to consciousness after last nights top notch Port offline at the Crusting Pipe in London’s Covent Garden, I shuffled slowly to my kitchen. There, I cooked myself a modest breakfast and planned the day. I was honoured to be hosting my close friend and all round great guy Roy “Portification” Hersh. We had a casual day of sightseeing in London, including a modest stopover at the world famous Harrods store in Knightsbridge. Roy enjoyed all of the various departments, especially the food and wine halls. A modest sushi snack ensued and Roy cast his expert eye over its preparation and quality.

With plenty of time to spare, we casually strolled towards Covent Garden and The Crusting Pipe. This ‘Den of Hedonism’ had been the venue last night for another Port Pilgrimage and we were going to do it again a mere 24 hours later. My thanks to all the players, and a special thanks to the management of The Crusting Pipe for their impeccable service, friendliness and the fine dishes.

The Players
- Roy “one of Seattle’s finest hosts / knows his raw ingredients and how to cook them / likes good aged Rioja” Hersh
- Nicos “Your humble note taker / unofficial London tour guide” Neocleous
- Alex “Passionate about Port / déjà vu (didn’t I see you last night?)” Bridgeman
- Paul “Enthusiastic and in good spirits / glad he enjoyed the evening” Eddy
- Christopher “City player / loves a good Port / good to see him again” Gee


Some highlights of the Evening

- Firstly, it was a distinct pleasure to meet Paul Eddy for the first time. He had travelled all the way from Inverness in the north of Scotland just for this offline. A thoroughly nice chap who likes a drink or two, and socialising with the international London crowd. I hope to see you again in the future Paul, in London or perhaps in Scotland.

- This was the first time in my life that I have had a hangover before the end of any offline.

- I did manage to fall asleep on the Tube coming home with Roy. Although I have little recollection of this, Roy maintains that I was leaning on a nice young lady who was very understanding…


The Wines and Ports

1) 1997 Barolo – Familia Anselma (Italy)
Double decanted for 1 hour. Deep red, faint herb and marzipan, also a hint of roses. A powerful palate with a certain ripeness and a good length. This slowly dries out on the palate and the fine tannic structure yet again reminds me to be patient for another 5 years. 91/100.

2) 1998 Domaine le Vieux Donjon – Chateauneuf du Pape
Double decanted for 1 hour. Dark red with a maturing fruit laden nose and an entertaining blast of wild herb. Excellent acidity, some fresh acidity running through the moderately concentrated length. So easy to drink now and yet I believe it will hold for several more years. There does not appear to be much of a tannic structure to this wine, and I even overheard remarks of ‘sluttish’ referring to this wine. Why do I have to keep defending wines I enjoy drinking if they provide pleasure? I don’t, as everybody has their own preferences. 93/100.

3) 1985 Delaforce Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Not sure if this was decanted for very long (I don’t think it was). Light red, with a delicate Christmas cake nose with a hint of alcohol. The raspberry fruit should a decent length and almost carried the alcohol as well. I suspect some more decanting time would have been beneficial. 88/100.


All Ports tasted blind

Ian’s mystery Port (the manager of The Crusting Pipe)
4) 1980 Fonseca Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Decanted for 1 hour, mid deep red with a herb laden nose showing some marzipan. Good fruit extract, waves of pleasure, very nice length, drinkable now. 91/100.

5) Alex’s first mystery Port – 1991 Morgan Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Deep red, with a hint of alcohol, red fruits and hints of Dow-like dry herb and a hint of the muskiness of the inside of a cave. Lovely sweet rounded length, waves of mature fruit and a certain Asian spice element. Still with several years of development in it. 91/100. This was the legendary 1991 Morgan I had read about and this was my first time trying it. On the strength of this tasting, I bought 12 bottles within 48 hours. An excellent value Vintage Port.

6) Paul’s mystery Port – 1963 Taylor’s Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
A Berry Brothers bottling which had ungone only 3 hours decanting. Deep red, with some spirit on the nose and dry herbs making an appearance. The palate was quite alcoholic, spicy, youthful. We could taste through the alcohol to see that this was an outstanding Port that had been under-decanted. Roy quickly asked us to pour the contents of our glasses back into the decanter, which we did without question. When we came back to this towards the end of the dinner, the magical transformation was complete. The nose was more expressive with wild cherry popping out, some rose petals and no alcohol. The palate was also far better; the first class dry dates simply giving sip after sip of effortless pleasure. This is one of the two most youthful bottles of 1963 Taylor’s I have ever tried, the other being from the fine cellar of my friend ‘Posh Tom’. Final rating – 95/100.

7) Nicos’ mystery Port – 1955 Cockburn Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
I decanted this for 3 hours, and then poured it back into the original bottle, where it was poured 5 hours later. Solid ruby with initially a hint of alcohol and aged raspberry fruit. Waves and waves of spicy fruitcake, a touch of alcohol that soon disappeared. The dry fig length of the palate was extremely satisfying and it showed impeccable balance. This was superior to the last 1955 Cockburn I had opened from my cellar some 2 years earlier, even though they were purchased from the same source. 94/100.

8) Christopher’s mystery Port - 1970 Warre’s Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Double decanted 12 hours earlier. Deep red, with plumy fruit and a strong smell of church incense wafting from my glass. Spicy, hints of alcohol and dry dates, with more decanting time the alcohol should have integrated. Very nice, from one of my favourite current drinking vintages of the last 40 years. 90/100.

9) Alex’s second mystery Port – 1948 Grahams Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Not sure how long this was decanted for. Light red with a terracotta rim. Plenty of church incense, beeswax, hints of alcohol, quince jam and brown sugar. After a bit of alcohol the palate settles down into a cinnamon spice laden and dry walnut length. I guessed 1930’s or 1940’s for its age. 93/100.

10) Roy’s mystery Port - 1906 Quinta de Brunheda - Colheita Port (Douro, Portugal)
Roy visited this Quinta the week before and asked them to bottle a single 75cl for him from the only barrel of this nectar in existence. Solid mahogany body with a terracotta rim. The haunting nuances of antique furniture and hints of volatile acidity carried all the way up my nose. Sip after sip revealed fine crème brule, brown sugar, liquid dry figs and dates. So easy to drink, so much satisfaction. My WOTN, and once again thank you Roy for this once in a lifetime opPortunity. 96/100.