2007 is winding down ... what Ports are in your near future?

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 11:29 am

At this time of year, I occasionally make a mental note of what Ports I would like to drink from my own cellar. Uncle Tom aptly turned the phrase "death row" to apply to the lineup in one's cellar of Port's awaiting their final fate.

So far, I know that I will be opening a LOT of 2005 Vintage Ports over the coming 2 weeks for a feature article later in the month. Additionally, I know that there is a great old Dalva white Port that will be opened, 1980 Dow, a 1963 Graham's as well as a 1970 Taylor coming up for next weekend. Beyond that I am not sure.

Do you plan your consumption in advance or ad hoc? If the former, what do you have awaiting execution?

Rich Greenberg · Post by **Rich Greenberg** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:38 pm

Roy-

I'll take a stab at this one.... Here are the ports that I'm likely to be drinking between now and New Year's Day:

1983 Graham's VP -- No chance of having the sentence commuted for this one as it will be part of the November VT! :) This will also be the second Graham's VP I have consumed ('97 previously), so will do some comparison between these vintages for Graham's.

1983 Warre's VP -- Seems like a good opportunity to compare with the above to see how two houses match up in the same vintage year.

Graham's 20-year tawny -- Again, this will be a sacrificial lamb for the November VT.

1986 Niepoort Colheita -- Have never had a colheita, and this one will be my first.

Niepoort 20-year tawny -- I picked this one up, too, since I thought it would be interesting to compare it to the colheita mentioned above.

Some LBV's ('95 Warre's, '94 Smith Woodhouse, '99 Niepoort, '00 Noval, '01 Niepoort) -- Most of these have been found at very reasonable prices, and should serve to provide good QPR drinking pleasure and some more education on stylistic and vintage differences.

This should about do it for me for the rest of this year.

Rich

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 11:43 pm

Both - I do try to plan out my VP consumption in advance, but there are times when something get's stood upright on very short notice. This is rare as VP is so expensive for me, but occasionally when the unfiltered LBV are gone, out of stock at the local wine store, and I'm in the mood, it happens.

Todd

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:13 pm

I've just put a bottle of 1989 Vesuvio to stand upright for a couple of days. That will likely get opened on Wednesday.

After that, I'm not sure - it will be whatever I feel I need to get to keep me going through 2 weeks of travel through a port desert, perhaps a Kopke 1985 picked up at Heathrow duty free (if they have any left, there were none remaining this morning!).

Alex

Jay Hack · Post by **Jay Hack** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:42 pm

I have a 1963 Calem that was given to me as a sort of gift. I am looking to open it, but I will probably be having dinner with the guy who gave it to me in January, so I will hold off until then to share it with him. I will also be opening a 1995 Q. de Vargellas fromt he case I won at auction as soon as I can manage to pick it up from the storage warehouse and let it settle.

Kris Henderson · Post by **Kris Henderson** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 4:09 pm

For me, consumption is generally planned in advance. I'm planning to open these in the not too distant future:
1985 Kopke
1985 Graham
1970 Taylor

Jay Powers · Post by **Jay Powers** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:23 pm

for me it is likely to be:

1966 Grahams
1970 Dow

But I only rarely stand them up before hand. Going directly from their side to the decanter seems to work pretty well for me, and I actually do not normally see a lot of problems with sedimant this way.

Jay

João Rico · Post by **João Rico** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:23 am

Dow's 1980
Vista Alegre 1994

Erik Wiechers · Post by **Erik Wiechers** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:00 am

For me it will probably be:

1944 Nicolau da Almeida

and maybe a 1985 Niepoort again.

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:12 am

Good topic. Thank goodness for CellarTracker.com, makes it quite easy to locate mine. It may seem a bit much, but most of my stuff is in an offsite, as I have only a small 50 bottle cellar at the house. Anything at home is considered "Death row" so it only looks like a lot....

N.V. Broadbent Madeira Malmsey 10 Years Old
N.V. Ferreira Porto Tawny 10 Year Quinta do Porto
1996 Justino Henriques Madeira Colheita
N.V. Sandeman Porto 20-year Tawny
N.V. Presidential Porto 10 Year Old Tawny
2001 Krohn Porto Late Bottled Vintage
1991 Dow Porto Vintage
1985 Dow Porto Vintage
1996 Dow Porto Vintage Quinta do Bomfim
1966 Moreira Porto Colheita
N.V. Niepoort Porto Dry White
N.V. Presidential Porto 40 Year Old Tawny
1997 Quinta do Crasto Porto Vintage
2004 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional Douro
1974 Quinta do Noval Porto Colheita
1983 Quinta do Noval Porto Quinta do Marco
1997 Sandeman Porto Vintage Quinta do Vau
1992 Smith Woodhouse Porto Late Bottled Vintage
1984 Smith Woodhouse Porto Late Bottled Vintage
1980 Smith Woodhouse Porto Vintage
1995 Warre Porto Late Bottled Vintage
A bunch of Portuguese dry wines

Scott Anaya · Post by **Scott Anaya** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 3:36 am

My docket between now and New Years looks alot like my post of ports in the "recent cellar additions thread" with a few others thrown in:

1977 Wise & Krohn Colheita
1960 Cockburn VP
will try one of these--1995 Fonseca Guimarens
might try one of these--1994 Quinta do Vesuvio VP
Graham's 40 yr
Taylor 30 yr & 40 yr & 20yr
2003 Quinta do Noval
Feirrara 20 yr tawny
Likely several of my two house LBV's--2000 Dow's LBV & 1998 Ramos Pinto LBV

jon bricken · Post by **jon bricken** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:58 am

Earlier in the year I won an auction lot which included 4 bottles of port. 2 each of Neipoort 97 and 91. I tried a 97 since it showed signs of seepage and I have over a case of this wine, but I have never tried the 91 and have never seen any tasting notes on it.

Anyone have any experience with it.

I will be oprning it this weekend and post a tasting note.

Luc Gauthier · Post by **Luc Gauthier** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:02 pm

The schedule for the Port & Peanut butter guy looks like this :
- 1985 Dow
- 1986 Dow Colheita

- 1986 Warres Colheita
- Warres 20 yr tawny

-
- 1983 Barros Colheita

- 1988 Taylors Quinta Terra feita

and last but not least : Mackenzie' s old white port ( 30 yr's + )

And If time permits a Kopke 30 yr tawny or a Niepoort '97

This is definitely a slippery road .

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:27 pm

Funny you mention that producer Luc. I noticed a pair of bottles of MacKenzie 1963 VP the other night in one of my friend's cellars. I had never seen anything of theirs this old before. If we hadn't just drunk one of his great Chateau d'Yquems, I'd have inquired about the possibilities ...

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:05 pm

I was recently given a bottle of Taylor 20 YOT that I will likely open with some friends and family around Christmas time.

Additionally, I foresee a Graham's Malvedos 1996 losing its battle for a stay of execution (for this month's Virtual Tasting.)

At least a couple other good bottles. One I have been looking at revisiting, now that I have a little more experience with VP, is the very first VP I tried, months ago - the Ferreira '97. I loved that Port and hope this bottle is just as good!

Todd

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:51 pm

Scott Anaya wrote:...might try one of these--1994 Quinta do Vesuvio VP...

Scott,

This one is worthy of opening at Christmas or New Year. In my opinion, you need to give it plenty (12 hours+) of time in the decanter before tucking in to it.

But it is superb.

I've also just been through my cellar list and selected a few bottles that are likely to be opened and drunk between now and new year:
1920 unknown shipper (for an offline)
Unknown shipper, unknown vintage (for an offline)
Gould Campbell 1977
Dalva 1970
Kopke 1985
Dow 1985
Morgan 1991
Vesuvio 1990
Roeda 1995
Vesuvio 2004 or 2005 (just to see what it's like)

Alex

Richard Henderson · Post by **Richard Henderson** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:11 pm

I think I am fracturing a line from Alice in Wonderland, but "So many bottles of port, and none to drink!" I show 247 bottles according to Cellar Tracker from 1963 through 2003 but I can't say any particular one is next . There are 47 bottles from 1983, our anniversary year, and I keep thinking about 1 of my 3 70 Taylor's.... but I can't say any of them is a definite.

Jay Powers · Post by **Jay Powers** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:12 pm

Al B. wrote:
Scott Anaya wrote:...might try one of these--1994 Quinta do Vesuvio VP...
Scott,

This one is worthy of opening at Christmas or New Year. In my opinion, you need to give it plenty (12 hours+) of time in the decanter before tucking in to it.

But it is superb.

I've also just been through my cellar list and selected a few bottles that are likely to be opened and drunk between now and new year:
1920 unknown shipper (for an offline)
Unknown shipper, unknown vintage (for an offline)
Gould Campbell 1977
Dalva 1970
Kopke 1985
Dow 1985
Morgan 1991
Vesuvio 1990
Roeda 1995
Vesuvio 2004 or 2005 (just to see what it's like)

Alex

Alex

Let me know what you think of the Roeda, I have found that to be pretty nice for drinking now for a youngster...would be interested in your take.

Jay

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 1:49 am

Richard Henderson wrote:I think I am fracturing a line from Alice in Wonderland, but "So many bottles of port, and none to drink!" I show 247 bottles according to Cellar Tracker from 1963 through 2003 but I can't say any particular one is next . There are 47 bottles from 1983, our anniversary year, and I keep thinking about 1 of my 3 70 Taylor's.... but I can't say any of them is a definite.

Richard,

I had the '70 Taylor tonight with Roy and it was my pick for WOTN. It was followed closely by the '94 and '63, but '70 hands down was the winner. Drinking SO sublimely right now, it will last another decade if you want it to... SO young and fruit-forward at the moment. It resembled the '85 in-glass.

Todd

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:49 am

Jay Powers wrote:Let me know what you think of the Roeda, I have found that to be pretty nice for drinking now for a youngster...would be interested in your take.

Jay

Jay

PM sent.

Alex