For The Love Of Port

Choose your faves that you've tasted this year ... one or two ... from any category.

Tie (Points wise) between a 40 Year San Leonardo Tawny and a 1960 Ferreira VP....gave both 96 points and may have been stingy. Both were memorable.

The year is just heading in to Port season, so I'm thinking the best may be yet to come.
The "best" Port is quite a statement as there are so many factors, many not having to do with the actual Port it self. Was properly decanted or pop-n-pour at the right temperature? By it self or with food? In a proper glass with good company? Perhaps tasted along side another Port, it didn't quite taste as good, or maybe better!

Vintage Port: Dow's 1985
Colheita: Kopke 1975 (although the 76 is just as good)
Tawny: Sandeman 40 years old , Honorable mentions to RP30yo.
Branco: Quevedo 30 yo White Port
California port: Heitz Ink Grade Port

Probably '63 Dow and '85 Fonseca. Haven't had anything too crazy this year.

The 1966 Noval Nacional at the FTLOP 11th Anniversary Tasting. My first truly great Nacional... after 5 tries? 6? LOL

I haven't opened any Mourao 60-yr olds yet this year, though, or the Nacional would likely be in 2nd.

I just noticed it so far is a poor year for me with tasting port.

I think the best one is the 1966 Single harvest from Taylor's, and i was pleasant surprised with the Quinta do Noval 20 year old tawny.

In many years it's difficult for me to decide which Port was the best - in this year it's pretty easy: 100 year old Quinta do Mourao. In September I will be back in Portugal - but I have the feeling that it will be very difficult to top this wine...

At the Quevedo winery a couple of weeks ago, Claudia was kind enough to give us the chance to taste many great ports right from the barrel. I think both the 1970 Red and White Colheitas were my favourite Colheita's this year.

For VP my favourite untill now was my first 1985 Fonseca.

My question to you Gerwin, is why did you not come and join us when I was in The NL last month? We had a nice group of FTLOP'ers meeting in Amsterdam at Restaurant Lastage and we had some incredible Ports that night ... not to mention awesome dinner wines too! You should've been there!

As of right now it will have to be the 1994 Quinta do Vesuvio.

However as I will indulge in port next week in Porto/Douro and have some interesting tastings upcoming in the latter part of the year this could very well change.

Roy Hersh wrote:My question to you Gerwin, is why did you not come and join us when I was in The NL last month? We had a nice group of FTLOP'ers meeting in Amsterdam at Restaurant Lastage and we had some incredible Ports that night ... not to mention awesome dinner wines too! You should've been there!

Actually, I cannot think of any (good) reason (or excuse) to not be there, other than that I did not know the date on which this meeting took place . Maybe I was already in or on my way to Portugal when you were over here (which would be a valid reason), but I fear that this was not the case. So, I probably could (and should!!) have been there as well

There were so many great Ports at the last Seattle tasting, that it's hard to chose. But I will say that the best so far this year is the 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port. Stunning VP!

Like Glenn, it was the 1966 Nacional at the 11th anniversary tasting. I don't have my notes here right now, but I believe I gave it 98 points! Stunning! And a few of the other 1966s were just smig behind the Nacional, as you can read in Roy's summer vacation story in the newsletter that just got released!

-Lisa

I'll admit, I haven't had that many Ports this year. The best so far is the San Leonardo 60. Still waiting to open a 100.

That last trio of 1966 Taylor-Fonseca-Nacional Vintage Ports was crazy good. I can imagine that for some at our event who had not had much prior experience with well aged VPs, that may be one of the greatest 3-pack of Ports they have ever had in their lives. All showed amazingly well.

I believe I had scored them all one point higher on the day of our tasting, but used my 1 point "differential" to curb my enthusiasm as I may have been so excited to try these again after going through the earlier flights, a 2nd time at the end of the day ... that my reality check, score wise, was in order. That being said, even at the 1 point each inflated scores, only mentioned to those in attendance, I could've probably lived with those ratings too, but just thought it prudent to not let them be based on emotions of the moment.

Vintage: Niepoort 1942
Colheita: Niepoort 1900
Tawny: Niepoort VV
White: V. de Carvalho Special Reserve (20 YO)

So far an amazing Portyear!