For The Love Of Port

i have a few LBVs i don't know anything about. which should i open for Valentine's Day? i'll probably be on my own.

Quinta do Noval 2009 unfiltered
Delaforce 2010
Fonseca 2011 unfiltered
Quevedo 2011 [half bottle] ["lightly filtered" according to Oscar Quevedo]

i've had the Quevedo and enjoy it.
of the two 2011 VPs i've had, TF and Fonseca, Fonseca was my clear favorite.

if i celebrate with someone, it will be someone who doesn't know anything about Port and this may be their first. if i'm going to share, does that change your answer?

Bonus round:
i have three Fonseca 750s and three Quevedo half bottles. should i put one or two of either away, and if so, for how long? i don't know anything about aging LBVs.

They're all on the young side to open for VP, so with that in mind I would the 2010 Delaforce. You may want to buy a tawny or colheita and save the VP for the future. Delaforce is probably the one that is the most advanced in age out of your picks.

I would go with the 2011 Fonseca....give you a good base line and then save the other two for a few years to see how they change. By not drinking the others, you're also giving them a chance to evolve as well. You could also do the Quevedo for the same as above--especially if alone or a newbie (what if they do not like) but my gut tells me there's a better reward for waiting on these and the Fonseca is easier to reacquire should you really like it.

John M. wrote:I would go with the 2011 Fonseca....give you a good base line and then save the other two for a few years to see how they change. By not drinking the others, you're also giving them a chance to evolve as well. You could also do the Quevedo for the same as above--especially if alone or a newbie (what if they do not like) but my gut tells me there's a better reward for waiting on these and the Fonseca is easier to reacquire should you really like it.

For me that would be crime to cull a 2011 Fonseca so young. He'll get chance to taste and then kick himself 20 years from now for that taste. If he has a case of it; then maybe not such a big deal.

Moses Botbol wrote:

John M. wrote:I would go with the 2011 Fonseca....give you a good base line and then save the other two for a few years to see how they change. By not drinking the others, you're also giving them a chance to evolve as well. You could also do the Quevedo for the same as above--especially if alone or a newbie (what if they do not like) but my gut tells me there's a better reward for waiting on these and the Fonseca is easier to reacquire should you really like it.

For me that would be crime to cull a 2011 Fonseca so young. He'll get chance to taste and then kick himself 20 years from now for that taste. If he has a case of it; then maybe not such a big deal.

Moses---unless I am misunderstanding these are all LBVs not VPs. If VPs my advice would be to get to the B&M and buy something else to defend the cellar.

Moses Botbol wrote:They're all on the young side to open for VP, so with that in mind I would the 2010 Delaforce. You may want to buy a tawny or colheita and save the VP for the future. Delaforce is probably the one that is the most advanced in age out of your picks.

no VP, unfortunately.
all LBV. does that change your opinion?
i mentioned VP saying that Fonseca was my preference, i already know i particularly like their house style.

I've had 3 of the 4.

I prefer of those in order:

Fonseca
Quevedo
Noval

So I'd go with the Fonseca. It is delicious and in my mind it does not matter that it is a youngster.

Scheiny S wrote:i have a few LBVs i don't know anything about. which should i open for Valentine's Day? i'll probably be on my own.

...

Bonus round:
i have three Fonseca 750s and three Quevedo half bottles. should i put one or two of either away, and if so, for how long? i don't know anything about aging LBVs.

To answer your question, I would first want check whether the LBVs you have are filtered or unfiltered. Essentially, filtered LBV will not improve with age, and is at its best when bottled; whereas unfiltered LBV will/can still improve for a decade or more. Second point, halves mature more quickly that full size bottles.

So, in deciding what to drink or save, I would prioritise the filtered LBVs for drinking first. If all are filtered, then however you prefer. If drinking all soon then it won't matter either way, otherwise I would prioritise drinking the halves first.

Phil W wrote:If drinking all soon then it won't matter either way, otherwise I would prioritise drinking the halves first.

the Fonseca are unfiltered.
the Quevedo don't say but have T stoppers, so i assume are filtered.

i could drink them all within the year [or less] or i can put them away at least for a couple years. that's pretty much why i'm asking.
i know VPs have low points and good points and 2011s shouldn't be drunk now. what about LBVs? what kind of window do i have, how long can i save them before i kind of have to save them for a few years?

Scheiny S wrote:

Moses Botbol wrote:They're all on the young side to open for VP, so with that in mind I would the 2010 Delaforce. You may want to buy a tawny or colheita and save the VP for the future. Delaforce is probably the one that is the most advanced in age out of your picks.

no VP, unfortunately.
all LBV. does that change your opinion?
i mentioned VP saying that Fonseca was my preference, i already know i particularly like their house style.

Oh, I missed that one. I never really have warmed up to Fonseca LBV, but I do like Quevedo & Noval's... So either of those two would be my pick. Haven't had a Delaforce LBV and long time.

Unfiltered could be corked with T-stoppers....but if unstated on label, I would assume filtered....or you can check the web or here.

LBVs can be drunk now or later (if unfiltered)....great cellar defenders and for the price and what they are I wouldn't get too worked up about proper aging...although they can age very well.

The Quevedo 2011 LBV is lightly filtered according to Oscar Quevedo and he told me he thinks it will peak at around 7-10 years of age.

Thomas V wrote:The Quevedo 2011 LBV is lightly filtered according to Oscar Quevedo and he told me he thinks it will peak at around 7-10 years of age.

thanks! so for half bottles would that be 5-7 years?

John M. wrote:LBVs can be drunk now or later (if unfiltered)....great cellar defenders and for the price and what they are I wouldn't get too worked up about proper aging...although they can age very well.

don't forget, LBV is the best my budget gets me. :)

I assume the Delaforce is filtered? If so that would be my choice first, then the Fonseca second. While the Fonseca may be unfiltered in my experience they do not get noticeably better with age. Noval and Quevedo there is no rush. So for me I'd hold those for a bit longer to age.

A related tangent: A nice thing I've found with most LBV is that it will last longer than a VP after opening. If alone, I'm less afraid of opening a full LBV compared to a VP.

Andy Velebil wrote:While the Fonseca may be unfiltered in my experience they do not get noticeably better with age.

Not a fan of Fonseca LBV or Tawny.

Moses Botbol wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:While the Fonseca may be unfiltered in my experience they do not get noticeably better with age.

Not a fan of Fonseca LBV or Tawny.

The 2011 LBV is quite good. I also enjoy their 40 anos. Have you tried it?

Thomas V wrote:

Moses Botbol wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:While the Fonseca may be unfiltered in my experience they do not get noticeably better with age.

Not a fan of Fonseca LBV or Tawny.

The 2011 LBV is quite good. I also enjoy their 40 anos. Have you tried it?

Never tried their 40 year tawny. I would sure hope it is good. I like Taylor tawny fwiw. I can't recall whether I have had Croft 10 or 20 (keeping it all TFP). Never had a TFP LBV that I was fond of.

On the reverse, I am not a big fan of most Noval vintages, but like their tawny and colheita a lot.

Their 20/40 Tawny are really good now. Or at least last I had them a couple years ago.


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Scheiny S wrote:

Thomas V wrote:The Quevedo 2011 LBV is lightly filtered according to Oscar Quevedo and he told me he thinks it will peak at around 7-10 years of age.

thanks! so for half bottles would that be 5-7 years?

does that mean the Quevedo halves are peaking now for the next couple years?

Phil W wrote:

Scheiny S wrote:i have a few LBVs i don't know anything about. which should i open for Valentine's Day? i'll probably be on my own.

...

Bonus round:
i have three Fonseca 750s and three Quevedo half bottles. should i put one or two of either away, and if so, for how long? i don't know anything about aging LBVs.

To answer your question, I would first want check whether the LBVs you have are filtered or unfiltered. Essentially, filtered LBV will not improve with age, and is at its best when bottled; whereas unfiltered LBV will/can still improve for a decade or more. Second point, halves mature more quickly that full size bottles.

the Quinta do Noval 2009 and Fonseca 2011 are unfiltered
the Quevedo 2011 is apparently lightly filtered
the Delaforce 2010 doesn't say but the back label says "ready to drink now" and doesn't mention aging.

Eric Menchen wrote:A related tangent: A nice thing I've found with most LBV is that it will last longer than a VP after opening. If alone, I'm less afraid of opening a full LBV compared to a VP.

i haven't experimented, but before i opened my first ever LBV a few years ago i checked the FAQ here and it said they'll last 7-10 days. so i always finish them in about a week if not sooner.