Lucas S wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 4:46 pm
A) What are three excellent, presumably young, Colheitas under $50?
B) What are your favorite three White Ports under $50? Alternatively, if that's too few pickings, top 1-3 QPR Whites.
C) What are your favorite 1-3 LBVs from the 1990s?
D) Favorite 1-3 LBVs from the 2000s?
E) Favorite 1-3 LBVs from the 2010s?
G) What is your go-to reserve ruby Port?
H) What is a pre-1959 Vintage Port which you think is underrated? And therefore, could be relatively affordable at auction?
I) What are three excellent VPs from the largely undeclared years that were 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999?
J) Which bottle(s) of Port would you give to a friend entirely new to Port and why?
A fun topic, thanks Lucas!
A) I'm not a big fan of young Colheitas, unless we're talking
White Colheitas (see next question). For me, tawnies need to be 20-30 years old before they really start to get good. 20 Year Old Tawnies used to be in that $45 to $55 range, but it seems like the prices have risen in the last few years so they're no longer in your target price range. If it's still in the range, the Ramos Pinto 20 Year Old Tawny (RP20) is very good.
B) I really love the 2008 DR White Colheita, though I'm led to believe that they're out of that and now selling the 2010. Both are around 16 EUR for 500 ml. The 2003 Kopke White Colheita is also excellent. I like 10 and 20 Year Old White Ports across the board, but in particular the ones from Andresen, DR, Quinta das Lamelas, Quinta do Mourao, and Quinta de Prelada.
C) 1995 and 1999 Smith Woodhouse LBVs were both fantastic, but probably hard to find at this point. 1994 Quinta do Noval is also excellent. The 1994 Pocas was my highest-rated LBV for quite a while... it might still be, for all I know. I don't really track my LBV scores all that closely.
D) Hmm... the only ones that I really have much experience with are the 2003 Noval and 2003 Quevedo on the unfiltered/traditional side, and the 2003 Taylor Fladgate on the filtered side. Despite being filtered, the Taylor aged very nicely. I only have 1 left, and it will get opened alongside bottles of the Noval and Quevedo that I've owned since release as an aging test.
E) 2011 Quinta do Crasto and 2015 Graham both immediately come to mind as stand-outs. In blind tastings, the 2011 Crasto has fooled people into thinking it was a VP! The 2015 Graham is just juicy and delicious.
F) there is no F.
G) I don't really drink Ruby Reserve anymore, but back when we did the Ruby Reserve Taste-Off the surprise consensus winner around the world was Taylor's First Estate. It won (or tied for the win) in every tasting where it was served.
H) 1955 Adams and 1955 Mackenzie. Both are fantastic and almost unheard of. They're not necessarily the
best Ports from 1955, but they're in the running and rate well above what you'd expect based on their names.
I) Good luck with 1993 - AFAIK there is only 1 VP from that year, Quinta das Liceiras. I believe that 1993 was the worst year on record for VP. It's certainly the worst year in the last 100. That said... 1995 Quinta do Vesuvio is outstanding. Vesuvio's 1996 and 1998 are also good, but not up to the level of the 1995 to me. 1999 Quinta do Roriz was my "reference" Port for many years - I had tasted it blind many times and always managed to score it the same, so I would use it to reset my scoring every couple of years just in case my scores were creeping up unintentionally.
J) Depends entirely on the friend and my objective. I have "introduced" many people to Port by serving them a 30 or 40 Year Old S. Leonardo, but those can be hard to find in the US. So a more normal "introductory" Port would be a nice 20 Year Old, or if a Ruby is preferred then a recently released LBV. If the friend likes wine, then I would start with something on the drier end of the Port spectrum like the Quinta do Noval Single Vineyard LBV. But I have also successfully introduced people to Port with a young White Port - the previously mentioned 2008 DR White Colheita is an excellent example.