For The Love Of Port

1994 Quinta do Crasto LBV (unfiltered). Still a dark Ruby color for an LBV its age. Lots of menthol and anise aromas dominate the nose. There is some youthful stone fruit and unresolved tannins in the mouth. While also a lot of menthol also poking through out. Very straight forward and a linear finish that drops out more quickly than anticipated. Appears to be suffering the “Peter Pan” syndrome; growing older without growing up. This was much better about a decade ago. I’d recommend enjoying sooner than later.

As a side: I think this is a good example that most unfiltered LBV’s are best around the 20 year mark. By the third decade they rapidly start losing the complexity to keep them very appealing and make it worth taking up cellar space.

87 Points

Andy Velebil wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 5:52 am As a side: I think this is a good example that most unfiltered LBV’s are best around the 20 year mark. By the third decade they rapidly start losing the complexity to keep them very appealing and make it worth taking up cellar space.

As a general rule of thumb, yeah I'd say 20-25 years. But as with VP, there are good ones that will go much longer so it's worth cellaring a variety to see which ones will last. I still have bottles of 2003 Noval and Quevedo that I need to check on again... I last tried them at ~15 years old and they weren't "ready" yet. My guess is that they still won't be, but that's why I need to revisit them!

Glenn E. wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 5:52 am As a side: I think this is a good example that most unfiltered LBV’s are best around the 20 year mark. By the third decade they rapidly start losing the complexity to keep them very appealing and make it worth taking up cellar space.

As a general rule of thumb, yeah I'd say 20-25 years. But as with VP, there are good ones that will go much longer so it's worth cellaring a variety to see which ones will last. I still have bottles of 2003 Noval and Quevedo that I need to check on again... I last tried them at ~15 years old and they weren't "ready" yet. My guess is that they still won't be, but that's why I need to revisit them!

Hence, my use of “most”.

John M, Lucas S, myself and some others will be doing a pre-2000 LBV tasting sometime this fall. Several are from the 1980's. We have 27 to choose from, but we'll most likely pare it down to 14 (one from each producer that we have in hand). We'll report back on how they're holding up.

Mike J. W. wrote:John M, Lucas S, myself and some others will be doing a pre-2000 LBV tasting sometime this fall. Several are from the 1980's. We have 27 to choose from, but we'll most likely pare it down to 14 (one from each producer that we have in hand). We'll report back on how they're holding up.

Look forward to that recap.