Does the 1975 vintage deserve more respect than it receives?

[Roy Hersh]

I used to pan the 1975 vintage, partially based on my own meager experiences with a handful of Ports from this unloved vintage and partially fueled by some of the more respected Port pundits written works from the 1990s.

I have tasted many more 1975s in the past 3-5 years and quite a few as part of verticals or whilst in Portugal.

So what are your thoughts? Is it a worthy and overlooked mature vintage or do you find the best of the lot, barely hanging onto their fruit and question whether they ever should have been made at all?

[Eric Ifune]

No.

[Andy Velebil]

Having had a few this year, I'd say no. While they are generally either fully mature or past their peak, they are nothing special to write home about. But if they can be had at an inexpensive price, they are a good deal for drinking a 33 year old VP without having to open the big boys.

[David Spriggs]

I bought some 75's from Liquor Barn when they closed. Disappointing.
-Dave-

[Frederick Blais]

I only had the 75 Ferreira I believe, and surprisingly enough it was in the top Ferreira of the evening. From the readings of books and forums, I don't believe it is a great vintage but probably a few gems worth looking for. Just like 76, who would thought that Guimaraens would make fantastic VP.

[David Spriggs]

I've had some decent 1975 Colheita's. They are much better than any of the VPs to me.
-Dave-

[Ronald Wortel]

I've had quite a few and the best provide some very pleasant drinking, but that's that. The Croft can be very nice and is probably the only one that will last for a while (maybe GC as well), but I wouldn't buy tons of it. I'll keep buying them when I see 'em though.

[Tom Archer]

It was interesting to get Miguel Real-Corte's take on this at the recent Cockburn vertical.

He agreed that it should not have been declared, and that the reason it was declared in the spring of '77 was to celebrate the industry's deliverance from the threats posed during the revolution - not, as is often repeated, because it was the 'last chance' to have a declaration.

I asked him about the '74 vintage, which seems to have been climatically benign. He confirmed my suspicion that it was a declarable year, but that the upset of the revolution made it impossible to do so.

Tom

[Moses Botbol]

Pretty much the same as Andy and Fred have said. The Ferreira was suprise. I may've had just 2-3 other vintages from '75. Off-hand, I have had Croft 1975, Graham 1975, & Taylor 1975; they were all "better" than expected. I'd buy a '75 vintage without second thought if the price was right.

[Tom Archer]

Off-hand, I have had Croft 1975, Graham 1975, & Taylor 1975

Along with Quarles Harris - which was a surprise - a line-up of the better players from my experiance.

On the flip side, Dow is pretty poor, and the Warre is notoriously hot.

Tom

[Alan Gardner]

Add me to the 'should have been skipped' side.
The one (and only) 75 I think is indeed qualified is the Croft - also mentioned several times above.

[Roy Hersh]

Er, would you believe that I have never owned a bottle of 1975 VP? :help:

Yet I have owned Bordeaux, CA Cab, Sauternes and lots of German Riesling and even a case of So. African Muscadelle all from the 1975 vintage ... and I have consumed plenty of '75 VPs, just never desired to actually buy them. That does not mean I wouldn't drink 'em though. I can think of four or so, that have really shown quite nicely, all in the past year or two ... some very recently.

[Tom Archer]

I have six times as many '70's as '75's and three times as many '77's

A good spread, I think.

I shall be popping a lone bottle of Fonseca '75 in the next few weeks, a wine I have no recollection of trying before.

Tom

[Andy Velebil]

Whats interesting to note is there was about 3-4 times as much VP produced from the 1975 vintage than other declared years. In a year that didn't see great growing conditions to begin with, I think things got a little to thinned out. Had a smaller amount been produced, using only the very best grapes, there probably would have been some nice VP's or SQVP's. But as we all know coming on the heels of the Revolution and the need to declare for a variety of reasons, having nothing to do with politics, they chose to declare a massive amount of VP. Much to the detriment of the product.

[simon Lisle]

In my experiance no, a weak single quinta in my opinion at best.Grahams are the only one that I've tasted out of six or seven that has some staying power.

[Roy Hersh]

Simon,

I respect you and I liked you very much when we met in person in London and your wife Kath as well.
But you mention that out of the six or so 1975s that you've had did not have staying power. Well I can't speak for those that you mention, as I was not there. But I did drink with you in London and we had the 1975 Cockburn's Vintage Port. Now it may just be that our palates are different and if so, I certainly respect that.

The Cockburn's we had that day, in my opinion was a very good drink. It was a fine example of the top tier of VPs from the vintage and I'd also nominate Ferreira should be in that group, a wine I tasted as recently as the week before we met. There are others too, but that would require me to sort my notebooks and I am on my last 3 tasting notes of fully completing the Nov. newsletter and don't have time right now. However, the Cockburn's alone speaks to the fact that there are still some good one's around besides the 1975 Graham's which you mention. I don't know why you wouldn't mention the Cockburn's too ... unless you truly disagree that it wasn't a fine VP.

This is not sticking up for the vintage, per se. There are many poor bottlings that have not drunk well for many years already. The cream of the crop ... is a handful at best, not a ringing endorsement for any vintage in which such a quantity of Shippers declare and with production levels discussed earlier in the thread, as ... well, desperate.

On the other hand, given the choices before them, I am not so sure any of us would have done things too differently. Well, maybe we'd have at least dropped some fruit or have been more "judicious" at the sorting tables, but that aside, how can you blame a proud industry for wanting to make the last possible vintage and Port in general, as a free group of enterprises? I know that these family-owned businesses (the VAST) majority of which were around for centuries, felt that they could not sit by and NOT use the fruit on the vines. Would you ever have allowed your famiy's legacy to have that on the record?

[Moses Botbol]

I just opened a '75 Taylor about 1.5 hours ago. Sean is coming by with a '75 Grahams also opened around the same time.

Inital sip of the Taylor was not too flattering.

Let's for some improvement.

[Tom Archer]

Inital sip of the Taylor was not too flattering

Last tried almost exactly a year ago; noted that it needed 48 hours to lose it's fire. While respectable, I thought it had little stamina for the future, so best drunk sooner rather than later.

Must re-visit the Graham - I have a case that i bought several years ago, but have never touched. I last broached an odd bottle in August '07.

The G75 is quite a good restaurant wine, as it shows quite well straight after decanting; but it loses some heat, and integrates a little, if left for 24 hours. Better drunk then than later though.

Tom

[Roy Hersh]

Tom,

What did you think of the Cockburn's 1975 we had on the 8th?

[Tom Archer]

What did you think of the Cockburn's 1975 we had on the 8th?

It was a pale wine that initially looked a bit feeble when compared to the '70 and '77, but it was actually quite an agreeable quaff; fully mature and inoffensive - a good candidate for casual drinking, if the price is right..

Tom