JJ Buckley today(4/30/10)

[Michael Whitehead]

just in case anyone here is not on their email list, the following have been offered(i picked up a mixed case):

1995 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 750ml
24 available @ $49.99
Wine Spectator, 92 points (#10 wine of the year 1998): "A big, voluptuous wine--decadence in a bottle. Sports a brilliant magenta, purple color and intense aromas of plums and berries with hints of flowers. It's medium- to full-bodied, with a chunky, velvety-tannin mouthfeel and a long aftertaste of chocolate and fruit. Lovely. Best after 2008."

1994 Cockburn Vintage Port 750ml
24 available @ $59.99
Wine Spectator, 92 points: "A big and juicy, young vintage Port. Round, with loads of very ripe roasted and raisiny character. Full-bodied and medium-sweet, with a tannic backbone. Try after 2008."
Robert Parker, 91 points: "An attractive, smoky, tarry, roasted black fruit character dominates this opaque ruby/purple-colored wine's aromatic profile. Low acidity, sweet, rich fruit, and a forward, expansive feel suggest this full-bodied wine will mature quickly, but it will last for at least two decades. Like a few other 1994s, it almost seems too easy to drink at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020."

2000 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 750ml
24 available @ $89.99
Robert Parker, 98 points: "Among the most saturated blue/purple/black-colored examples of the vintage, Taylor's 2000 tastes like a young vintage of Chateau Latour on steroids. Aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis and smoke jump from the glass. Spectacularly concentrated and enormously endowed, with sweetness allied to ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layer upon layer of fruit and extract, this is the leading candidate for the port of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040."

1995 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port 750ml
22 available @$49.99
Wine Spectator, 92 points (#9 wine of the year 1998): "A gorgeous young thing--even better than I remember from barrel. This is an extremely fresh, floral and fruity young Port, full to medium in body and of medium sweetness, with a ripe and plummy aftertaste of good length. Best after 2006."

1985 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 750ml
20 available @ $89.99
Wine Spectator, 93 points: "Medium ruby. Beautiful aromas of flowers and fresh plum, with hints of stems. Full-bodied and medium-sweet, with gorgeous silky tannins and a long, long finish. This is just starting to come around and offers wonderful flavors. Long life ahead, but ready to try. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now."

1983 Dow Vintage Port 750ml
18 available @ $89.99
Robert Parker, 90 points: "This is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1983 is rich, concentrated, very fruity, and magnificently perfumed, suggesting that it is going to mature early, long before the 1977."

2007 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 750ml
16 available @ $79.99
Wine Spectator, 96 points: "This is a giant of a wine lurking behind fresh flowers and ripe fruit. Starts off in a friendly way, then takes hold of the palate, with intense blueberry and blackberry fruit and chewy yet fine tannins. Mouthpuckering, but impressively complex and long. Really kicks in on the finish. The best Taylor since 1994. Best after 2020.
Wine Advocate, 95 points: "The 2007 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port is a blend of multiple sites meant to express the house style in a great year. It displays a superb aromatic array of pencil lead, Asian spices, incense, blackberry, and floral notes. Dense, suave, and opulent on the palate, this is a mouth-filling, intense, layered wine that has superb grip and concentration. It will effortlessly age for 25+ years and still be delivering pleasure at age 50."

1983 Graham Vintage Port 750ml
11 available @ $89.99
Wine Spectator, 93 points: "A superb achievement from a very underrated year. Deep dark ruby-purple, with rich floral and violet aromas, full-bodied, with masses of strawberry flavors, full tannins and a long finish."
Robert Parker, 92 points: "Graham is another great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. The 1983, like most vintage ports, seems more forward than normal but has a great depth of very ripe, viscous, unctuous, plummy, tarry fruit and significant tannin in its long finish. It is black-purple in color. I doubt that it will be either as profound or as long-lived as the great 1977, but is is certainly one of the top two or three ports of this vintage, and better than the excellent 1980."

2007 Graham Vintage Port 750ml
10 available @ $72.99
Wine Advocate, 97 points: "A candidate for wine of the vintage, the 2007 Graham's Vintage Port is complete in every way. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an ethereal perfume of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, incense, an amalgam of ripe black fruits, and a hint of chocolate in the background. This leads to a dense, super-rich, plush, opulent wine that hides its structure under all the fruit. Vibrant, impeccably balanced, and exceptionally lengthy, it will easily age for another 25-30 years in the cellar and drink well through 2050, probably longer. It is a tour de force."

1991 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port Quinta De Vargellas 750ml
9 available @ $99.99
Robert Parker, 95 points: "Taylor Fladgate's 1991 Quinta de Vargellas is the finest Vargellas I have tasted. The opaque purple color is followed by aromatics that are more closed than most 1991s. In the mouth, it is a wine of extraordinary richness and brilliantly delineated components. This exceptionally rich, backward port possesses layer upon layer of fruit, a thick, chewy, unctuous texture, firm structure and tannin, and a finish that lasts for more than a minute. It is an exquisite port that will age for 25-30 years."

1977 Dow Vintage Port 750ml
9 available @ $129.99
Robert Parker, 93 points: "This is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1977, still a baby, is fabulously scented, very rich and concentrated, and has a potential longevity of at least another 30-50 years. (Jan 1989)"

1992 Fonseca Vintage Port 375ml
6 available @ $74.99
Robert Parker, 97 points: "Fonseca has scored in both the 1991 and 1992 vintages. The 1992 is a majestic young port that should ultimately rival, perhaps even surpass this house's most recent great efforts (1985, 1977, 1970, 1963). This colossal vintage port reveals a nearly opaque black/purple color, and an explosive nose of jammy black fruits, licorice, chocolate, and spices. Extremely full-bodied and unctuously-textured, this multi-layered, enormously-endowed port reveals a finish that lasts for over a minute. It is a magnificent port that will age well for 30-40 years. (Feb 1995)"

1990 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 750ml
6 available @ $69.99
Robert Parker, 93 points: "This single Quinta port possesses an opaque black/purple color, and a sweet, rich nose with a whiff of licorice and powerfully ripe fruit. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, with superb concentration, as well as a rich, opulent, deep finish. Drinkable now, it has at least 20 years of evolution. It is just as spectacular as any vintage port I tasted from 1983 or 1985. (Aug 1992)"

1992 Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 750ml
6 available @ $69.99
Wine Spectator, 92 points: "Shows a raisin and grape skin aroma. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with astringent tannins. Very young. Still tight and powerful; needs time to mellow. '91/'92 Port retrospective. Best after 2007."

1994 Fonseca Vintage Port 750ml
5 available @ $199.99
Wine Spectator, 100 points (#1 wine of the year 1997): "Hold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it's probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of color, aroma and fruit flavor. Smells like fermenting berries, boasting loads of crushed grape, violet and berry character. Big, full-bodied and very sweet, with tons of tannins and a sweet finish. Tannic and huge, it's a long-term, great Port. Best after 2012."

1991 Dow Vintage Port 750ml
5 available @ $54.99
Wine Spectator, 92 points: "Perfumed and gorgeous, with flowers, berry and plum. Full-bodied, very sweet and round, with lovely rich fruit and a long finish. A tiny bit of heat, but will come around nicely. Very pretty indeed. Hard not to swallow now. '91/'92 Port retrospective. Best from 2006 through 2014."

1994 Warre Vintage Port 750ml
5 available @ $64.99
Wine Spectator, 95 points (#15 wine of the year 1997): "A great surprise for the vintage. Displays fabulous concentration and complex character with it's layers of very sweet fruit, chocolate and cherry aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins. Long finish with plenty of grip. Beautiful wine. Best after 2008."

[Glenn E.]

A nice list!

1994 Fonseca Vintage Port 750ml
Wine Spectator, 100 points (#1 wine of the year 1997): "Hold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it's probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of color, aroma and fruit flavor. Smells like fermenting berries, boasting loads of crushed grape, violet and berry character. Big, full-bodied and very sweet, with tons of tannins and a sweet finish. Tannic and huge, it's a long-term, great Port. Best after 2012."

This kind of review always makes me laugh.

Tannic, huge, long-term... but only needs 18 years to reach its peak. Dear Mr. Wine Expert, double your maturity estimates when you're talking about Port or you're going to look foolish.

[Roy Hersh]

There are two bottlings from that offer that I would strongly suggest, based on quality, price and combined QPR and that would be first and foremost the 1995 Vargellas and secondly, the 1994 Warre's. Both are fabulous, forget the points ... these are tremendous Ports.