#10 What is your favorite vintage of Warre's VP?

[Roy Hersh]

Besides Fonseca and Graham's this just might be the third producer of the 10 we have touched upon here, that a vast majority of Port enthusiasts have had the opportunity to explore.

Is this due to great distribution? Does it have to do with the fact that this Shipper was the very first British Port Shipper and that the family line ran through it for centuries? Or does it have more to do with the quality vs price point at which Warre is sold?

I'd be interested to hear your views and please feel free to come up with any other reason you can think of.

Please don't lose sight of the main quest here, which is to figure out which is your favorite all time VP produced by Warre's.

So many great ones to ponder!

[Al B.]

I have drunk a fair amount of Warre wines, but mostly from the '80s. They are one of my reliable "go to" shippers when I don't have a bottle of Morgan '91 on hand. However, in my experience they do not produce great or stellar wines but are much more of a reliable and consistently good shipper. Whatever the vintage, I seem to score them in the range of 86-92.

If I had to choose just a single favourite vintage, I think I would go for the 1970. I've had this a few times and have consistently scored it as a 90-92 point wine. Mind you, the 1977 is pretty close behind.

But Warre would not be my first choice if I was wanting to choose a great port to impress a port-wise audience. It might be my first choice if I wanted a reliable port to impress a port-novice audience.

Alex

[Frederick Blais]

I must have drank all the VP of Warre's from 77 to 2003. I have a sweet spot for 97.

[David Spriggs]

1977 is my favorite.

-Dave-

[Derek T.]

I have found the 1970 to be excellent on the 4 occassions I have had it so it gets my vote.

That said, the only other Warre VPs I can recall tasting are the 1960, 1966 and 1985 - all of which were tasted in the past 3 months for the first time

Derek

[Moses Botbol]

I can't think of a Warre vintage that I did not like. Warre's vintages are top in my book. Going to review TN's for more specifics, but I think 70 and 77 were my standout's.

[SEAN C.]

I haven't had enough Warre ..I can't find it to buy otherwise I would !!
I have only had the 1966, 1977 and the 1983 I do remember the '66 was excellent!

[Kris Henderson]

1977. I don't drink a lot of Warre's VP for whatever reason but the 1977 that I opened a few months ago was really good.

[Andy Velebil]

Does their Cavadinha count? Technically it is a Warre's Vintage Port, just from one location

[Alex K.]

I like Warre. If this makes me sound like a Bush then it is purely coincidental.

I was very saddened by the state of the 1966 that we had at the Deeper Underground tasting, it was patently unwell. The 1970 that we had a few days later was utterly delightful. I've had the 1980, 1983 and 1985 as well, and then I realise that I haven't had much Warre VP despite my fondness for the shipper, so I must go 1970, 1985, 1980 as the 1983 was slightly disappointing. I have a 1963 in the cellar though.

[Marc J.]

1977, followed closely by 1070 & 1966. I probably drink more Warre's than any other shipper and I've found the vast majority of their vintages to be solidly made & very enjoyable.

[Derek T.]

1977, followed closely by 1070 & 1966.

- wow! That's some cellar you have Marc :devil:

[Mike McCune]

Out of a very limited number of choices (94, 85): 1994

[Roy Hersh]

Interesting so far. I guess what surprises me somewhat is that there seems to be much less depth of Warre's in people's cellars and tasting experience than I would have believed. I figured that Warre's being a significant Symington house, with a ton of history and marketing behind it ... even before the Sym's bought the shipper, with usually fine LBVs, occasionally great Colheitas and very reasonably priced Vintage Ports ... that this particular thread would be buzzing.

Not the case and I just don't know if those with more Warre's experience are holding back, waiting for others to lodge their opinions or just not interested.

I don't believe I have had VP from Warre's older than 1963 and taking a quick glance in my TN database, I realize that one of these days I MUST transcribe my thousand+ Port TNs from my handwritten pages (more than what is in the entire database online ... or hire a typist!). I have had the 1970 well over a dozen times (2-3x again in 2007 alone) and find it elegant but never enthralling. The 1963 is still solid today and typically a good bargain for the vintage. I've done a few verticals of Warre in the past and one last year at Warre, but two of those also began with '63 and at the Quinta, with 1970.

As mentioned here many times, I have had the 1977 Warre's more than virtually any other Port, vintage or otherwise. I went through three cases of it in the 1990s when I was able to score it for $29 per bottle by the case. It was around constantly, at least on a quarterly basis and in the latter half of the decade even more often. I bought more to last me another decade or so and I opened a bottle in the past month or so and did log a TN that appeared in the newsletter. Amazingly, my peak at the TN DB shows not one TN on this VP and I am literally embarrassed by this, considering how much of it I've enjoyed ...nearing 50 bottles. Yikes.

The 1980 is very solid, even today as I had it Jan. 30th while doing a 5-Shipper retrospective of 1980, 1983 and 1985 to get a fresh glimpse at the first half of that decade as those VPs start to develop some bottle age. I really liked the Warre and will put my notes up shortly. 1983 and 1985 are both very solid (91-93 pts.) on any given day. I've had a generous amount of each ... closing in on a case of 1983 and a few less of the 1985 which I prefer. They are not to be confused with Graham or Dow in either vintage, nor the Fonseca in the latter, but represent very good value for money considering their quality and age worthiness.

The 1991 is gorgeous and I was fortunate to steal these for $26 pre-release and have a solid stash and love them but they are still way too young to drink seriously. HINT: If you can find the 1991 Warre, grab a case!!!

1994 is a heck of a Warre and often overlooked, which is good for those seeking out a bargain. It is a very solid VP and exemplary for a 1994 too! I have only had the Warre's 1997 once, at least from memory. It does not stand out but I do remember when I drank it. Will need to give it a go soon to refresh my TNs. The 2000 and 2003 were both very positive and delicious VPs. I had them last year again and they are doing very well and were singing young and pure. Both will age beautifully and I prefer the 2003.

Andy brought up a good point with the Cavadinha SQVPs. I have had about 8 or 9 total Cavadinha's, not including barrel sampling back in 1994. The old ones will be in my DB at some point, however my absolute favorite of the SQVPs I will mention in this post, to give you folks a serious buying opportunity. Maybe you have yet to try this gorgeous Cavadinha, either because it is not often spoken of and nobody really pays it any attention. That said, I think the 1992 Quinta da Cavadinha is a stellar SQVP no less, VP. For my money it is very drinkable today and will reward another 15 years in the cellar too. However, it is an exceptional buy and the smart one's reading this are already on winesearcher checking it out. Bravo! It is my pleasure to offer such buying recommendations and I don't take them (or this one) lightly!

For anyone listening or caring what I have to say: In 2003 there was a marked step up in Warre's overall quality. This showed even more brilliantly given that 2004 and 2005 were "only" SQVPs by Warre's Cavadinha vineyards which have really been upgraded very seriously in the recent past. Other changes in the Quinta (go look at part 2 of the Fortification Tour article for more insight) have also had a major effect in overall improvements. The 2004 wowed me and I rated it atop the entire vintage, with a cast of a few dozen mostly SQVPs but some serious contenders from the likes of Vesuvio and even the Vargellas Vinha Velha (amongst many others). Still, I preferred the Warre's and in 2005, although not my #1 choice, I believe Cavadinha was 2nd or 3rd overall, which is saying a lot given the generous fruit and soft nature of the vintage across the board. So Cavadinha, the backbone ... the working horse of Warre's has seen many enhancements and investment into its core. We shall see what happens from here.

Don't worry, I realize I did not pick a favorite VP, as of yet. I'll be back. :hello:

[Andy Velebil]

I've not had any Warre's VP older than 1963 that I can ever recall. Of those, I've always enjoyed the 1983 the most. Just slighty more than the 1970, which is a very close second. I've said before and still say it, that Warre's isn't the monster wine (with a recent exception) that others are. But Warre's has always been a favorite of mine for a very nice elegant Port that has always pleased my palate. Even if it didn't get a big score, which I think says a lot of their Ports. I'd say Warre's was the Rolls Royce, where a Fonseca, Taylors, or Noval would be a Ferrarri. Both great cars, but one exudes elegance and beauty where the other displays muscle, strength, and ferociousness.

[Frederick Blais]

It was hard for me to choose between 97 and 03 as I think both had great qualities. Probably that the 2003 will last longer but for pure joy the 97 was fantastic to mee. I don't think I had it since the couple of shot in 2001 though.

I go along the lines with you Roy, 2003 is a great step in quality for Warre's. For me, it is even the best 2003 from Symington. It reminds me that I have to buy more!

For the 2005 Cavadinha, in a blind tasting of a few 2005 we did at Qta do Napoles in September, I did pick it #1. A few others did too! I haven't taste that many 2005, around 10, it does make it easily in the top 3.

[Ted D]

I'm thinking of a particularly good 66 Warres I had on a small island off the north coast of Nova Scotia, accessible only by boat.
We decanted it into a coffee pot well after midnight, and enjoyed it with a bunch of sardines a few hours later.

Three of us, including my wife-to-be, and we all had VP experience and many other wonderful wines that long weekend (a breakfast Quart Du Chaume also come to mind), but we all remember that Warres the best. Must have been around 10 years ago.

So it's the 66 for me.

[Roy Hersh]

I did not want to answer quickly because I needed to sort out my thoughts further. 1977 as stated earlier in the thread is probably my nostalgic favorite, but if I am going by which one has blown me away the most, it would be the 2003 (although 2004 is darn close!). So although possibly chastised by some for picking such a youngster, I think that the 2003 is going to be regarded as one of the truly great Warre's in the past 50 years ... 20 years from now. By then, my daughter at 25 will know more about Port than I do today and she'll be telling me how great the 2003 is.

[Derek T.]

So although possibly chastised by some for picking such a youngster, I think that the 2003 is going to be regarded as one of the truly great Warre's in the past 50 years

:wall:

[Roy Hersh]

It is time to revive this thread and see if there are some new opinions, as we have many new members nowadays.