1995 Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

[Jay Hack]

This will evolve over the next 8 hours, so I will post notes sequentially to avoid having to remember things through the haze of 75+ bottles we will share this afternoon.

Here's the first installment:

I decanted the Quinta de Vargellas at 8:00. Roy said 9:00, but I had to be out at 9:00 so I did it earlier. Hand decanted with an electric lantern beneath. Color very dark but clear through the neck. Sediment began to creap into the neck at the end so I stopped and left about 1-1/2 ounces in the bottle. Poured the dregs into a glass and tasted. Surprisingly smooth with no tannic edge, but the fruit is yet to appear. At 9:30, the fruit is coming out but so is the alcohol, so it's a bit hot but not obnoxiously so. Cherry red fruit and chocolate on the palate. I think that by 3:00 when we drink this, it will be a real bargain for the incredibly cheap price I paid for it.

[Jay Hack]

It's 10:40 and I just took another sip of the dregs. This is really rounding out beautifully. Very smooth with just a bit of tannioc bite left. Fruit is galloping to the front quickly with that characteristic Touriga Nacional flavor that you get even in dry TN wines.

[Jay Hack]

For those of you who have never attended the Peter Lugeresque dinner in New York, well, you loose. There was 77 Dows, 77 Delaforce, a 76 (or 78) Quinta de Vargellas, two 20 year tawnies, etc. 56 people. Over 75 wines. My 95 Vargellas was very nice, but accurate notes after so much wine is impossible. I have some left over for tomorrow, but for now let's just say cherry fruit, chocolate, very smooth but a baby compared to the 1978.

[Andy Velebil]

Cool note Jay. Hopefully you can post some notes on the other wines you drank...sounds like it was a great time.

[Jay Hack]

I've been running around for the last week or so, and thus have not had a chance to finish the bottle. It was decanted on January 27 into a sealed decanter and today is February 5. It's been in the refrigerator since the evening of the 27th. I decided to take it out and pour a glass. Wonderful cherry nose and clear clean cherry flavor. Not tart, not too sweet, more like a black cherry in a high quality chocolate covered ncherry. And there is now a bit of roasted nut on the palate, but just a tiny bit. The mouth feel is very smooth and silky, but thick. The only criticism of the wine is at the back of the mouth there is a tiny drop of bitterness as you swallow that lingers in the mouthy. Without that, I would say 91-92 points, but that's got to drop it down to 89 pts. Still excellent, but one obvious flaw means it doesn't get into the 90s.