What Port are you planning to open on New Year's Eve?

[Roy Hersh]

I am still undecided. Inspire me with your selections!

[Al B.]

Mine will be my Christmas present from my wife, a bottle of 1988 Quinta da Cavadinha.

Alex

[Tom Archer]

I have a 30th birthday to attend that night, so I shall be re-visiting the '75.

- Might give the Delaforce a spin...

[Mario Ferreira]

I have a 1952 Presidential White Port (bottled in 2002) that I might open on that evening :)
("Presidential" is a USA brand. In Portugal the same wine is labeled under the brand "Dalva"). I guess this wine retails in Portugal for about € 85 Euros. :!:

I've almost opened this bottle this month for two different occasions. So, maybe on the New Year's Eve the 1952 White gets its momentum
/MF.

[Roy Hersh]

Mario,

We had the '52 together (although I had it twice before you arrived in Oporto too) although that was Dalva, it is identical juice. I opened one of my two bottles for a friends birthday ('52 was his birth year) and it blew away everybody in the room who were VERY serious wine lovers who were quite familiar with Port.

One thing, your '52 Presidential is not only a White Port, it is a White Colheita Port. There is a very significant difference, but I guess you certainly understand that.

[Mario Ferreira]

Mario, We had the '52 together [...] although that was Dalva, it is identical juice.[...]

Of course I remember that. I even keep that '52 Dalva empty bottle among my "Empty Bottle Collection".
/MF.

[Eric Ifune]

Thinking about a 77 Taylors since it's been some time since I had one, and that was from a half bottlle.
Hope everyone has a good News Years!

[xxxMonique Heinemans]

We are having a New-years-eve party at our home, so no port, but a lot of beer, wine and champagne. But I already have a Graham's 1985 vintage standing right up for januari the first. (When I make it :) )

Leaves me to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year!!

Monique.

[Frederick Blais]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Dalva 52!!! I had this last year at Vino Logia, very good!

I'm not sure of what I will open, it will depends where I will be, it is not decided yet, I have two choice: A portuguese or french family. Probably a Vintage for the Portuguese and a LBV for the French

My choice will be between Jose Maria Fonseca and Van Zeller LBV 99 and probably a single quinta from Taylor, Vargellas or terra feita between 86 and 88.

[Roy Hersh]

Frederick,

The first time I had the Dalva was also at Vinologia. Delicious juice!

If you own a bottle of the Vargellas '87, that would be my recommendation from what you have mentioned.

[michael miller]

I work until 11, so Sunday it will be either the 55 or 63 Taylors.

Michael

[Richard Henderson]

Roy,

We have a group of "knowledgeable" port aficionados coming. I think I am going to make another run at the 77 Graham's.

I know you think it is flawed and it well may be, but I am not going to pour it out!

[Kurt Wieneke]

For NYE, I think that I will open a bottle of the Warre's 1987 Colheita.

[Kevin B. Kelly]

Richard, best of luck with the '77 Graham's, I just had this on Christmas Eve and I would have to agree with Roy if he finds this wine flawed, this was a bit of a disappointment. I had the 1963 Graham's the previous Christmas and was hoping for a similar experience, regretfully the '77 doesn't even come close.

Kurt, you have an excellent choice, I had this wine earlier this month and it was delightful, you are in for a treat.

As for me, the only vintage port that I had standing up before I got back from vacation this evening was a 1980 Quinta do Noval "Nacional", so unless I find a colheita that is calling my name, it will be that wine. Unfortunately , I have so many new wines that have recently arrived, access to the ready wines in the cellar is a bit limited until I reorganize and unload some boxes...

------------------------------------
Kevin B. Kelly
A Port Enthusiast

[Roy Hersh]

I made my choice last night. In addition to a couple of other New Years resolutions, one of mine is:

In 2006, start to try some of my own bottles of young VPs. I have tried less than a dozen of my own bottles of anything younger than 1987, but will change that in the upcoming year.

That said, my 3 yo daughter helped me decant my bottle of 1991 Quinta do Vesuvio VP. I was very pleased that it was inky black and the perfume was incredible. I have not opened one in awhile so I am going to check it early and often.


Kevin, I have respected your TNs and impressions from another Port site that you have posted on (I was ONLY a lurker there) and hope that you will chime in more in 2006. I always value your opinion.

As to the 1977 Graham's: I don't know that it is necessarily a flawed wine but it has NEVER performed well and I have had it so many times in the past 15-20 years. It was a really ugly baby with similar heat and alcolhol protruding as to what David has described about "THE TAWNY" by Graham's that he opened last week. As a young teenager, this wine was a "disjointed mess" and gave me no hope that it would ever evolve into a solid and balanced wine. Having had it as recently as two weeks ago (two other times in the last year too) I wanted to give it every opportunity to show well and it disappoints on every occasion. The last bottle was a group of 10 here in Seattle and nobody really liked it. To be fair, at that tastiong, it did not receive more than four hours of decanting time.

This past summer at a blind tasting, my good friend Eric LeVine (some of you know him as the creator of CellarTracker) told me he was going to bring a 1970 Graham's to a tasting we were doing blind for a group, after a CdP dinner. He and another buddy came over (bottle in bag) and asked me to see what I thought, if the wine was right and had been decanted long enough. I already had preconceived notions of the '70. I told them that if this really was the 1970 it was a bad bottle and showed way too much spirit and asked them how long they had decanted. I was told they followed instructions for the 8 hours. YIKES. Hmmmm. Well they took off the bag, chuckled and said, "just checking." It was the 1977 Graham's. Those scoundrels!

[Frederick Blais]

Well finally my choice ended up on a Ramos Pinto 1991. Did not take notes, here what I can say about it.

Decanted and poured back into the bottle 4 hours before drinking it. The wine has a very sweet nose of dates, plums and figs. Mouth is smooth, medium bodied, fully integrated, very sweet again, pleasant and balanced with the same flavor as the nose. Short finish with toffey flavors and field fruits. This wine as begun is maturity plateau and will be enjoyed easily over the next 5-8 years.

[Richard Henderson]

After eight hours plus of decanting, the 77 Graham's had lost its heat. It seemed a nicely balanced port, very much in the Graham's style. Smooth, nice fruit. Good finish.
I do wonder if there is not some variations in the bottling.
I think all of the 77 Graham's I have had was distributed here in Texas by the same wholesaler. I have never heard the complaints locally about this port that I read from others around the world.

I am a little baffled by it.

[Eric LeVine]

This past summer at a blind tasting, my good friend Eric LeVine (some of you know him as the creator of CellarTracker) told me he was going to bring a 1970 Graham's to a tasting we were doing blind for a group, after a CdP dinner. He and another buddy came over (bottle in bag) and asked me to see what I thought, if the wine was right and had been decanted long enough. I already had preconceived notions of the '70. I told them that if this really was the 1970 it was a bad bottle and showed way too much spirit and asked them how long they had decanted. I was told they followed instructions for the 8 hours. YIKES. Hmmmm. Well they took off the bag, chuckled and said, "just checking." It was the 1977 Graham's. Those scoundrels!

FWIW, I was TOLD that the 1970 Graham's was coming to dinner. The attendee of the offline showed up and mentioned that the wine was actually the 1977. Given what an outspoken critic Roy is of the 77, I immediately bagged the wine and waited for my opPORTunity to stump the master. Alas, Roy foiled us quickly!