Multi: NV 20-yr old Tawny flight (Rozes, Calem, Sandeman, Taylor)

[Glenn E.]

9/28/08 by the glass from the bar at the Pestana Porto (because Vinologia was full!!!)

The Rozes was a little harsh and didn't show much character. It seemed to be just another generic Tawny. No flavor notes.

The Calem was smoother, but still pretty generic. Some chocolate and cherry notes by some participants. (I couldn't find either, even after others mentioned them.)

The Sandeman was the dregs of a bottle and showed a little flat. Was still the most bright and lively of the bunch, but nowhere near what I've had before.

The Taylor was the most elegant and smooth of the 4. I found the chocolate and cherries here, as well as a very light mint note (eucalyptus?).

Rankings: T1, S2, C3, R4.

[Roy Hersh]

Rankings are good, scores are better ... after all they are just rankings in sheeps' clothing.

Seriously; I enjoyed your notes and wonder how close the Taylor vs. Sandeman would have been, had the Sandeman showed as well as your previous experiences?

[Andy Velebil]

I've not had the Calem 20 year old, but I too wonder where the Sandeman would have fallen in line if it wasn't the dregs of the bottle. The Sandeman is one of my go-to 20 year tawny's, always a very good bottle.

[Glenn E.]

I doubt it would have changed my rankings. The Calem and Rozes just weren't anything special, but the Taylor's was quite nice. I'm not all that fond of the Sandeman's acidity so the fact that it was flat may have partially improved it in my eyes, which would have partially offset some of the other negatives of an older bottle.

I can name three 20-yr old Tawnies off the top of my head that I like better than the Sandeman - Ramos Pinto, Rocha, and Ferreira - and that's not even counting the Taylor's in this flight. There are probably more as well, but I'd have to contemplate the ones I've had to think of them.

I'm not quite ready to do ratings... I'm still getting used to rankings! I feel like I need to do more direct comparisons like this one so that I can get a better feel for the breadth of what's available. Right now I just feel like I don't know what 100 points means (though the 1906 Brunheda Colheita HAS to be close) and similarly I don't feel like I know what an 80-point Port is either. (And that in itself is tacit acknowledgement that the 100-point scale is a myth... )

Plus how do you compare a Tawny to a Ruby? They're so different, especially the older ones. And what do I do about my acknowledged preference for Tawny Port? That Noval 40-yr old I had would rate higher than just about every VP I've had so far... the only one I can think of that might come close is the 1970 Taylor's.

So... some day, but not yet.

[Roy Hersh]

To the best of one's ability you must be able to let your pre-conceived notions go by the way side. So if you are a Tawny Port fan, you must keep an open mind when drinking an LBV, as an example. I do some professional wine judging, the vast majority of which is in CA, OR and WA but occasionally elsewhere too.

When doing so, I must be equally fair to Claret, although I prefer Burgundy and am very much open to trying wine from anywhere in the world and any grape. Believe it or not ... much less than 10% of all wines that pass my lips are Port/Madeira/Douro wines. And I drink LOTS of those 3, but in the scheme of life, they remain a small percentage of my overall wine consumption.

So how do I give a 1937 Niepoort Colheita its due, after tasting a 1900 Taylor VP right before it and both of these coming on the heels of a 1966 Leroy Richebourg which accompanied my steak? Lots of practice!

Glenn, for you this should be much easier; as you don't appreciate just about any table wine and your imbibing consists of Port and in that regard, mostly Tawny styles. We'll be patient and will look forward to the day where you feel comfortable enough in your own tasting notes to add an actual score. By the way, don't tell Robert Parker's legions of fans or those that buy the majority of their wines based on Wine Spectator ratings, that the 100 point system of scoring has no merit.

[Ronald Wortel]

Thanks for the notes Glenn. I used to like the Calem quite a bit, but it has been a long long time since I tasted it. Somehow it disappeared of my radar... The Sandeman is always very good value for money.

[Moses Botbol]

***Correction***

The 94 was Colheita, not an LBV So, their Colheita was not that bad.

The Calem 94 LBV is quite tawny like and may be your "cup of tea". It's getting near 20 years old... At first I was a little taken back as this is different from any LBV I have had. Maybe Cockburn has been the closest, but as a standalone port, the Calem was pure spice and wood. Not showing much grape or youth. Tawny color as well.