I have 5 bottles...where to go from here?

[Derek T.]

I'm also thinking of picking up either the 83 cockburn or the 85 fonseca (Roy's top 12) in a few months so I can actually try a VP that is mature, or near mature.

-Don't buy '83 Cockburn, the percentage of bottles with TCA is too great to take a risk in your situation.

Tim,

I absolutely agree with Moses on this one. Cockburn 83 can be fabulous but you may end up spending lots of your hard earned budget on a bottle that smells of wet cardboard as there is a known flaw with a relatively high percentage of that wine, perhaps 30% or above.

And, sorry to do this to you, but Fonseca 1985 is not something you want to buy if you want to taste a mature or near mature port. It is a fabulous wine and one of my all time favourites but it is nowehere near its peak and needs another 10-20 years to get there.

Roy has given you good advice in encouraging you to look through the Tasting Notes on this forum. If you are looking for mature ports that are not too expensive you would be well advised to look at tasting notes from 1970 through to 1985 but not just concentrating on the big producers like Fonseca, Graham etc. Many of the ports in this range from smaller producers will be mature and ready to drink and wines from years such as 1980 and 1983 should provide you with lots of options at reasonable prices.

Derek

PS: Start buying more wood so that you can make another 10 or 12 of those racks - you'll need them in a couple of years if what happend to most of us happens to you after joining this Forum

[Glenn E.]

Wine-searcher.com is very useful as well, but unless you pay for the premium version, it will only give you an abbreviated list of shops selling what your searching for.

Yes, but those shops are almost always within a buck or two of the absolute best price available. The "sponsor" shops tend to be the bigger and more competitive shops anyway, so you're really not missing much if you're just using the free version of wine-searcher.com.

I have the Pro version mostly because the smaller shops occasionally have something off-the-wall hidden in their back room, so when I'm looking for something that's hard to find I need to be able to see as many shops as possible. If you're just looking for price, the free version is almost the same.

[Lamont Huxley]

Wine-searcher.com is very useful as well, but unless you pay for the premium version, it will only give you an abbreviated list of shops selling what your searching for.

Yes, but those shops are almost always within a buck or two of the absolute best price available. The "sponsor" shops tend to be the bigger and more competitive shops anyway, so you're really not missing much if you're just using the free version of wine-searcher.com.

I have the Pro version mostly because the smaller shops occasionally have something off-the-wall hidden in their back room, so when I'm looking for something that's hard to find I need to be able to see as many shops as possible. If you're just looking for price, the free version is almost the same.

Thanks for the tip Glenn. I had always thought that there must be a big difference between what they show you for free and what you get with the premium version. I'm glad to know that I'm not missing out on much by searching with the free version

[Eric Menchen]

What is a good price on the 2007 Noval VP? I saw it for $70
Any ideas where I can pick up the cockburn or fonseca at a good price? (found for $85 and $89 respectively)

That's a good price for the Noval. I think I've seen if for a few dollars less, but not much, and not now when I checked wine-searcher. BEWARE: Quinta do Noval Silval is not the same product. We can debate how good it is in another thread, but for now just be aware that it is different, and cheaper.

Others have made valid recommendations WRT to the Cockburn, and I don't disagree with them. I picked up one bottle to gamble on, but for a little less, $75. I've bought the 1985 Fonseca for $80. As others have said, there are other Ports out there that would probably better demonstrate maturity for you, and I think you can probably find some of them for less.

Glenn's point about wine-searcher is valid. I have the pro version and probably have saved a few dollars with it. But for the most part on the big names and years, the free version will take you far.

[John M.]

Is there a Glossary of Terms in FTLOP? There are various discussions on "TCA" here plus I hear the word "corked" used a bit around the site. I do not know what these mean, exactly, being a newb.

If there isn't a glossary, it might make a good addition for the newbs.

[Derek T.]

Is there a Glossary of Terms in FTLOP? There are various discussions on "TCA" here plus I hear the word "corked" used a bit around the site. I do not know what these mean, exactly, being a newb.

If there isn't a glossary, it might make a good addition for the newbs.

John,

I will leave Roy and Andy to ponder the question on a glossary but can tell you that TCA is simply the abbrieviated chemical name of the substance that causes a wine to be "corked". You can read all about it on this page on Wiki.

In simple terms, when the chemical TCA is present in the cork, which can occur naturally or through poor hygene in the production process, it contaminates the wine and results in it smelling of musty wet cardboard.

[Andy Velebil]

Tim,

I absolutely agree with Moses on this one. Cockburn 83 can be fabulous but you may end up spending lots of your hard earned budget on a bottle that smells of wet cardboard as there is a known flaw with a relatively high percentage of that wine, perhaps 30% or above.

Actually the current corked rate for me on the 1983 Cockburn's is pushing 80-90%....I hate to say this but I would never recommend this to buy as a result. So sad as the one non-corked bottle I had was stunning.

[Moses Botbol]

Actually the current corked rate for me on the 1983 Cockburn's is pushing 80-90%....I hate to say this but I would never recommend this to buy as a result. So sad as the one non-corked bottle I had was stunning.

Indeed. Not worth the gamble in my book. Drink what you have and if it's a good bottle, consider yourself lucky and move on.