1988 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

[Al B.]

Half bottle opened and poured (no decanting at all).

Mid red colour, opaque in the centre with some fading and bricking and the edge. Nose of young blackcurrants and violets and a touch of mint, but rather closed. In the mouth the first impression is of cough medicine but the mid-palate brings a rustic, earthy blackcurrant and bramble fruitiness and a pleasant supporting acidity. The aftertaste carries on with the earthy theme, mixed with raisins and prunes with a hugely peppery overtone that has a very good length. Not a great port, but pleasant enough. Probably bottom quartile on this showing but not one of the worst 5 vintage ports I expect to drink this year but equally, a port that is unlikely to improve in the bottle over the next 10 years. 1/1 or 84/100.

After 1 hour in the glass the port had changed although the colour was still the same. The nose had opened up and was a dusty raspberry. The raspberries were also the first flavour into the mouth, sweet and with a fresh mintiness. The tannins were obvious in the midpalate, giving a nice structure underneath an enjoyable fruitiness. The aftertaste was better than when first poured but started with a bit of an alcoholic burn followed by a long aftertaste built around a core of Angostura Bitters. 85/100 or 2/2.

Alex

[Derek T.]

Half bottle opened and poured (no decanting at all).

Alex,

Can I ask why this wasn't decanted? Do you think it affected how the wine showed?

Derek

[Al B.]

It was opened on the spur of the moment as the most likely bottle (mainly because it was a half bottle) available to be able to take the "pop n pour" treatment.

I am quite clear that the pop n pour treatment has affected the port adversely as what is left in the glass is developing into a lovely rich port that is really enjoyable - I would anticipate that this will end up as a high-80's score, enjoyable and structured without being spectacular. I still have a fair amount left in my glass two hours after opening but it is actually less enjoyable than it was on opening, but I have noticed that this phase is often seen in VPs with relatively little exposure to air.

Alex

[Derek T.]

Alex,

Do you have any more of these or have you had one previously? It would be interesting to see the difference in treating the wine to normal decanting compared with your pop 'n' go method of tonight. This may shed some light on the experiences we had in the Douro last year where very few of the ports were decanted and some were lifted straight from the cellar and opened immediately.

Derek

[Al B.]

Derek,

Sadly, this is my only bottle in the cellar although I enjoyed the wine enough that if I get the chance to buy another one then I will.

I have only tried this particular wine three time. Once on Sunday, once at the Quinta and once when it was at the end of Christmas lunch and I didn't take a note (although I do remember that the bottle came from Makro).

Sadly, I can't do a comparative tasting to contrast the "pop n pour" method to the "measured decanting" method of preparing VP for drinking. However, if I can get two more of these half bottles then I will be set to experiment.

Alex