Seeking advice on the 75 vintage...
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:40 am
For my birthday this past February my girlfriend decided that it would be a cool idea for us to drink a VP from my birth year: 1975. Not only had I never had a port from this vintage, but I couldn't even recall ever having seen one in a shop before. On top of that, I've never read anything more than a very mediocre assessment of the 75 vintage as a whole, so needless to say, I was a bit skeptical when she proposed purchasing a bottle of Taylor's 75 that we stumbled upon at local shop (regardless of the fact that I have not yet met a Taylor's vintage that I didn't love). She was really enthusiastic about the idea though, and eventually I conceded - hey, she was buying, so who was I to argue? It turned out to be a very nice surprise. Here were my notes:
Bright brick red in color with orangey hints on the rim. The nose is expressive and complex: dried cherry, cranberry, orange peel and coffee bean - there was also a bit of alcohol but this blew off after a little more airing out. The palate is well fleshed out: smooth cherry fruit and tangerine mingle with a mild spiciness and continue to evolve through the medium length finish, revealing nutty caramel nuances as well. The tannins are velvety and the mouthfeel a bit creamy - overall drinking lovely. I would think that this is one that would be best to open now or in the very near future - it's delicious but getting delicate. My first tasting of a port from my birth year and it turned out to be a winner. Great fully mature port!
So, as my girlfriend's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and being that she was also born in 1975, she's hot to drink another port from this year. Though I was heartened by my experience with the Taylor, I still don't want to shell out my hard-earned bucks on another wine from a questionable year without first having some good advice to go on. I've searched the net quite a few times for opinions and notes on 75's and have come up with very little. The only bit of info that seemed helpful was that at least a couple of people singled out the Dow's as being an exceptional wine of this vintage. I've found a source where I can purchase the Dow's, Graham's, Fonseca, and Warre's 75's. Could anyone offer me some insight as to the relative merits of these or any other 75's that might be worth a shot? Thanks in advance...
Bright brick red in color with orangey hints on the rim. The nose is expressive and complex: dried cherry, cranberry, orange peel and coffee bean - there was also a bit of alcohol but this blew off after a little more airing out. The palate is well fleshed out: smooth cherry fruit and tangerine mingle with a mild spiciness and continue to evolve through the medium length finish, revealing nutty caramel nuances as well. The tannins are velvety and the mouthfeel a bit creamy - overall drinking lovely. I would think that this is one that would be best to open now or in the very near future - it's delicious but getting delicate. My first tasting of a port from my birth year and it turned out to be a winner. Great fully mature port!
So, as my girlfriend's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and being that she was also born in 1975, she's hot to drink another port from this year. Though I was heartened by my experience with the Taylor, I still don't want to shell out my hard-earned bucks on another wine from a questionable year without first having some good advice to go on. I've searched the net quite a few times for opinions and notes on 75's and have come up with very little. The only bit of info that seemed helpful was that at least a couple of people singled out the Dow's as being an exceptional wine of this vintage. I've found a source where I can purchase the Dow's, Graham's, Fonseca, and Warre's 75's. Could anyone offer me some insight as to the relative merits of these or any other 75's that might be worth a shot? Thanks in advance...
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