For The Love Of Port

I know it is not easy, but can you narrow it down to just one?

It depends on how strict you want to be about the "bottle" part...

If you just want to know the best Port we've had in the first half of 2008, that's easy - the 1906 Brunheda Colheita that you so graciously offered me. It was only one glass, but WOW that was some glass of Port!

However, if you're actually talking about a full bottle... well I guess that's pretty easy too. I don't drink (or even participate in drinking) that many full bottles, so it's going to be a Ramos Pinto Quinta do Bom Retiro 20-yr old Tawny. I have had a couple of VPs this year, but on balance none of them were as good overall as this 20-yr old Port.

Just to give you guys an idea of how much I enjoy this Port, it rates pretty close to the glass of 1970 Taylor Fladgate that I tasted. I do like Tawnies more than Rubies and so that puts the Taylor at a disadvantage from the start, but in my opinion the Ramos Pinto is just about as perfect as a Tawny can get. Without being 102 years old.

I had the '91 Croft back in January and it was unquestionably one of the best ports I've ever tasted (up there with '70 Grahams and '70 Fonseca). My notes were "complex, gripping, total harmony, long dark finish".

Close one between Fonseca 66 and Graham's 50.... drom rolls for Fonseca 66, Just a ferfect port that too many years ahead.

Best bottle: Fonseca 1966 at the horizontal of that vintage in London earlier this year.

Best experience: Ferreira 1830 this month at an off-line of random old and odd bottles.

Glenn,

Good question. It can be either a bottle you've enjoyed, or even a glass of Port that you have tasted ... as it had to come from a bottle too. :joker:

Best Bottle - 1963 Noval Nacional Vintage Port

Best Experience - 1927 Niepoort "Dirk's Father" Port

1948 Taylor or 1950 Graham for vintage port.

Frederick Blais wrote:Close one between Fonseca 66 and Graham's 50.... drom rolls for Fonseca 66, Just a ferfect port that too many years ahead.

Wasn't the Graham's 1950 part of the 2nd half of 2008?

Tough choice.

I have had two phenomenal bottles that would rate around the same. Two different styles, so I'm assuming I'm allowed to pick one of each! :)

1966 Taylor, shared with Moses and Sean in May.
1966 Martinez Colheita. Yum.

An honourable mention must go to the 1985 Dow also shared the same night with Moses & Sean. Young, yes. Intense, fruity and just absolutely LOVELY, oh yeah baby

Todd

I have to admit that i don´t drink to much port as i would love to, but the best i`ve tasted in 2008 it was Fonseca Guimaraens 1976. It was superb. It was tasted blind and i thougt it was a VP from the 90´s or younger. So young, so powerfull so complex...

Rui Figueiredo

Rui,

Given that you are in Portugal, what could possibly be stopping you from drinking more Port wine? :wall:

Roy,
some reasons:
First because i don´t have space or conditions at home to cellar special bottles.
Second because when it comes to VP i think that is necessary some special event to open a bottle, or a minimum number of people to apreciate it. And my events dedicated to wine resumes to one or two by month. In fact in those events i usually drink port.
But i promisse that i´ll improve my port wine consume.
Rui Figueiredo

Rui,

Have no fear, this group will get you drinking more Port in no time :hello:

I think for me it was a bottle of 1937 Noval colheita I picked up in 2006 and shared with my father in law recently, along with a '70 Warres after a fantastic dinner of grilled leg of lamb and some old claret. The circumstances combined with the wines made for a great dinner!

Jay

I only started buying vintage port about ten years ago, so I'm still more of a buyer than a drinker. This year, Quinta do Noval Colheita 1976 is my favourite so far. Vintage drinking has been limited to the light but enjoyable Calem's Quinta da Foz 1980. LBV drinking is Niepoort only (1994, 2001 and soon 2003), as is tawny (10YO).

This has been a great read. I love seeing all the diversity of Ports. Mine has to be the 1948 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port...what a great VP.

I do hope more people chime in

Rui F. wrote:Second because when it comes to VP i think that is necessary some special event to open a bottle, or a minimum number of people to apreciate it.

Rui,

Some wise man on this forum once gave me some great advice:
Port is best saved for a special occasion: for example, any occasion ending in the word "day" (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on...)
The event need only be to live life to the fullest, open a great bottle of wine and enjoy it!

In English it is funny because EVERY day ends with the word "day"... I sincerely hope that translates into Portuguese...

Todd

I have given this a lot of thought as there have been many Ports of all types consumed this year. If I had to choose just one, it would have to be the 1906 Brunheda Colheita that I shared with Stewart and also Glenn. It was a great wine and I do hope that someday, I get to try this at least once more.

The best port that I had in the first half of 2008 was a beautiful bottle of Croft 1927, shared in the company of a handful of fellow port lovers in Boston in the freezing depths of February.

Wonderful port and a terrific memory.