ThePortForum.com

I know of one single bottle of this that is owned by someone here who might be willing to open it

Certainly, but not just yet.

One of my house rules is that the last bottle from each vintage must be preserved until it's 200th year. That can also be the only bottle.

- Mark your diary for 2193

So: for those of us who classify Vesuvio as a VP I long ago gave up trying to distinguish between VP and SQVP - there are several VPs that appear to have been made from a single quinta and some producers regard the quinta names as no more than brand names, and offer a blend of wines from different ...

Only 38% of the total are "ready"

What is your definition of 'ready'?

For VP, mine crept forward over the years from 18 years to 21 and then 24 and finally to 24 'for investigative purposes' and 30 for mainstream drinking.

Total stock of VP has now crept past the 6000 bottle mark with a collective age that now tops 200,000 years 48 bottles per year, more than 6000 bottles!! How old are you planning to be :o ?? I like to be optimistic! - I've also got 2200 bottles of non vintage port and 1200 bottles of wine to get th...

Yet again, I kept to my target of 48 bottles of VP drunk at home last year, with a collective age of 2161 years, an average bottle age of just over 45 years; topping the previous year's record of 44.1 years. The oldest vintage drunk was 1955 (3 bottles) and the youngest 1995 (1 bottle). As usual, I ...

The Burne Turner 1904 cork definitely has one line of branding on it, but i'm finding it impossible to make sense of it. I'm going to preserve this cork - as there a few of these bottles around, can people please urge the preservation of any future corks - perhaps with two to compare, all will revea...

Salmon - check Lemons - check Steaks - check Chips and peas - check Ice cream - check Gravy - check Cheeses - check - (plus one en route) Biccies - check Mince pies - check Stollen - check 36 port glasses washed - check Two adoptee bottles - check My bottle - check Old bottle of claret for amusement...

8 7/8oz Stich eagerly awaited!

Half a pound should be plenty thanks - I refuse to quote cheese in metric measure..!

Ten steaks it is then..

My usual cheese supplier is fresh out of Stichelton (unpasteurised Stilton) - have secured a wedge of Colston Bassett in lieu, but if anyone is passing a Neal's Yard shop, could they grab a half pound of Stich.. and I'll refund..

Fire is well fuelled - in fact the wood is so dry, we are racing through it - might have to put green logs on the fire come the end of January..

Will be putting in the steak order tomorrow.

Unless anyone has dietary restrictions, the menu for all will be:

Smoked salmon
14oz fillet steak with chips and peas
Vanilla ice cream with gravy
Unpasteurised cheeses + biccies
Heston Mince pies and Stollen slices

I'm in..

I have:

Burmester
Delaforce *
Bomfim
Fonseca
Eira Velha
Niepoort *
Passadouro
Taylor
Vesuvio

* - still in owc

If WS attends, I also play host to a Smith Woodhouse '92 that he left at my house many years ago, for an occasion that never took place..

Noval and Croft both decanted - and looking good

Count me in

Gents,

Might I suggest that we have a protocol with this tasting, that every bottle must be decanted at least 24hrs ahead of time?

My recent notes suggest that 24hr if not 48hr decants are advisable with this vintage..

The Sogrape LBVs are very age worthy and should be cellared as it they were mid-grade Vintage Ports. At the BFT this year, Sandeman confirmed that their LBVs were unfiltered. The pre-release 2015 sample they showed there was very impressive and has just begun to appear on the market - I shall be la...

The only adoptee I can offer to add to the list (without broaching an owc) is the Noval. This went through a really awkward phase, but my most recent notes (10/13, 8/16, 10/17) show a clear pattern of improvement

There used to be a mantra that an LBV with a driven cork was age-worthy and one with T stopper had been filtered and fined to an extent that made good aging unlikely. Then Croft messed things up by offering an unfiltered LBV with a T-stopper.. To be fair, my own researches are indicating that T-stop...

Tesco are currently selling Les Dauphins Cotes du Rhone 2018 at just £5.25/bt (if you buy six or more)

Bottle has a retro French label and bottle shape which is rather attractive, and comes with a driven cork.

It's also a really lovely wine - an absolute bargain at the price..

Put me down for bringing the Croft

My four all decanted and looking good!

'27, '42, '47, and '60 are all on the scaffold, awaiting execution

Plan to double decant them between 2.00 and 3.30 and will then aim to be on parade by about 5.45 to allow time for pours

You attended your fiftieth birthday event, at The Bowler Attended being the operative word.. As I recall, they expected us to sit barely 1ft apart and there was an art exhibition taking place in the same room at the same time. Did I taste the NN60? I don't recall doing so - but I do recall spending...

Oops.. - I forgot to include Noval on my list, which I have a very nice stash of.

I've never had the NN60 - sounds like I've not missed much..