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Q92c, bottled in 2023 in 10cl format for the 2023 advent calendar. Pop and pour. A light and bright red colour, 60% opaque. Dried red fruit on the nose blended with dried flowers. Lovely dried red fruit on the palate, maple syrup background with a languid acidity that keeps the wine beautifully fres...

Q76c, bottled in 2023 in 10cl format for the 2023 advent calendar. Pop and pour. A wonderful russet colour, much lighter than the 1992 tasted alongside at about 40% opaque. A delightful nose of lavender, beeswax, black tea and golden syrup. Elegant on the palate, full of flavour - of golden syrup an...

Quinta do Noval 2009 Colheita, bottled in 75cl in 2022. Positively delicious, delicate clover honey on the nose, rich and fruity but perfectly balanced on the palate with long lingering honey on the aftertaste and finish. Very, very drinkable. 92/100. Opened 03-Jan-24. Pop 'n' pour.

Martinez 2000 Vintage Port, decanted 1 day. When first opened the wine had a little bottle stink and was full of harsh and bitter fruit; the wine completely out of balance. The wine improved with a couple of hours but was significantly better the following day, when this tasting note was written. Da...

What would you get if you made an alcoholic drink from black cherries and liquorice root? Answer: Fonseca 1985! I've jumped on the band-wagon. Everyone has been opening one of these recently. This is a big wine, dark red, full of fruit. The tannins are nicely resolved and the combination of differen...

There's a Paxton & Whitfield own label Vintage Port from 1994, which was sourced from Quinta & Vineyard Bottlers Lda. I have no idea what the blend in the bottle is, whether put together specifically for Paxton & Whitfield or perhaps a standard blend such as Skeffington. Davy's also have...

Some pointless tasting statistics from my 2023 notes. In 2023 I tasted (or drank) from 615 different containers of Port or pretend-Port. Some containers were small (5cl) and some were larger — the largest this year was a 600cl imperial of Taylor 1977 drunk at dinner at the Tower of London in June. M...

I'm interested in attending, but obviously subject to being around on the chosen date.

I think I'm number 13 on the list...

I'd like please:
- no starter
- steak, mushroom and claret pie with green beans and a side of skinny fries
- bramdean pudding, if available

Tom, thank you for the prompt, your post reminded me that I haven't posted my pointless statistics for 2023 yet! For ease, I've kept the comparison of the end 2023 statistics against 2012's numbers. On 31 December 2023, my cellar comprised of the following (with 2012 figures in brackets) Port 86% (9...

I confirm.

Novotel is good and mid-market. Alternatives are the Shard (expensive) or the Travelodge London Central Southwark (cheap but comfortable). There’s also the Ibis next to the Novotel, but I’ve not stayed there.

I'm going to be in Lisbon later this year. If anyone has any restaurant recommendations for anything other than Pasteis de Belém (which is at the top of the list) then please be encouraged to put them in a reply.

There's a couple of ideas I'd like to suggest.

14 is a good number of bottles for a night with 14 people tasting. The obvious would be alternate years 1989/90-2019.

A second option might be to taste 14 of the "mature" vintages (ie. 21 or older): 1989-2004

Apologies, but I am not going to be able to make dinner on the 11th. I have been booked elsewhere by SWMBO.

winesecretary wrote: ↑22:54 Sun 31 Dec 2023 @ nac, @ Alex - notes on the 1998s appreciated. Possibly the last vintage of Aussie wines before the alcohol got crazy?

Posted in the "other wines" thread - but wasn't very impressed.14.5% alcohol.

14.5% alcohol. Wonderful sweet fruit, pure and glorious, but comes with a heck of a tannic wallop that doesn't moderate with more time in the decanter. 86/100. Drunk 31-Dec-23. Decanted 1 hour.

MigSU wrote: ↑19:27 Sun 31 Dec 2023 The wine in the decanter is a Warre 1980.
Looking forward to the Vesúvio DOC Douro, have had good times with it.

What’s the vintage of the Kopke VV?

We’re seeing in the New Year with a load of leftovers plus a bottle of Penfold’s 1998 RWT.

I am impressed that after 11 earlier bottles, your palates were still able to pick up a subtly corked bottle!

This evening dinner for 8 - of whom six are not serious port drinkers. Alfred Gratien Millesime 2012 en magnum Macon Aux Scelles Domaine Marcel Couturier 2021 x 2 with the celeriac remoulade and the York ham Nuits St. Georges Domaine Audiffred 2016 x 2 with the chicken chasseur and Mediterranean ro...

I’ll probably arrive around 16.30 +/- 30 minutes.

I’ve never used an aerator so never experienced the effect they create.

I have splash decanted, and also shaken a Port vigorously in a decanter to achieve similar things, but generally I’m happy to let the Port develop in the glass.

The Chateau Branaire 1985 was wonderful, fully mature and delicious. The RV63 got swapped out for a Sainsbury Taste the Difference 2003 - which is a massive mouthful of fruit juice. It’s damn delicious, but also still a decade from showing secondary nuances.