ThePortForum.com

Sunday nights are tough for me to make, plus I wasn't in the UK either

but I'm in London tomorrow (April 15) if you're still thirsty...

Decanted very cleanly through unbleached coffee filter paper. Surprisingly deep red in the centre with a slight hint of orange on the rim - the sort of colour that promises a pleasant secondary maturity. Dusty strawberries on the nose, sweet and slightly syrupy. Slightly thin texture in the mouth an...

Welcome to the Port Forum. If you're comfortable to do so, perhaps you could let us know a name rather than have us call you "papa's port". None of the bottles you've listed out are in desperate need of drinking now if they have been properly stored undisturbed while lying on their side in...

I'm sure that we will find an opportunity to repeat the experience two weeks either side of my birthday.

Another cellar defender bites the dust. Bottled in 2006. Decanted from a bottle sealed with a short, driven cork that was branded only with the name "Messias" and a rather impressive crest; the bottle contained only a very small amount of very fine sediment. Very pale orange in appearance ...

Slightly paler than the Taylor 1966 shown alongside. Closed on the nose, with an odd petrol or oil dominating but this opened and improved with time. Sweet, thick in texture, surprisingly dry and tannic impact. Big and complex flavours in the mouth with a significant spicy heat. Many layers of flavo...

Very slightly darker colour than the Vargellas 1967 shown alongside. Lovely open nose, stewed fruits and floral perfumes. Smooth and sweet in the mouth; plenty of fruit with a noticeable tannic core. Fruit develops well in the mouth, but other wines have had more depth. A slight heat on swallowing, ...

Almost identical in colour to the Warre 1966 shown alongside. Closed on the nose, showing some bananna and dust. Quite thick in texture, gentle tannins in the wine with plenty of fruit and a ripe acidic backbone; lots of late development. A delicious aftertaste, big flavours and a huge aftertaste. R...

Shown alongside a Martinez 1967 and almost identical in colour. Sweet redcurrants on the nose, showing some mature fruit but also a little unknit. Plenty of fruit on entry, lively development on the palate. Good complexity and lovely development; tannins are almost imperceptible. Terrific aftertaste...

Ex-cellars. Slightly deeper red than the 1966 tasted alongside this wine. Very dusty on the nose, more closed than the 1966 but with a lovely white cherry scent. A thick texture, very dusty on the tongue. 92/100. Drunk 13 Nov 2009.

Ex-cellars. Mid red centre, mature orange on the rim. A lively citrus and clove nose with a hint of dustiness. Very inviting. Sweet, lively and spicey in the mouth; wonderful layering of flavours with a fabulous spiciness and a raisin sweetness. A big burst of heat on swallowing, and then a long cho...

Deeper in colour than the 1966 shown alongside, colour holding into the rim. Very closed on the nose, less developed than the 1966, but continued swirling coaxes out an attractive Christmas mincemeat. Smooth in texture, sweet in impact and with some tannins still in the palate. Slightly simple after...

Deep centre, but easily transparent, pinking on the rim; lighter than the 1967 alongside it. Dusty brambles on the nose, fairly open, deep redcurrants and gooseberries. Sweet and fruity on entry; delicious sweet strawberry syrup with good complexity. Pleasant flavour profile, which develops well. A ...

Prodded gently into adding a tasting note, this is what I wrote on the night: Lighter in colour than the 1967 shown alongside, showing a distinct barley-sugar rim. More open on the nose than the 1967, revealing golden sultanas soaked in lemon juice, steeped with an amazing all spice—absolutely delic...

Sold by the glass at the theatre bar. Deep red in colour. Little on the nose, but smelling somewhat stewed and jammy. Very simple and straightforward on the palate, plenty of fruit but soft and jammy and with very little structure. Virtually no aftertaste - astonishingly short. Not offensive but the...

DRT wrote:

AHB wrote:So what's the official answer?

Nothing.

So what have you put in it?

True. But look at your footnote - the first duty of port is to be red. Whn was the last time you saw a Hutcheson that was red AND more than ten years old?

Yes Ma'am. Will do.

(such a relief to have common sense prevail!)

My favourite combination is still a seared steak and a young VP or LBV

So what's the official answer?

It is quite simple. Neither 2008 nor 2009 will be declared because the weather conditions since the harvest last year guarantee that 2010 will be an excellent vintage that will be declared instead. 2008 and 2009 will be relegated to a minor footnote in the annals of port production similar to the in...

Glenn

In my humble opinion, I think this particular bottle of Vargellas is probably absolutely at its peak. It has a wonderful mIx of fruit and maturity. It will still be very good in 15 years time, but I would be very tempted to open this bottle first in 2014.

Decanted from a bottle with a very hard, but seemingly sound cork. At D+1 this was a deep, rich red with a slight hint of bricking on the rim. A lively nose, full of Christmas Pine and violets. Surprisingly sweet entry, with a huge range of secondary flavours. Very big and flavoursome; still noticea...

I would suggest that twenty years on, the novelty is wearing off.. There are only so many uses for those boxes around the house, and I really havn't a clue what to do with all those pottery bin tags.. - how many consumers use bins with tags now..? - hardly any.. The little booklet is fun to read th...