Piers Methuen of [url=http://www.es-finewines.com/]Elliston Fine Wines Ltd[/url] wrote:We are extremely pleased to offer you a magnificent College cellar of vintage port whoose bottles and cases have laid undisturbed for decades. The cellar includes an extraordinary 44 cases of Taylor 1970 all in original wooden cases!
1 btl Graham 1912 £395.00 each 5 star vintage MB
1 btl Cockburn 1927 £595.00 each
Medium-tawny, very little red and with an overall brown tinge, sweet, meaty but low keyed. Nice texture, excellent condition.
5 stars MB
3 btls Graham 1945 £715.00 each
What the '48 has in power the '45 has in finesse. It is still very concentrated but extremely well balanced and mellow. Medium ruby with a garnet edge, ripe plum aromas, medium-bodied, with plenty of elegant, delicate plum flavors and a balance of rounded tannins on the finish. Will improve with age. 95/100 JS
3 btls Sandeman 1945 £525.00 each
It can't get much more enjoyable that this. The color is youthfully ruby-garnet, while the nose shows intense aromas of boysenberries and almonds. Full-bodied, with very focused, sweet fruit flavors, great concentration and a silky mouth-feel. 95/100 JS
2 btls Taylor 1945 £595.00 each
Nearly as sublime as the '48, this is a majestic wine in its own right, with a superb concentration of fruit and a firm structure. Deep, dark ruby with a garnet edge, ripe raisin, almond and cedar aromas, full-bodied, with masses of ripe grape and almond flavors and medium tannins that tickle your palate on the finish. Built to age for centuries but amazing to drink now. 97/100 JS
1 btl Cockburn 1947 £495.00 each
Fairly pale, little red though pipnk/red highlights. Pure liquorice, texture, dry finish, delicious aftertaste. 3 stars MB
2 btls Fonseca 1948 £595.00 each
This is astonishingly youthful; it could almost pass as a barrel sample on the palate. The perfect Port? Deep ruby with a slight garnet edge, rich aromas of violets and fruit, extremely full-bodied, with plenty of violet and fruit flavors, full tannins and a long, balanced finish. Can drink now, but it will age for decades. 100/100 JS
6 btls Graham 1948 £725.00 each
Great class and power. This is an example of how great the '48s are. Youthful medium ruby with a slight garnet edge, a nose of licorice and ripe plums, with lavish, sweet plum flavors and a firm tannic backbone. There is a wonderful depth of racy fruit here. Good now but will improve. 95/100 JS
6 btls Fonseca 1955 £300.00 each
A big wine with tons of rich, luscious fruit. Deep ruby color, with a very ripe, perfumed nose, full-bodied, with great depth of silky berry flavors and a very long finish. 96/100 JS
4 cases Graham 1955 £3595.00 case
One of my all-time favorite ports. Fully mature, a light spicy bouquet that opened up magnificently. Still very sweet, delicious flavour, glorious length. Perfection. 5 stars MB
1 btl Quinta do Noval Nacional 1955 £995.00 each
A serious wine. At 25 years of age less intense than anticipated. Very rich, liquorice nose, sweet, fullish, marvelous flavour and character. Should be excellent now. 4 stars MB
2 cases Taylor 1955 £2850.00 case
Still fairly deep-coloured, a vast, deep, high-toned, spicy nose, fairly sweet, full-bodied, packed with fruit, extract, tannin and acidity. 4 stars MB
2 cases Quinta do Noval 1960 £550.00 case
Palish, mature, tangy, attractive nose, still fairly sweet, medium weight, rather idiosyncratic spicy violets flavour. Acidity noticeable.
3 stars MB
2 cases Cockburn 1963 £795.00 case
Palish, luminous, low-keyed at first but opened up fragrantly, lean dry finish but overall appealing. Good length. 4 stars MB
5 cases Fonseca 1963 £2100.00 case
Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. If Fonseca lacks the sheer weight and power of a Taylor, Dow or Warre, or the opulent sweetness and intensity of a Graham, it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavors. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. When it is young, it often loses out in blind tastings to the heavier, weightier, more tannic wines, but I always find myself upgrading my opinion of Fonseca after it has had 7-10 years of age. The 1963, one of the great modern-day classics of vintage port, is an incredibly aromatic, sublime, majestic port that simply defines Fonseca's style perfectly. 96/100 RP
1 btl Quinta do Noval Nacional 1963 £2750.00 each
This wine is so incredibly youthful, it is hard to believe it isn't a '85. Still inky black in color, with fresh grapy, earthy aromas, extremely full-bodied, with thick, tough, intense grapy flavors, full tannins and a tight finish. It still seems closed and dumb. Best from 2000. 100/100 JS
6 cases Offley 1963 £450.00 case
Colour medium-deep, very good bouquet, touch of liquorice, sweet, nice weight, spicy. 4 stars MB
2 cases Warre 1963 £1095.00 case
Extremely impressive, with beautifully balanced, harmonious sweet fruit on the palate. Medium ruby-red, ripe cherry and cassis aromas, medium-bodied, with rich, velvety fruit flavors, full, soft tannins and a powerful finish. 92/100 JS
1 case Croft 1966 £680.00 case
Very elegant in the classic, understated Croft style. Medium red with a ruby center and an earthy, roasted, cherry nose, medium-bodied, with firm tannins and an abundance of licorice and berry flavors. 90/100 JS
3 cases Dow 1966 £1290.00 case
This is an extremely racy and totally harmonious VP, with wonderfully fresh aromas of flowers, fruit and berries. Full-bodied, with a sweet yet firm palate. Long, long finish. Super. Drink now. 94/100 JS
6 cases Fonseca 1966 £1295.00 case
This is still a monster that needs time. Deep ruby, with a ripe, meaty cassis and berry nose, full-bodied, with tons of velvety fruit flavors, full tannins and a very long finish. Can drink now. Best after 1994. 97/100 JS
2 cases Taylor 1966 £1195.00 case
Substantial, mature-looking, high-toned bouquet with touch of liquorice. Sweet, lovely flavour, slightly hot finish. Most recently, surprisingly little red, rich fully evolved, good flesh and flavour. 5 stars MB
6 btls Cockburn 1970 £45.00 each
This is ripe and ready to drink. It is slightly more forward than many of the '70s from the other top houses. Medium ruby-red, with rich aromas of cherry and marzipan, medium-bodied, with ripe cherry flavors, balanced tannins and a solid finish. 86/100 JS
10 cases Dow 1970 £770.00 case
I have always been a fan of this very fine and well-made Port. Truly balanced in character, with focused flowers, spice and cherry. Full-bodied, with a sweet palate and a fine texture. Drink now. 94/100 JS
2 cases Graham 1970 £895.00 case
This is an extremely full-bodied, powerful wine, but it still retains a classy balance. Deep ruby, with chocolate and berry aromas, full-bodied, with anise and dried cherry flavors, full, hard tannins and a long finish. Good now but a few more years of bottle age would improve it. Best from 1990. 94/100 JS
44 cases of the fabulous Taylor 1970 at £960.00 case
This house must certainly be the Latour of Portugal. Their ports are remarkably backward yet still impressive when young. Of all the vintage ports, those of Taylor need the longest time to mature and even when fully mature seem to have an inner strength and firmness that keep them going for decades. Their tawnys are also among the very best, though somewhat expensive. The 1970 fabulous, a broodingly dense-colored, backward port that has all the signs of future greatness. 96/100 RP
1 case Croft 1977 £340.00 case
Croft never seems to get much publicity since the wines, while always very good, sometimes even excellent, never quite reach the superb level of the top houses in Oporto. However, Croft seems to do surprisingly well, often rivaling the top ports, in the less glamorous vintages such as 1975 and 1966. Both the 1975 and 1977 are rich, creamy, intense ports that should be fully mature within 10-12 years, relatively soon for a port. 88/100 RP
3 cases Dow 1977 £650.00 case
Big and as hard as nails. Loads of raspberry and fruit aromas, with a green stem edge. Full-bodied and sweet, with an iron backbone of acidity. Long finish. Still needs time. Best from 2002 through 2012. 94/100 JS
2 cases Fonseca 1977 £1095.00 case
Until recently this wine was understated and closed. Now it has opened into a mammoth wine with so much fruit that it crushes your palate. Deep ruby, with ripe raspberry and cherry aromas, full-bodied, with layers of concentrated, sweet raspberry flavors, tons of tannin and an incredibly long finish. Perhaps as great as the '48. Best from 1998 through 2000. 100/100 JS
6 cases Graham 1977 £680.00 case
Graham is another great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. 93/100 RP
3 cases Taylor 1977 £825.00 case
There is an explosion of fruit and tannins in the mouth but at the same time this wine is in total harmony. Deep dark ruby, with blackberries and violets on the nose, full-bodied, with masses of blackberry flavors, full, hard tannins and a very long finish. Will age for decades. 98/100 RP
3 cases Warre 1977 £495.00 case
This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1977 is quite powerful, very deep and intense, particularly for Warre. 92/100 RP