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Glenn and Kari came to London, so the obvious happened.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 2000 Bollinger Grand Année Champagne;
• Quinta Santa Eufêmia Old Reserve White;
• Sandeman Cask 33;
• Quinta do Mourão 60Y tawny;
• Warre 1972 colheita;
• Niepoort 1964 Garrefeira;
• Graham 1983;
• Taylor 1983;
• Ramos Pinto 1983;
• Warre 1982 LBV;
• Warre 1984 LBV;
• Placemats (and parameters by which made);
• Food order;
• Planning and arrangements.

I will post notes later, but wanted to mention that this bottle was hand bottled at the Quinta and is thus technically a cask sample.

Deep brown in colour with an opaque centre. A rich nose of a sweet madeira - lots of VA , nuts, iodine and olives; deep and very powerful. Thick and treacley texture. Rich and intense in flavour, complex with a dried date sweetness but a cutting and wonderful balancing acidity. An amazing aftertaste with a huge finish of stunning volume and length. Astonishing port, powerful, focused and everlasting. 98/100.

Deep, dark, concentrated and contemplative (my wife described it as tasting of liquorice). Reminded me of one of those strong Trappist Beers (Rochfort 10 comes to mind) in that it it certainly required supping rather than glugging. Very intense with molasses and a finish that lingered in the memory.

Quinta do Mourão 60YO tawny, technically a cask sample. Dark brown, 70% opaque. Nose of thick mis-sweetness Madeira. (Indeed blind I might well have guessed a Madeira.) In the palate this was massive and delicious. Smooth, prominent but balanced acidity (again, Madeira), mid sweetness, and extremely long. My note said “100YO Madeira fabulousness”. Excellent.