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As part of the plan to drink JDAW’s US-located port, a tasting of Taylor, Fonseca, Warre was held on Saturday 18th April 2009 at Petite Abeille, 401 East 20th Street at First Avenue, NY 10010-7501.

Links:

• Review of evening as a whole;
• 1948 Taylor;
• 1963 Taylor;
• 1966 Taylor;
• 1966 Fonseca;
• 1966 Warre;
• 1970 Fonseca;
• 1977 Taylor;
• 1977 Fonseca;
• 1977 Warre;
• 1985 Fonseca;
• 1985 Warre;
• Planning and arrangements;
• Placemats.

This thread is to hold tasting notes and comments on the Taylor 1948.

T48 decanted 16:30. Lovely red-brown colour, quite translucent, that would be entirely respectable in a nineteen-sixties port. Nose light, and devoid of fruit. To taste, tart cranberries. My guess is that this has been decanted at the right time. More anon.

T48: impressive colour! Still red, though mostly brown. Nosing rich with cranberry tartness. But to taste most of the fruit has gone, leaving behind a residual Taylor backbone of tannin and acidity. ‟Rather like a young Taylor 1900”, I wrote, hinting at more experience than I have. Perhaps simple, probably through age.

Dark reddish brown color like the t66.

Strawberries with a mix of menthol and wood, touch of nutmeg.

Loads of red cherry cola syrup
but it's got a fiery finish that coats the throat and burns, but not necessarily that enjoyable to start.

A few more time with air, (and 10 bottles later), this has picked up body and the fire has subsided a little and turns out to be quite an enjoyable port.

92.

Although it's hardly possible to distinguish any colour due to the light in the restaurant (which was BTW a perfect venue otherwise), this port looked impressively dark. More brown than red though. A firey nose, with some rose hip and a hint of petal. A sweet entry, medium bodied with soft figs, maybe some cherries, and sweet molasses on the hot finish. A very good port, straightforward in style and perhaps slightly past its prime.

Later on the evening the fire was less noticeable, but as g-man suggests, this could very well be a consequense of our consumption. 92 points.

Dark, with some dusky rose and a hint of brown. The nose is full of cranberries and orange and a little licorice. In the mouth it's firey and a little acidic, and the tannins are a bit rough halfway into the taste. However, the brown sugar, molasses, and mouthfeel make me write that it's "very nice" and score it a 96. A fine old wine.