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At the generous instigation of Alex B.: “Please, no-one bring anything except where I have asked for help. This is supposed to be a cellar reduction party so I am happy to supply various bottles for us to share. A handful of people know some of what will be brought, but I'll serve all bottles blind.”

So we went to a Helen-less Bung Hole to meet Amy — who had just left for the day. (No problem: we met her two days later.)

Links:

• Review of the event as a whole;
• 1985 Graham (1);
• 1963 Offley magnum (2);
• 1985 Fonseca (3);
• 1985 Taylor (4);
• 1972 Offley (5);
• 1970 Graham magnum (6);
• 1985 Churchill (7);
• 1995 Quinta do Noval (11);
• Cockburn Fine Old Ruby believed to have been bottled in the 1940s (12);
• Placemats (and parameters by which made);
• Planning and arrangements.

F85. Dark red, 70% opaque. Big and thick and smoke and leather. No pepper. A trace of heat. Fine robust Port.

Fonseca 1985 is back. It has had two years of mis-behaving, but that teenage acne is now finished and beauty has emerged. Me like.

Mature red, deep centre, 60% opaque. Slight hardness on the nose, dusty fruit and powerful alcohol. Harsh on the palate at first, then a sweet fruitiness. Quite light on the palate, very sweet fruit that does grow and gets quite powerful. Surprisingly sweet and supported by a bit of acidity but surprisingly few tannins resulting in a disappointingly flabby palate. Hot aftertaste and a sweet strawberry jelly finish. Later this port opened in the glass but remained jammy and unfocused. 86/100. Drunk 26-Aug-14. 12 hour decant.