ThePortForum.com

Just three of us, CPR, THRA and JDAW, met in the Green Room of The Boot & Flogger for a tasting with the theme ‘Blind with a clue’.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1960 Dow (THRA);
• 1977 Smith Woodhouse (JDAW);
• 1985 Dow (CPR1);
• 2011 Niepoort Crusted (from 2007 and 2008 crops) (CPR2);
• Placemats (and parameters by which made);
• Planning and arrangements.

2011 Niepoort Crusted, which CPR said came from the ’07 and ’08 harvests. Dark dark red-purple, 100% opaque. Very young and big-fruited. A great early- and late-palate. But a lightness mid-palate made we wonder about crusted. Having spoken about crusted for a few minutes, the clue — “Intrigued by Alex’s tasting note of it” — made me recall the Old Vines Six Grapes. Mid-led by the clue: I should have stuck with Crusted.

Having just mentioned your previous good character, I am appalled to see this sloppy work handed in for your Tasting Note homework. Do it again, and this time read your own work.

Hi,

Long time lurker quite often reading this board. Just registered to post! Nice looking tasting.

Reference the Niepoort Crusted 2011, I was at a tasting with winemaker Nick Delaforce last year. It is, indeed, a blend of the 2007 and 2008, from my notes 80% from the 2008 vintage. I can't find my tasting notes but I seem to recall preferring the previous bottling which was a 2003 / 2005 blend. It may have just been the extra age of that first bottling.

Cheers,

Dominic

domfwc wrote:Reference the Niepoort Crusted 2011, I was at a tasting with winemaker Nick Delaforce last year. It is, indeed, a blend of the 2007 and 2008, from my notes 80% from the 2008 vintage. I can't find my tasting notes but I seem to recall preferring the previous bottling which was a 2003 / 2005 blend. It may have just been the extra age of that first bottling.

I often think that I need to keep crusted port longer than I do. I bought heaps of Dow 97 crusted and managed to keep a few, they are lovely now and will keep a bit I think. But when I pay a tenner a bottle for port I inevitably neck them with gay abandon so they never seem to last.

Interesting to hear of the vintages and proportions used in crusted, not something I have heard before, so thank you for posting. Lurk no longer.