1988 Taylor Terra Feita

Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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KillerB
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
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1988 Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita SQVP

Post by KillerB »

Posted Friday April 18th, 2008:
Been decanted. It is a fabulous vibrant maroon colour and the smell coming from it was high on blackcurrants. I look forward to tasting later. I now admit to being a wuss: I decanted half the bottle back into an old Dow 1983 half and vacuvinned it. I have things that I have to do tomorrow and I disappear to Utrecht on Sunday so will enjoy the rest next week.
I decided to try the rabbity thing to see if it would work with a twenty year old cork - it failed miserably. I will bring it (all components) to Wokingham to be reconstructed.
Errrmmm... somebody threw it away.
Still a fairly deep cherry but has paled a little. Nose of blackcurrants and a good hit of alcohol. Nice, full mouthfeel, plenty of black fruits - blackcurrant, black cherry, plums and brambles. Sharp acid tang at the end. Generally very nice but the finish mars it a bit. Good stuff that should mellow with age.

...

as it has warmed up it is packed out with raisins.
The Terra Feita is fine, the acid is abating, possibly due to me getting used to it. I'm going to get some chocolate and see what happens.

...

Now eating Lindt Madagascar 70% Dark Chocolate. Soft entry with a nice fruity finish, not powerful but very smooth.

The Terra Feita has subsequently lost the acid in the mouth but it returns for a grandstand finish. Cherries are now prominent and it now resembles the chocolate - cool.
I vac-u-vinned this and have just re-opened it. Having it with some cheese - ripe camembert, Port Salut and Wyngaard aged Gouda: it whiffs a bit around here.

The acidity is still present through everything and the cheeses don't kill this, which makes a good combination. The cherries are still hanging around which is nice but the chocolateyness is missing when had with strong cheeses.

Have been asked to remove the cheese that smells like rotten cabbage and have conceded this point: camembert removed.

Still a nice Port and one of those that can be had with cheese, maybe even a Stilton {gasp} but was definitely better with chocolate.

Request for window to be opened - denied
Port is basically a red drink
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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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Re: 1988 Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita SQVP

Post by DRT »

KillerB wrote: Request for window to be opened - denied
Good. A gentleman's home is his cheesy castle.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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KillerB
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
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Re: 1988 Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita SQVP

Post by KillerB »

Derek T. wrote:
KillerB wrote: Request for window to be opened - denied
Good. A gentleman's home is his cheesy castle.
Ghhhanhdhhi would be proud, except that Mrs HGhanhhdi wouldn't object anyway.
Port is basically a red drink
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DRT
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Re: 1988 Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita SQVP

Post by DRT »

KillerB wrote:
Derek T. wrote:
KillerB wrote: Request for window to be opened - denied
Good. A gentleman's home is his cheesy castle.
Ghhhanhdhhi would be proud, except that Mrs HGhanhhdi wouldn't object anyway.
Hmmm? I have just realised that I have inadvertantly encouraged you to defy the wishes of The Creator. :shock: Perhaps you should open a window in another room as a compromise? :?
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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KillerB
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
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Joined: 22:09 Wed 20 Jun 2007
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Re: 1988 Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita SQVP

Post by KillerB »

Derek T. wrote: Hmmm? I have just realised that I have inadvertantly encouraged you to defy the wishes of The Creator. :shock: Perhaps you should open a window in another room as a compromise? :?
Good point - however, since the removal of the camembert and the reduction of the Port Salut to basically rind, the smell has abated. Problem solved.
Port is basically a red drink
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DRT
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Re: 1988 Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita SQVP

Post by DRT »

KillerB wrote:
Derek T. wrote: Hmmm? I have just realised that I have inadvertantly encouraged you to defy the wishes of The Creator. :shock: Perhaps you should open a window in another room as a compromise? :?
Good point - however, since the removal of the camembert and the reduction of the Port Salut to basically rind, the smell has abated. Problem solved.
Good. Permanent Black Hawk Down situation avoided :D
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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KillerB
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
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Post by KillerB »

All the cheese has gone now and the cherries are coming back. I'm getting used to the acidity again and it is settling down to a very nice Port. I understand where this quinta fits within the flavour profile of Taylor and why Taylor chooses to blend, especially with Vargellas (El Fruit Bomb) but it is nice to have it on its own.
Port is basically a red drink
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DRT
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Post by DRT »

I think I have only had the 96 TdQTF and remember thinking it was different and younger drinking than I normally expect from the TQdV. Nice juice and a worthy SQVP.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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KillerB
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
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Joined: 22:09 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Sky Blue City, England

Post by KillerB »

Derek T. wrote:I think I have only had the 96 TdQTF and remember thinking it was different and younger drinking than I normally expect from the TQdV. Nice juice and a worthy SQVP.
Sounds about right. QdV never seems to be ready. Having said that, this doesn't either but that's acidity for you: young wines are fresh with acidity, old wines you are waiting for it to go, sometimes it never does.

If anybody had Quinta de Vargellas 1988, we could do a side by side and even a blend! Having had a quick shufty at AHB's TN then maybe a 1987, except that would be unfair. Oh rats, it's not going to work is it?
Port is basically a red drink
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DRT
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Post by DRT »

KillerB wrote:
Derek T. wrote:I think I have only had the 96 TdQTF and remember thinking it was different and younger drinking than I normally expect from the TQdV. Nice juice and a worthy SQVP.
Sounds about right. QdV never seems to be ready. Having said that, this doesn't either but that's acidity for you: young wines are fresh with acidity, old wines you are waiting for it to go, sometimes it never does.

If anybody had Quinta de Vargellas 1988, we could do a side by side and even a blend! Having had a quick shufty at AHB's TN then maybe a 1987, except that would be unfair. Oh rats, it's not going to work is it?
No, it isn't, unless we can find a Time Tunnel and go back to 1990 and do the blending before it's bottled :wink:
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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RonnieRoots
Fonseca 1980
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Post by RonnieRoots »

LadyR and I have the 1995 of both. We can do an experiment with those one day. Would be fun to taste them side-by-side and try to blend it afterwards.

We did a comparitive tasting of Terra Feita and Cruzeiro 1982 once. (For the non-geeks, these vineyards are neighbours.) Lots of fun.
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