Quinta dos Malvedos: 22nd March 2010

Organise events to meet up and drink Port.
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JacobH
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Quinta dos Malvedos: 22nd March 2010

Post by JacobH »

What? A vertical of Qunita dos Malvedos SQVP with a complementary selection of Graham’s VP.

When? Monday, 22nd March 2010.

Where? The RAF Club, London W1J.

Who?

1. Paul Symington
2. Richard Mayson
3. Ben
4. Jacob
5. Dirk
6. Axel
7. AlexB
8. Derek
9. Tom
10. Christopher
11. Cookie
12. ChrisD
13. AndyV
14. Wolfgang

The Ports: (with thanks to the Symington Family Estates for helping us track many of the more obscure bottles)
  1. 1955 Graham
  2. 1957 Malvedos
  3. 1958 Malvedos
  4. 1962 Malvedos
  5. 1964 Malvedos
  6. 1965 Malvedos
  7. 1966 Graham
  8. 1968 Malvedos
  9. 1970 Graham
  10. 1976 Malvedos
  11. 1978 Malvedos
  12. 1979 Malvedos
  13. 1982 Malvedos
  14. 1984 Malvedos
  15. 1985 Graham
  16. 1986 Malvedos
  17. 1987 Malvedos
  18. 1988 Malvedos
  19. 1990 Malvedos
  20. 1992 Malvedos
  21. 1995 Malvedos
  22. 1996 Malvedos
  23. 1998 Malvedos
  24. 1999 Malvedos
  25. 2001 Malvedos
  26. 2004 Malvedos
  27. 2006 Malvedos
  28. 2008 Malvedos (work in progress; may not be the final blend if / when a Malvedos 2008 is produced)
The Bill of Fare:

Pea and Mint Soup

Herb Polenta Cakes, with Asparagus and Cheese Gratin

Carnivorous Option: Steak and Kidney Pudding

Sherry Trifle

Coffee and Petits Fours

Further reading: Quinta dos Malvedos blog.

Original post:

At the 70s or Soixantes tasting, we briefly discussed a repeat of the Quinta de Vargellas single quinta tasting--an idea which I think might deserve some serious consideration.

For reasons concerning the preservation of DRT’s eternal youth, and to ensure the presence of a ’65, such a tasting might be held towards the end of March 2010. It was also discussed that we would combine it with something to commemorate BenR’s birthday but thinking about it now I’m not entirely sure how that would work, unless Vargellas wasn’t the only SQVP to be shipped in 1970. Paris was mentioned as a location, but no doubt somewhere else would be possible, too.

In terms of which SQVP to try, the obvious targets might be Dow’s Quinta do Bomfin or Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos. There seems quite a bit of Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha around, too. A final option might be Fonseca Guimaraens: not a real SQVP but a wine which might deserve a decent vertical.

Part of the reason for posting this so far in advance is that there seems to be very little of the older SQVPs around and some acquisition might be necessary to put something together. That said, I don’t think there is a particular need to aim for a complete vertical, and I think having 2 or 3 Ports from each decade from the 60s to the 90s (as we did at the Vargellas tasting) worked quite well.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received!


GM98 added by DRT on 15 March 2010 following the invocation of Rule 47(b).
16 Mar 2010: The ‟1995 or 1996” now known, according to an email from DRT, to be 1996.
Last edited by JacobH on 00:18 Fri 19 Mar 2010, edited 48 times in total.
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jdaw1
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

JacobH wrote:Paris was mentioned as a location
Ooooh! In which case in I am definitely.
JacobH wrote:I don’t think there is a particular need to aim for a complete vertical
Surely others will also dissent from this manifestly foolish statement.
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JacobH
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by JacobH »

jdaw1 wrote:
JacobH wrote:I don’t think there is a particular need to aim for a complete vertical
Surely others will also dissent from this manifestly foolish statement.
AHB wrote:We are not trying to pull together "The Most Complete Tasting of Vargellas Ports Ever Assembled" :shock:
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

That was then, and I wasn’t there.
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JacobH
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by JacobH »

jdaw1 wrote:That was then, and I wasn’t there.
Fair enough. I rephrase:

Part of the reason for posting this so far in advance is that there seems to be very little of the older SQVPs around and some acquisition might be necessary to put a complete vertical together. That said, if necessary, I thought having 2 or 3 Ports from each decade from the 60s to the 90s (as we did at the Vargellas tasting) worked quite well.

Any views on the quinta?
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by benread »

Personally, I would rather do this at another time as I am very keen to drink 1970 vintage at that exact point in time, being my 40th birthday on 26th March. I am sure we can manage an SQVP vertical without having to ask Derek to contribute one of his precious 1965's.

Of the choices, Malvedos is one I want to try more of personally, only having experience of the (delicious) 1987 so far.

I would like to propose that:
  • - we make the SQVP vertical a night in February perhaps
    - that 26th / 28th March (+/- a few days) is either a 1970 night or bring your birth year night. The latter would of course serve both Derek and I very well!
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

benread wrote:Malvedos
I have 1990.
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

benread wrote:Personally, I would rather do this at another time as I am very keen to drink 1970 vintage at that exact point in time, being my 40th birthday on 26th March. I am sure we can manage an SQVP vertical without having to ask Derek to contribute one of his precious 1965's.

Of the choices, Malvedos is one I want to try more of personally, only having experience of the (delicious) 1987 so far.

I would like to propose that:
  • - we make the SQVP vertical a night in February perhaps
    - that 26th / 28th March (+/- a few days) is either a 1970 night or bring your birth year night. The latter would of course serve both Derek and I very well!
Perhaps the theme should be "Bring along a Ben or Derek Birth Year Port"?

Paris...hmm. May be a little difficult for me to wrangle. Nevertheless, if that is the consensus decision then I will try.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by DRT »

jdaw1 wrote:
benread wrote:Malvedos
I have 1990.
I have 65, 68, 96 and 98
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
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JacobH
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by JacobH »

I assume, purely from the lack of dissent, there is a bit of a consensus that Malvedos would be a good subject for the a SQVP vertical. I would be happy with that, although I think the only Malvedos I own is some 1998.

As a further suggestion, what would other people think about a Malvedos/Graham double vertical? It might be interesting to compare the SQVP to full blends over an extended period of time. Based very roughly on what has been said here, and what seems to be available elsewhere, a 12-bottle tasting could be something like: 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991*. This could, of course, be extended or reduced depending on suggestions (e.g. I think I am right in thinking that the Graham's '66 is fairly rare and expensive now.)

[* Key: Magenta = Malvedos; Green = Grahams.]
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

Do people see Malvedos as a brand in its own right, like, say Ramos-Pinto, or as a thing that is subsidiary to and typically a part of the brand Graham’s?

If the former, a Malvedos vertical makes great sense. If the latter, a combined vertical would make more sense.

For me, it’s the latter: Malvedos is subsidiary to and typically a part of the brand Graham’s.
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by DRT »

jdaw1 wrote:For me, it’s the latter: Malvedos is subsidiary to and typically a part of the brand Graham’s.
Agreed.

Double vertical works for me - but perhaps we should start at 63?
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

I also see Malvedos as subsidiary to and part of the Graham brand. A combined vertical could be quite interesting.

Of course we should start with the 1963. The only difficulty will be finding a bottle that is not in a six pack in storage in Suffolk somewhere.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by DRT »

So, I say we make it a round number and start at 1960...

1. We need to find someone with a large cellar who was born in 1960
2. We need to find someone with a GM61 - not easy, but I know someone who is well known in the world of port who was born in 1961 and likes drinking them on his birthday
3. We need to find a GM62
4. We need to find a G63 that isn't in a 6 pack in Suffolk
5. We need Glenn to come
6. I need to get a GM65 out of a 6 pack in Suffolk - or buy another one from somewhere
7. We need at least 10 more
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

The post-war port era really started with 1955: it seems needlessly ascetic to omit such an important vintage.
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by DRT »

How many do we need? It seems to me it would be rude to exclude 1926.

Graham 1863
Graham 1865
Graham 1867
Graham 1868
Graham 1870
Graham 1872
Graham 1873
Graham 1875
Graham 1878
Graham 1880
Graham 1881
Graham 1884
Graham 1885
Graham 1887
Graham 1890
Graham 1892
Graham 1894
Graham 1896
Graham 1897
Graham 1900
Graham 1901
Graham 1904
Graham 1908
Graham 1912
Graham 1917
Graham 1920
Graham 1924
Graham Quinta das Lages 1926
Graham 1927
Graham 1935
Graham 1942
Graham 1945
Graham 1948
Graham 1950
Graham Malvedos 1950
Graham Malvedos 1951
Graham Malvedos 1952
Graham Malvedos 1953
Graham 1954
Graham Malvedos 1954
Graham 1955
Graham Malvedos 1957
Graham Malvedos 1958
Graham 1960
Graham Malvedos 1961
Graham Malvedos 1962
Graham 1963
Graham Malvedos 1964
Graham Malvedos 1965
Graham 1966
Graham Malvedos 1968
Graham 1970
Graham 1975
Graham Malvedos 1976
Graham 1977
Graham Malvedos 1978
Graham Malvedos 1979
Graham 1980
Graham Malvedos 1982
Graham 1983
Graham Malvedos 1984
Graham 1985
Graham Malvedos 1986
Graham Malvedos 1987
Graham Malvedos 1988
Graham Malvedos 1990
Graham 1991
Graham Malvedos 1992
Graham 1994
Graham Malvedos 1995
Graham Malvedos 1996
Graham 1997
Graham Malvedos 1998
Graham Malvedos 1999
Graham 2000
Graham Malvedos 2001
Graham 2003
Graham Malvedos 2004
Graham Malvedos 2005
Graham Malvedos 2006
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by Zelandakh »

Derek - was that a suggestion of a list of your cellar where name=Graham? :-)
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JacobH
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by JacobH »

Isn’t this the point at which AlexB posts a derisory comment about ‟the largest Malvedos tasting ever”?

Anyway, based on the fact there seems to be some consensus on the theme, I will amend the first post accordingly. 88)
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Re: Graham & Quinta dos Malvedos; 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

Sorry to be tediously realistic, but we are highly unlikely to find a complete set of pre-1890 Graham’s port, single-quinta or otherwise. A sensible boundary would be 1920 or 1927.

JacobH: please remove typo from title.
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Re: SQVP Tasting 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

JacobH wrote:Isn’t this the point at which AlexB posts a derisory comment about ‟the largest Malvedos tasting ever”?
No derisory comment seems needed. It seems that the organisors are well aware of the required level of derision.

However, I do think that it is a little ambitious to attempt to coordinate the largest and most complete tasting of all of Graham's Quinta das Lages declarations.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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Re: Graham & Qunita dos Malvedos; 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by JacobH »

Hmm...Perhaps jumping back a few posts, looking at the Ports seriously mentioned, the current situation is as follows (using whatever wine-searcher turned up for a guide to prices).
1960: unknown.
1961: either from a notable wine critic¹; or Giles² for £169.97.
1962: unknown.
1963: either from a six-pack in Suffolk; or Fine and Rare Wines for £129.
1965: DRT.
1966: unknown, or from a load of places for £80-90.
1968: DRT.
1970: unknown, or from a load of places for £70-80.
1977: unknown, or from a load of places for £50-60.
1978: unknown, (although there seem to be some halves for £14.95)
1979: unknown, or from Germany for €29.50
1983: unknown, or from a load of places for £40-50.
1985: unknown, or from a load of places for £40-50.
1987: BenR
1990: jdaw1
1991: unknown, or from a load of places for £40-50.
10 more guests: unknown.

[¹ Who apparently prefers Vargellas ’61 on his birthday so we may not have much luck; ² I think that’s his name]
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Re: Graham’s & Qunita dos Malvedos: 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by DRT »

I jusr remembered that I have a 6 pack of 1991 in Suffock.
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Re: Graham’s & Qunita dos Malvedos: 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by Axel P »

If it be London and not the 24th or 25th of March I would be happy to provide a tasting at the RAF Club.

Axel
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Re: Graham’s & Qunita dos Malvedos: 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by benread »

I would prefer London too, given proximity to our expected April event! And earlier not later!
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Re: Graham’s & Quinta dos Malvedos: 28th March 2010 (± 7 days)

Post by jdaw1 »

I have 1963; 1966 (unbroken case in storage so only in extremis); 1977; 1980 (omitted from JacobH’s list); 1985 (only one bottle not in storage); 1990 (cost me £15 each); and 2000 (again, case in storage so only in extremis). And ’27, ’45, ’48, none of which would be cheap.

JacobH: would you object to my fixing the spelling error in the title of the thread?
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