1985 Churchill

[jdaw1]

A small tasting, with Glenn E. and his family, at Au Relais des Buttes-Chaumont, 86 rue Compans, Paris 19ème.

Links:

• 1970 Kopke S. Luiz;
• 1985 Churchill;
• 1985 Taylor;
• 2007 Quevedo;
• Placemats;
• Some planning;
• Review of the evening as a whole.

[jdaw1]

1985 Churchill, at D+1hr: lovely dark quite opaque colour. Nose still closed. To taste big: lots of heat, lots of sweetness, lots of red fruit. Still too young. A hint of vegetable woodiness the only imperfection. Not of the very first rank, but as good a non-Fonseca port as was made in ’85. And at £16 per bottle (I bought the only case), who is to complain.

[g-man]

1985 Churchill, at D+1hr: lovely dark quite opaque colour. Nose still closed. To taste big: lots of heat, lots of sweetness, lots of red fruit. Still too young. A hint of vegetable woodiness the only imperfection. Not of the very first rank, but as good a non-Fonseca port as was made in ’85. And at £16 per bottle (I bought the only case), who is to complain.

mm Well worth it at 30$/bottle?

[Glenn E.]

mm Well worth it at 30$/bottle?

Absolutely. A significantly better deal for $30/bottle than the 1970 Royal Oporto that I picked up for that price, and I'm quite happy with the RO70.

I was ultimately able to convince JDAW that the G85 might also be superior to the Churchill too. He is right that it is far better than you might expect, though, especially for $30/bottle.

[jdaw1]

It is very fine port. Not the best of its year (F85, of course, but also G85 and long-decanted D85 are better), but will stand up to any other ’85.

[jdaw1]

1985 Churchill: ‟red red dark red”, I wrote, which is always hopeful, as is ‟75%ile opaque”. Very rich and unctuous. Full sticky sugar. Plums purple fruit rather than red. Mid-weight, perhaps, and no long.

[Andy Velebil]

I had this for the first time at Churchill's Lodge this month and I must say I was very impressed with one of Johnny Graham's first VP's. While it isn't a Fonseca 85, it is still very solid and has a number of years to go before it peaks, then holds there for some time. At that price a no brainer for a case for sure!

[Glenn E.]

1985 Churchill Vintage Port
Color: no note due to poor lighting.
Nose: very purple with some mild warmth and a faint, unknown richness. A very slightly tangy note might be contributing to that richness.
Palate: very smooth and very purple (possibly plums) with red raspberry overtones. I wish I'd had good light to see it, because it smells and tastes very young for a 1985. Medium sweet and a light body. Good tannins and acidity. Not as massive and robust as the F85, not as elegant and refined as the G85, not as balanced as the D85. But a lot of producers would kill just to be compared to those three.
Finish: starts out red with significant heat following. Fairly tangy also, but mellows quickly. Good length, but not nearly as long as the KL70.

Score: 92. This is still peaking and needs another 10 years. It's going to get nicer with more time.