1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

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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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by DRT »

Tasted as part of a Vesuvio Vertical from 1989 to 2008 at The New Cavendish Club, London on 23rd February 2010.
*Please note that the 2008 Cask Sample was donated to this tasting by the Symington family before the final blend was complete so this may not accurately represent what the Vesuvio 2008 will be, should it be approved and declared later in 2010.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: 1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by JacobH »

Same colour as the '96. Very muted on the nose and in the mouth, too. Quite elegant to drink now but very subdued. Probably needs more time to open up.
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Chris Doty
Graham’s Malvedos 1996
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Re: 1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by Chris Doty »

So...the only thing I wrote about this wine was 'meh' -- I remember it being pretty bland, dilute, and tannic without being flavorful. Among the less interesting wines of the night.

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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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Re: 1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by DRT »

Peppery nose. Nice weight with lots of ripe fruits and very approachable now but with a reasonably long life ahead. I have more of this vinatge of Vesuvio than any other and I am not displeased with that fact :D
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
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Re: 1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

Lighter in colour than the 1995 or 1996 shown alongside. Quite subdued on the nose, showing very little. Dry and woody initial impact, very dry and acidic. Fruit is late to come through with the acidic structure and a sawdust flavour initially dominating, but the fruit does come through. The aftertaste is hot, but the length is very impressive. This is exceedingly closed or is a flawed bottle. Hopefully this will improve. Not rated.
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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jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
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Re: 1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by jdaw1 »

V97: surprisingly red colour for a declared year. Very soft, with lots of red fruit.
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Portman
Fonseca LBV
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Re: 1997 Quinta do Vesuvio

Post by Portman »

Lots of contradictions in these TN's! Wine can be such a moving target depending on the bottle and the taster, yes?

I believe I have one bottle left of six that I bought as cellar defenders at auction. I found these wines to be dark, fleshy, and well perfumed. They were a bit disjointed, but I wasnt sure if that was a phase or some underlying weakness in the wine.
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