1991 Quinta do Vesuvio Colheita

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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Lady Roots
Cockburn’s Special Reserve
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1991 Quinta do Vesuvio Finest Reserve Colheita

Post by Lady Roots »

Had this port Nov 2004:
This Finest Reserve '91 (colheita) is used for private consumption at Quinta do Vesuvio. Therefore, you will never ever find it in a shop. It is non filtered. Don't know the bottle date, but I assume very recent.

Rusty brown to orange colour, a bit cloudy. Incredible nose of dried vigs, almonds, some nicely integrated oxidised tones, strong Douro-Bake and meaty aromas. The taste is everlasting and very intense and complex. Flavours of citrus, nuts, brown sugar, orange peel and bitter almonds at the end pallet. Very elegant and harmonic. The finish shows dried red fruit and coffee tones together with orange peel bitterness.

JUST WOW, this is one of the best tawny-type ports I've ever drank. Incredible, what an intensity and yet so elegant. (and a shame we only had 2 bottles for 7 people)
Due to the fact that the Symmingtons store this port at the quinta itself, it is under great influence of the hot climate. Therefore, the port shows much older and matured than it actually is. A typical example of Douro-bake!
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DRT
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Post by DRT »

I spotted some of this at Vesuvio last October - the 96 vintage I think. Unfortunately we didn't get a taste :cry:

Derek
"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 »

Edited the title - Admin
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
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Post by uncle tom »

I've wondered whether we'll eventually see wines other than vintage port come from Vesuvio - aged tawnies perhaps..

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
Andy Velebil
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Post by Andy Velebil »

Derek T. wrote:I spotted some of this at Vesuvio last October - the 96 vintage I think. Unfortunately we didn't get a taste :cry:

Derek
Derek it was the 1991...here is a pic I took of it

Image
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
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Post by uncle tom »

Interesting photo - if it's only for private consumption, I wonder why they've taken the trouble to prepare a special label..

.. looks like they're producing a variant of the Garrafeira - so many years in wood followed by so many years in glass - albeit in regular sized bottles.

I wonder how much they've made..?

- Curious!

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
Andy Velebil
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Post by Andy Velebil »

Tom, you're right. I wondered why they made labels for it to. IIRC, there was about 2 pipes of it produced (but don't hold me to that). Not sure how much is left though.
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Alex Bridgeman
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Post by Alex Bridgeman »

The 1991 at least is purely for private consumption. You can see that there is no sello on the bottle that Andy took a picture of and that - as far as I understand the IVDP rules - means that the port was not registered and therefore cannot be sold or officially recognised.

That said, I would give my eye teeth to get hold of a bottle ... if anyone is heading over to Vesuvio in the near future then please let me know.

Alex
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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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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Post by DRT »

I can confirm with 100% certainty that those are my hands clasping that very rare bottle in ADV's photo 88)

Derek
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Conky
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Post by Conky »

I bet you loved handing it back!!! :lol:
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DRT
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Post by DRT »

Was I supposed to hand it back :shock:
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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Frederick Blais
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Post by Frederick Blais »

When I asked the Symingtons in 2005 if I could taste it, they said yes but only at Vesuvio. From what I understood, it is for private consumption and only stored at the Quinta. They had no intentions in those day to release it on the market. Just a guess that maybe in a near future if they can increase the production or quality.
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DRT
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Post by DRT »

I'm not convinced that the Symigtons will ever release this. Just put yourself in their shoes - how cool would it be to know that your "go to" port was something that no one else in the world could get their hands on 88)

I really wish our host had still been around when we seen this. I am quite sure we would have been allowed the privellege of tasting it if he had :roll:

I must go back one day soon :wink:

Derek
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
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Post by uncle tom »

how cool would it be to know that your "go to" port was something that no one else in the world could get their hands on
For us mere mortals, yes - but for the Sym's?

- They've probably got hundreds of oddities that have never seen the light of day...

Two pipes is a lot to bottle for private consumption - I reckon they'll sell some eventually, but probably in wooden presentation boxes - and a ludicrous price tag..

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
Lady Roots
Cockburn’s Special Reserve
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Post by Lady Roots »

I'm not hanging around a lot on this forum, here are my 2 cents:

You can call me a lunatic if I did not try to get a bottle back home :lol: , but the Symmingtons didn't allow that, not even an empty bottle....not even just the label..... Only pics. The port is indeed not registered and what Euan McKay (export director Europe) told me, they've made the label kinda for fun :?

Ronnie and I were at Vesuvio in June, and saw a couple of pipes laying around in the cellar. Also different vintages than the '91, but I forgot which onces...... :oops: ) Looks like a very small production and this time we we're not allowed to taste it....
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RonnieRoots
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Post by RonnieRoots »

Just looked back at some pictures of our trip in June, and I made pictures of the 1991, 1992 and 1998 lying there in pipes. There may have been one or two other vintages as well, but I'm not sure.
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