1960 Warre

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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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Post by uncle tom »

A VERY rough lone bottle bought at the Dreweatte Neate sale 11 months ago.

The bottle had a mid shoulder level, and beneath the crumbling remains of the capsule, the cork was visibly decayed. I.D was no more than a hand written note stuck to the bottle.

The bidding did not exactly take off, and after advancing in very small increments, stuck at £18. This was clearly well beneath the reserve, but at that point it became apparent that the auctioneers' assistant was the vendor - who appealed for a better bid. 'Twenty quid then' I said with a smile - he grudgingly agreed!

Getting the bottle home, I laid it on it's side, half expecting it to leak in profusion immediately - but it didn't leak at all, and only now have I got round to tackling it.

Drawing the cork I found it to be rock hard and almost bone dry, most came out at the first attempt, and the remains were teased out in two lumps. The cork was riddled with woodworm, but the branding was unscathed, confirming that it was indeed a W60.

Given the level and the hardness of the cork, I suspect that this bottle had started to leak, and had been stood up for a long period, whereupon the cork had dried out, creating a perfect seal of crystalline port - I'm a little doutful that this is a reliable remedy for leaking bottles though!

Very tawny as I decanted, quite a lot of lumpy brownish sediment.

First sip - behind a little bottle stink, a good floral note is discernible. Light and quite elegant - dry with little fire.

This might prove to be OK - more anon.

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
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W60

Post by jdaw1 »

Did the auctioneer’s (auctioneers’? how many auctioneers were there?) assistant admit to ownership of bottle? If not, ’twas a mite dishonest.
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Post by uncle tom »

There was nothing dishonest about it - the auctioneer asked his assistant if he'd accept the bid - it was very light-hearted.

They might have had some sort of wager between them on what it would fetch, as the auctioneer looked very pleased with the outcome...

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Post by uncle tom »

Despite a chequered history, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this wine.

Very Warre on nose and palate, an initial very tawny colour in the glass has now reddened up. There can be no disguising the relative lightness of the wine, or the fact that it has probably seen better days, but it is a very long way from being written off.

I think I can say this is the best '60 I have had in recent years, and (being my birth year) one I will actively seek to acquire more of.

I'll check it out tomorrow before volunteering a score.

Tom
Last edited by uncle tom on 10:17 Sun 30 Sep 2007, edited 1 time in total.
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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Post by DRT »

I am currently sitting in my car at Stanstead Airport after a long drive from Edinburgh via Chestefield ready for my 4am check-in for the flight to Oporto.

Tom is sitting no more than 30 miles from me glugging down this delicious sounding wine. Jealous? Me? YES :x
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Post by uncle tom »

If you were at Stansted, you were only 10 miles away! - anyone suffering an unexpected delay at that airport can always give me a call..

What do the airlines budget for hotels when passengers are delayed?

Sofa, sleeping bag and bottle Morgan '91 - £30 (if chargeable to the airline...!) :D

Tom
Last edited by uncle tom on 00:28 Mon 01 Oct 2007, edited 3 times in total.
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Post by uncle tom »

After 36hrs, the slight acidity that tends to define the '60 vintage is more noticeable, but this remains a good, if not stellar, wine.

For immediate gratification, this is better than the median, but not by a mile - a 6

Where's it going? Well, the wine has seen better days, but it is going down gracefully, I think! - in another decade it will be weaker and tawnier, but unlike the Dow '60, which seems to be falling apart, I think it will retain some grace and composure.

Score 6-5

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
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Post by jdaw1 »

uncle tom wrote:Score 6-5
If that for this seemingly dodgy bottle, or of the vintage at its best?
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Post by uncle tom »

Score is for this bottle - no allowance made for its dodgy past - which seems to have done it no harm.

Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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