2008 Sandeman LBV

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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LGTrotter
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3707
Joined: 17:45 Fri 19 Oct 2012
Location: Somerset, UK

2008 Sandeman LBV

Post by LGTrotter »

I've had this a couple of times before, I have also just read Alex's notes on this wine which has influenced this.

It has a driven cork (a sign that they care, or a least want to look like they care) and a heavy bottle, the punt alone has escaped the marketing drive, scarcely more than dished; I have a theory about how seriously a wine takes itself by the depth of punt, but perhaps I am plagiarising someone else, anyhoo...

Very dark, well it is only six, not much on the nose, bit of fruit, bit of alcohol and a hint of freshness akin to pencils; it is the smell of unresolved port. On the palate a lot of tannin, my tongue feels like the anti-skid surface that you find in front of traffic lights, it has that same slightly jarring quality. There is fruit; yes I can taste cherries (Alex's influence I fear), but again a rather too rasping quality to it, a shade underripe perhaps. Stuffed with good things? Well, things, certainly. Whether they will prove to be good is for another decade to decide.
I would say as Borat does; 'This one...not so much'. It's just a bit clumsy.

Where to score it is a mystery. 4 to 6 if you were optimistic and using Tom's score, I would have thought low eighties on the 100pt thing. Alex rated it between 88 and 90, but then avid followers of :ftlop2014: would know that this is what he rates all his port at. :wink:
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AW77
Morgan 1991
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Joined: 20:20 Wed 25 Sep 2013
Location: Cologne, Germany

Re: 2008 Sandeman LBV

Post by AW77 »

LGTrotter wrote: the punt alone has escaped the marketing drive, scarcely more than dished; I have a theory about how seriously a wine takes itself by the depth of punt
I've never heard that before. Could you please explain your theory in more detail. It sounds farfetched, but quite interesting.
LGTrotter wrote: Very dark, well it is only six, not much on the nose, bit of fruit, bit of alcohol and a hint of freshness akin to pencils; it is the smell of unresolved port. On the palate a lot of tannin, my tongue feels like the anti-skid surface that you find in front of traffic lights, it has that same slightly jarring quality. There is fruit; yes I can taste cherries (Alex's influence I fear), but again a rather too rasping quality to it, a shade underripe perhaps. Stuffed with good things? Well, things, certainly. Whether they will prove to be good is for another decade to decide.
I would say as Borat does; 'This one...not so much'. It's just a bit clumsy.
I've had the '04 Sandeman LBV last year:
http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=67210
I really liked it. I liked it so much that I started a wine ladder and bought 3 more of the '04 (there was not more left on the German market) and 2 bottles of each vintage of the '08 and '09 (etc.)
So I guess the '08 simply needs more time in bottle (this one hardly had two years).
The Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt know thy Port
LGTrotter
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3707
Joined: 17:45 Fri 19 Oct 2012
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: 2008 Sandeman LBV

Post by LGTrotter »

AW77 wrote:
LGTrotter wrote: the punt alone has escaped the marketing drive, scarcely more than dished; I have a theory about how seriously a wine takes itself by the depth of punt
I've never heard that before. Could you please explain your theory in more detail. It sounds farfetched, but quite interesting.
An invitation to ramble on? Unaccustomed as I am...

Had the recycling not recently left the building I could have provided an illustrated lecture. The bottle I had in mind was that of Altair's Sideral. It is a very big tasty wine. The bottle is not quite straight up and down, it weighs close on a kilo and the punt is a good 2 inches deep, more than 60 millimetres to you Andre. It seems to me that there is a direct correlation between wannabe blockbuster wines and heavy bottles, odd shaped bottles with elongated necks and most particularly with deep punts. This is particularly, but not exclusively a new world phenomena. I used to believe I could tell how much oak and how extracted a wine was by looking at the punt. Much as Sherlock Holmes could tell most about a person from the knee of the trousers.

I have thought that I may be being unfair to the Sandeman, I have very little experience of judging young ports.
DaveRL
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
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Location: London

Re: 2008 Sandeman LBV

Post by DaveRL »

I tend to agree on the punt theory. More expensive glass, more impressive looking bottle on shelf. Attempting a higher price. Some punts are massive. New world over done everything blockbusters at most extreme, but biggest punt at cheapest price game can be worth playing.
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