Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertical)

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Chris Doty
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Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertical)

Post by Chris Doty »

G-Man organized (with some support) a fabulous dinner/vertical of Fonseca @ Mezetto as part of the annual ACPT tradition.

Company was world class, food was great, and the wines showed quite well, despite the 70 and 77 not being their usual selves.

My WOTN was the 1960, but there wasn't much to separate that wine from the 63 and 66 that followed. Those three stood above the rest to my palate, with good integration and balance, despite the fact that each was beyond prime in my judgment. The 55 was all spirit, no fruit, but still kicking. The 70, sadly, was pale, limp and flawed. The 75 was maybe the best 75 I had, but still a 75. The 77, if not flawed, was at least muted/reserved, and not showing especially well. The 80 and 83 were perfectly respectable, if forgettable. the 85 was the 4th star of tonight, and broadly consistent with the last 3-4 experiences I've had with the 85F, which is to say that it has become someone more closed and difficult than had previously been the case.

We also had a lovely 76 colheita, and a bottle of the 2011 Quevedo, which, of course, I'm quite fond of.

An excellent evening all around.

Thanks Jeff for putting it all together!
Glenn E.
Graham’s 1977
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by Glenn E. »

Yes, another successful ACPT tasting!

We can't thank Jeff and Josh enough - Jeff does almost all of the leg work for the tasting every year, and he and Josh usually supply most if not all of the Ports. Without the two of them I'd be holed up in my hotel room at the Marriott with a bottle to myself while my wife does crossword puzzles in the tournament.

(For those interested, she is currently listed in 222 place, but that's because they lost her puzzle #5. With the points for puzzle #5 she'd be in 99th out of 580.)

My POTV (Port of the vertical) was the 1963, followed by the 1960 and the 1985 which were essentially tied. I have to specify POTV instead of POTN because on the night I would have to include the 2011 Quevedo and the 1976 Warre in my top 3 (probably with F63 and Q11 as a toss-up followed by W76 in 3rd). I was also fond of the 1966 but it seemed to be in a weird place for me. Almost as-if it were a teenager just coming into its own, which is of course ridiculous for a 48-year old Port. But it just felt unsettled in-between phases so that dropped it a couple of points in my rankings. I enjoyed the 55 but like Chris said it was lacking anything but a very general fruitiness. Nothing else really stood out (positively) except perhaps for the 83, but that's likely because my expectations were so low that it easily exceeded them. The 70 also stood out, but that was because it flopped badly. I can't say exactly how it was flawed, but it clearly was as it was almost a tawny.

The restaurant. Hmm... how to put it. Well, the food was terrific, but we were at a bar table with tall barstool-height chairs which I hate. My hamstrings are still sore from the poor seating. We were also very cramped for space which made the restaurant's desire to get the 8-course tasting menu underway extremely inconvenient. It was also very noisy even for a bar-like environment. Lighting was poor as usual, but by now I'm getting used to it. There's just no better option (than a restaurant) in NYC for a tasting short of renting a hotel conference room. But the food really was excellent - I'd like to go back some time for a meal so that I could devote more attention to the food.

I finally got to meet Ollie and Teddy, at least briefly, as well as both of the Mrs. :)

Next year the Crossword Puzzle Tournament is moving back to Stamford, CT, so we won't have a fixed weekend. Instead we'll pick one that's easier for everyone and simply make a trip out for food, fun, Port, and good times!

Thanks again to everyone who attended, and especially Jeff and Josh for the arrangements!

:GoldStar:
Glenn Elliott
Glenn E.
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by Glenn E. »

Glenn E. wrote:(For those interested, she is currently listed in 222 place, but that's because they lost her puzzle #5. With the points for puzzle #5 she'd be in 99th out of 580.)
Found! And as expected, she completed it correctly and is now officially 99th out of 580. :D
Glenn Elliott
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jdaw1
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by jdaw1 »

Please do post tasting notes, and in this thread add links to those threads.
Glenn E.
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by Glenn E. »

I am very far behind, but will do so soon I hope.
Glenn Elliott
CaliforniaBrad
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by CaliforniaBrad »

Glenn E. wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:(For those interested, she is currently listed in 222 place, but that's because they lost her puzzle #5. With the points for puzzle #5 she'd be in 99th out of 580.)
Found! And as expected, she completed it correctly and is now officially 99th out of 580. :D
That's pretty damn good, top 20% of a field of folks who probably spend a lot of time with a pencil and the NY Times Puzzle section.


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Miguel Simoes
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by Miguel Simoes »

Extremely long overdue. Seems I differ from most wrt to the F70, which I loved and which was v similar to one I had around Xmas time. My notes taken during the tasting pasted directly below.

55
Darker than expected. Likely 3rd darkest of the lineup.
Smooth, not cloyee at all. V nice in the mouth, a little something peppery to it at the end in mouth that feels fragile but gives it balance. A little more and would be too much.
V nice finish. Chocolate and nuts.
94

60
V much like the 55. V smooth in the mouth. Nice full feel. Something minty to it. Finish not as remarkable as the 55. Later, feels a little hotter. Still, finish is nice. A minute or two later still tasting v nice.
93

63
Something special about this one. Tastes v different from the prior ones. Finish not nutty like I expected. A little chocolatty. V minty/eucalyptus. A bit underwhelming, must confess, expected something out of control good.
Tasting like candy now. Fantastic. Completely different from the 70 I tasted. Not about the crazy finish and supreme balance, instead about the fantastic feel in the mouth.
95

66
Second darkest of the night. Different. Fruitier but v good. Full in the mouth. Don't get much of a finish out of it. Highlight is the feel in the mouth. Something really wonderful about how it feels, call it leathery.
92

70
V almondy wonderful finish. Not as full in the mouth but v nice. Smooth, not hot at all like others are feeling it. Am enjoying it, def reminds me of the bottle I had for my mom's 70th bday. So well balanced not overwhelming in any way, but fantastic all the way through.
95

75
Some fruit and then heat. Good but not near the other guys.

77
Almonds at the end. Still some fruit, but well balanced in the mouth. Positively surprised by it. V nice. Great stuff. A little hot at this point. Feels like it will be like the 70 in time.
Too young still.
91-92

80
Like the 75. Not much going on here. Heat peppery finish in mouth. Not much fruit, one dimensional.

83
Maybe a better than the 80 but still nothing too crazy. Feels a bit tawny like. Much older than one would expect.
90-91

85
Darkest of the night. Primary but lots already coming out. Chocolatty, berries. V good. No point opening it now, will be soooo good w time.

76 colheita
V v good. Am surprised. Almonds, a little tobacco. Full bodied. Such a contrast w the VPs that it is hard to be fair to them, as Glenn rightly put it.

Huge thanks to Jeff and Josh. I had a great time and look fwd to the 2015 tasting.
Miguel Simoes
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Re: Annual ACPT March 8th 2014 tasting in NY (Fonseca Vertic

Post by Miguel Simoes »

Extremely long overdue. Seems I differ from most wrt to the F70, which I loved and which was v similar to one I had around Xmas time. My notes taken during the tasting pasted directly below.

55
Darker than expected. Likely 3rd darkest of the lineup.
Smooth, not cloyee at all. V nice in the mouth, a little something peppery to it at the end in mouth that feels fragile but gives it balance. A little more and would be too much.
V nice finish. Chocolate and nuts.
94

60
V much like the 55. V smooth in the mouth. Nice full feel. Something minty to it. Finish not as remarkable as the 55. Later, feels a little hotter. Still, finish is nice. A minute or two later still tasting v nice.
93

63
Something special about this one. Tastes v different from the prior ones. Finish not nutty like I expected. A little chocolatty. V minty/eucalyptus. A bit underwhelming, must confess, expected something out of control good.
Tasting like candy now. Fantastic. Completely different from the 70 I tasted. Not about the crazy finish and supreme balance, instead about the fantastic feel in the mouth.
95

66
Second darkest of the night. Different. Fruitier but v good. Full in the mouth. Don't get much of a finish out of it. Highlight is the feel in the mouth. Something really wonderful about how it feels, call it leathery.
92

70
V almondy wonderful finish. Not as full in the mouth but v nice. Smooth, not hot at all like others are feeling it. Am enjoying it, def reminds me of the bottle I had for my mom's 70th bday. So well balanced not overwhelming in any way, but fantastic all the way through.
95

75
Some fruit and then heat. Good but not near the other guys.

77
Almonds at the end. Still some fruit, but well balanced in the mouth. Positively surprised by it. V nice. Great stuff. A little hot at this point. Feels like it will be like the 70 in time.
Too young still.
91-92

80
Like the 75. Not much going on here. Heat peppery finish in mouth. Not much fruit, one dimensional.

83
Maybe a better than the 80 but still nothing too crazy. Feels a bit tawny like. Much older than one would expect.
90-91

85
Darkest of the night. Primary but lots already coming out. Chocolatty, berries. V good. No point opening it now, will be soooo good w time.

76 colheita
V v good. Am surprised. Almonds, a little tobacco. Full bodied. Such a contrast w the VPs that it is hard to be fair to them, as Glenn rightly put it.

Huge thanks to Jeff and Josh. I had a great time and look fwd to the 2015 tasting.
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