15 December 2011 - The Unknown Shipper at the Bell

[jdaw1]

During the evening email me a list of what has been opened, and when the last has been revealed I’ll make TN threads.

[uncle tom]

- Ten steaks ordered, Jacob to choose from vegetarian menu.

- Minicoach booked for midnight to ferry all to wherever @ £50

[Axel P]

When you grow up christmas is not as exciting as it was before as there are few things that you couldnt buy on your own.

Thanks Tom for organising this for the XXth time as this exactly fills the excitement gap for me. So many bottles and nobody knows what they will be.

Axel

[RAYC]

When you grow up christmas is not as exciting as it was before as there are few things that you couldnt buy on your own.

Thanks Tom for organising this for the XXth time as this exactly fills the excitement gap for me. So many bottles and nobody knows what they will be.

Axel

+1: i cannot wait!

Fingers crossed we get anything like last year's hit rate!

Thanks Tom

[how much cash are we bringing for meal/venue/tip?]

[jdaw1]

At The Bell, for the Christmas tasting on 16 December 2010, for the first time, glass stickers were used rather than placemats. At the Bell glasses and space is tight, there just not being space for each person to use three pages of A4 of table.

The following quotations all come from the review thread.

• Paperwork (tasting-note sheets, and several sets of stickers).

This was the first placemat-free tasting, with glasses being identified with stickers. Feedback welcomed.

Stickers for glasses works really well, except that we need one sheet of stickers person (or per two people) as we were constantly passing the sheets around and trying to find our respective labels - at one point [somebody] put one of his on his forehead so he could find it later!

Problems:

• At the time the PDF is made, it isn’t yet known who will be sitting next to whom.
• One sheet has 65 stickers, so one sheet per person would waste two-thirds to three-quarters of each sheet.

Indeed one sheet per person would be too much waste; but would it be possible to slot the stickers of two or three people on equal sections onto one sheet (each person has ~20 stickers)? They could be after printing cut into the portions of the individual person.

The stickers also worked extremely well; thanks Julian. As Wolfgang suggested, the only improvement would be to have each person’s stickers as a block so they could be cut up and distributed before the tasting starts. Also, for blind tastings it might be nice if the number took up only half the sticker so that we can write the name of the wine in when revealed.

Further feedback welcomed. (A similar request will be posted in the 2011 review thread.)

[Alex Bridgeman]

I'm pleased to announce that my travel plans are on schedule despite several 1+ hour delays on the A5, A41 and M1 and that leaving home this morning at 05:10 has proven to be the right strategy to adopt to ensure that I am at the Bell at 19:00 tomorrow. I am now half way there and have taken temporary lodgings in a rather chilly Milton Keynes before an 08:00 start tomorrow morning to complete the rest of the journey.

I intend to try to decant tomorrow between 16:00 and 17:00.

[RAYC]

I intend to try to decant tomorrow between 16:00 and 17:00.

I will decant my unknown early-mid C20 at home at 3.00pm tomorrow.

If you feel this is too early and would prefer i bring to Wendens Ambo undecanted for a 5.00 - 6.00pm decant, please let me know in post here or by email.

Cheers,

Rob

[DRT]

I should be at the Saffron Walden Hotel from about 5pm. If anyone wants to share a taxi to The Bell at around 6:00 - 6:30 please send me an email or text.

I will also be available for pre-taxi refreshments in the hotel bar

Derek

[jdaw1]

Pls do send a list of ports, either as things progress, or at the end.

[DRT]

Pls do send a list of ports, either as things progress, or at the end.

Wilco.

I should be at the Saffron Walden Hotel from about 5pm. If anyone wants to share a taxi to The Bell at around 6:00 - 6:30 please send me an email or text.

I will also be available for pre-taxi refreshments in the hotel bar

DRT has reported for duty. You know where to find me when you arrive

[Glenn E.]

I should be at the Saffron Walden Hotel from about 5pm. If anyone wants to share a taxi to The Bell at around 6:00 - 6:30 please send me an email or text.

I will also be available for pre-taxi refreshments in the hotel bar

DRT has reported for duty. You know where to find me when you arrive

Since I am at work (yay!) I can only join you in spirit, not with spirits. My morning mug of hot chocolate will have to do.

Cheers!

[jdaw1]

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 10Y Taylor tawny (warm-up);
• 1860 Cossart Gordon Sercial solera (sticky label #1);
• 1945 Quinta do Noval (sticky label #2);
• 1860 A.L.S. Boal (sticky label #3);
• 1940 Dalva colheita bottled 1978 (sticky label #4);
• 1960 Cockburn (sticky label #5);
• Niepoort Vinha Velha (sticky label #6);
• 1935 Croft (sticky label #7);
• 1924 Offley Boa Vista (sticky label #8);
• 1927 Taylor (sticky label #9);
• 30Y Casa Santa Eufemia White (sticky label #12);
• 40Y Quinta do Noval tawny (sticky label #15);
• 1922 Warre (sticky label #19);
• 1922 Martinez (sticky label #20);
• 1955 Quinta do Noval (sticky label #21);
• 1977 Berry Bros & Rudd (Quarles Harris);
• 2003 Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference;
• 1911 Clos de Vougeot;
• 2005 Niepoort Robustus magnum;
• ‘Placemats’, meaning stickers and tasting-note sheets;
• Planning and arrangements.

[uncle tom]

The Dalva was 1940 not 1945..

Someone also queried the existence of a Noval '45, so I have re-checked the cork, which is very clearly branded:

Da Silva's
Quinta do Noval
1945
VINTAGE

[RAYC]

Someone also queried the existence of a Noval '45, so I have re-checked the cork, which is very clearly branded:

Da Silva's
Quinta do Noval
1945
VINTAGE

But did we have a Noval 55 as well?

There was definitely a Noval cork that displayed the words: Bottled 195[?].

[uncle tom]

But did we have a Noval 55 as well?

Not that I recall..

Mopping up today, I'm surprised we didn't need to give a certain person a transfusion...

- I thought he'd just nicked himself..

[DRT]

Mopping up today, I'm surprised we didn't need to give a certain person a transfusion...

- I thought he'd just nicked himself..

Did you find the end of my finger?

[jdaw1]

The Dalva was 1940 not 1945.

Fixed.

Please consider continuing the discussion in the review thread.