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winesecretary

15 minute decant 90% opaque Nose suggests power and tannin with some damson and chocolate. Little bit of poached pear with swirling. Thick, really thick, texture and a rich palate with tobacco chocolate stewed plum and an interesting hint of vanilla. This is big port. Young yet. I very much like it.

winesecretary

@ Mike J W - arguably the best glass museum in the world! I’ve spent four happy mornings there over the last decade. I would say that the current most interesting wineries in the Finger Lakes are Herman J Weimer, Hickory Hollow/Nathan K, and 680 Cellars. Too many of the wineries are looking for exce...

winesecretary

That’s really interesting. Four ports got some 90% of the points. Was that reflected in the palate?

winesecretary

@forest26 - No sooner said than done.

winesecretary

That BBC piece was either written by a not- very-sophisticated AI or by someone who ought to be sacked for being a credulous idiot.

winesecretary

@ Mike J W - he lives near Corning. We took the opportunity of my visit to go and review the current production of a bunch of Finger Lakes wineries (680 Vineyards, Hosmer, Lamoreaux Landing, Atwater, Ravines, Hickory Hollow/Nathan K, Herman J Weimer and so on) over three days. Fun trip. We had Heitz...

winesecretary

@ Mike J.W. - I had dinner with a friend in upstate NY a few weeks ago and he produced a truly astonishing bottle of 1974 Ridge Montebello. He bought it (in 1977) for $19.70 according to the sticker.

winesecretary

Well that sounds like an absolutely splendid trip, cold pool notwithstanding, and also jolly informative. Thank you for writing it up. *makes notes*

winesecretary

2 hour decant from half bottle 95% opaque Remarkable wine this. Still retains the ripe Williams pear note on the nose it has shown since the beginning. Palate is incredible. Ripe red fruit, so rich and soft and juicy. Swallowing it is an almost squelchy experience, like treading on an absolutely hum...

winesecretary

I suspect this bottle was imperfect, to be honest. It doesn’t sound very enjoyable and at its best this port is definitely enjoyable. If you get enough geeks together, try opening half a dozen bottles of the same port - pretty much any port more than 30 years old - from the same vintage, from the sa...

winesecretary

80% opaque red juice. Red fruit nose- smells like a defrosted bag of frozen summer fruits. A bit of blueberry before the distinct red dessert apple and poached blackberry notes appear. The tannins are softening nicely but add a pleasingly tart edge to the finish. I think this has moved on a bit sinc...

winesecretary

Fun fact - the current translation of the Aeneid in the Loeb classical library is by my old Latin teacher, Bill Preddy.

winesecretary

Worthy in itself of an epic poem that would be. Perhaps starting,‘of port and the men I sing’, rather than ‘arma virumque cano’

winesecretary

Fonseca was the star of the 1992 horizontal we did a couple of years back and will probably be even better now.

winesecretary

I’m pretty excited about it too. I have had all of these wines now at some point or another, but never all together…

winesecretary

May I salute the organisers of a 12 bottle tasting with 6 attendees. Sirs, you do us proud.

winesecretary

A well stored bottle of Martinez 1985 is a lovely port for current drinking (Julian and I had an absolute belter a few months back) so I think you were unlucky there. But I agree that T,F,W,SW,O,GC, plus Mz and G on a good day, are about the beginning and end of it.

winesecretary

@cem, @harry, appropriate updates made

winesecretary

I am very sorry, but pressure of work means I am not now going to be able to attend this tasting. Apologies.

winesecretary

Will try to confirm what I have immediately to hand this evening.

winesecretary

A hearing dropping out of the diary means that I could now make this, so please add me to the reserve list. I would need to adopt, but since Tom and Cliff have pretty much everything and I will cheerfully fork over the readies, that should not be in and of itself a problem.

winesecretary

@ Mike J.W. - from memory, Fonseca 1st, Warre 2nd, Taylor 3rd, Niepoort 4th, then a gap to the next scored bottle. I don’t have the score sheet.

winesecretary

Please can mine be updated to

- butter bean bruschetta
- Chicken schnitzel, fat chips
- Welsh rarebit

winesecretary

Yes please

winesecretary

Did I see an O~Port~Unidade 2023?

Edit - no, I didn’t. 2013. My former Latin master, William Preddy, now a senior translator at Loeb Classical editions, would be most severe about my misreading of Roman numerals.

winesecretary

Hurrah for magnums of Gusbourne's BdN 2018!

Ham hock terrine

Burger (with no salad, no tomato, no mayonnaise or any similar unguent, just bun, meat and dill pickle)
Fries
Chimichurri broccoli

Lemon tart

Welsh rarebit

winesecretary

From 90ml

Pop and pour

The colour of a good orange marmalade

None of sweet oil orange groves and passion fruit

Surprisingly dry presentation on the front palate before the perfumed macadamia nut and then the citrus peel. Almost a bit of tannin, late. A sort of savoury quality.

Good wine, this.

winesecretary

@ PhilW - the correction is merited…

winesecretary

@ Mike J W - the special occasion should be, you fancying some port. I will say, keep it in the fridge. But, there it will last a week.

winesecretary

From 90ml Pop and pour A fine glossy chestnut, green rim Nose of nut brittle, hint of pot pourri, dried orange peel behind, bit of fresh Brazil nut. Cool entry, rich and lush and silky on palate, not giving much other than sugar in the first second or two and then a big burst of citrus oil. Splendid...

winesecretary · Re: 1995 tasting - 18 November 2025 (B&F) In the diary. Will be fun!

In the diary. Will be fun!

winesecretary

Some admirable ports here, the majority of which were a pleasure to drink now , with some (Taylor, Warre, Fonseca, Niepoort) being absolutely delicious and worthy of gracing any table. The Wine Society Crusted bottled 2013 showed very well in its august company.

winesecretary

Promising nose. Rather attractive port, but possibly a little attentuated in taste. Others liked this more.

winesecretary

The deep end of the spectrum of colour. In the mouth this is big rich thick licorice blackstrap port. Very satisfying. Gets an honourable mention.

winesecretary

Admirable colour. Still a lot of fire. Age heat or youth heat? Imperfect?

winesecretary

Deeper end of the spectrum. Pale rim.

Lovely cherries on nose.

Rich and warn palate with black cherries. A glorious drink.

Fully resolved. Lovely bottle. Voted very slightly behind the Fonseca.

winesecretary

Watery rim, good colour.

Nose aldehydic, VA?

Finish ends short, just behind the incisors.

Corked.

Really quite terribly damaged port. Got very smelly quite quickly.

winesecretary

Big brutish nose. Spicy. Massive concentrated wine on palate. Big. Did I mention brutish? Drink 2027-2077.

winesecretary

Colour almost as deep as the Gould Campbell 1977, 90% opaque. Delicious port of the figgier end of the spectrum, not disgraced in august company, and admirable drinking now.

winesecretary

Lighter end of the spectrum. Ravishing floral nose. Palate, happily, congruent. Effortlessly drinkable (and drunk). Deserves its fine reputation on this showing. Fourth on the night against strong competition.

winesecretary

A glorious deep garnet. Long, long finish with medjool date followed by maraschino cherries in chocolate. Third on the night and possibly underscored.

winesecretary

Dark. Promising.

Absolutely smashing nose.

Rich thick fruity port, some argued a little lighter than perfect but, to me, lovely drinking now. Narrowly, WOTN.

winesecretary

Lighter end of the colour spectrum, 30% opaque. Lighter end of the spectrum of taste too, with an odd note of lemon or lemonade.

It became clear that this was lightly corked.

winesecretary

A well stored bottle acquired 2024. Decanted 0715 into screw top bottle. Short cork in good condition. Lovely floral fragrance during decanting. Good colour. A decent amount of fine sediment which happily did not appear until the last two tablespoons of port.

winesecretary

We are in the Red Room, so there is space, if Martin and Julian between them can make the logistics work...

winesecretary

Possibly we need another category of tasting, which is neither an ‘emergency’ (grab nearest bottle of port, stat, hurry to B&F) or a ‘broad horizontal’ (takes six years to arrange, everyone has to take two days off work). Possibly an ‘informal’ - ‘let’s see what happens, will a theme emerge?’. T...

winesecretary

Thank you. Provisional allocations of responsibility added - please notify imputed values by PM - will need to be some equalisation payments given current prices for the older stuff.

winesecretary

:FF9966: What Ho. A Taylor vertical to consider wines that are post World War Two is proposed. Venue B&F Red Room 14 persons, 14 ports 28 October. Likely wines - the proposal is to avoid Special and Single Quinta wines. 1948 1955 1960 1963 1966 1970 1975 1977 1980 1983 1985 1992 1994 1997 I have...

winesecretary

We might need a Taylor vertical- part 2 - the postwar years. That I would very much like to attend. In fact, I’ll arrange it.

Attendees - Ian, Mike, George…

winesecretary

@jdaw1 - I suggest bringing the WS one. It's a school night so will not be over-drinking.

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