ThePortForum.com

I’ve not heard anything from Sogrape, but haven’t asked directly. I’ve also learned that Quinta do Vallado don’t intend to release a 2023 VP. I just spoke with Francisco Ferreira. He said they didn't release a 2022 VP but are releasing the 2023; they only made 3.000L and haven't bottled it yet but ...

Option 1 preferred as that extends the lineup. A fifth option would be the Sandeman bottle to compare to magnum. I’ll vote for Option 1, but also for the bonus bottle of Morgan since that extends the line-up even further. I’ve said to Christopher that if we’re doing lunch and dinner, I’m happy to b...

Or a 3 year bottling...

If you find anything out, do share. I wasn't told there wasn't any made, only that there was none available.

The Savoy Hotel has just come out of a refit of their Riverside Bar (the American Bar will be refurbished later this year).

They now offer at least two cocktails which feature White Port - Since 1986 and Life & Times. I might pop in and try one next time I’m in the area.

I’ve not heard anything from Sogrape, but haven’t asked directly.

I’ve also learned that Quinta do Vallado don’t intend to release a 2023 VP.

As much as I would love to, I am unfortunately not around that weekend. If I had been in the UK, I would be there.

Sorry.

Thank you Michael, I’ve never stayed there and really enjoyed learning a little more about somewhere we might visit.

Well that was a lot of fun. For a small number of people, a tasting featuring half bottles definitely works well. You get to taste a lot more wines and it was interesting to taste a range from 2013 to 1960.

As and when I get the chance, I’ll set up a review thread.

There are several Vintage Ports from Quinta do Bom Retiro, both from before their purchase by Ramos Pinto in 1919 and from after. From before, I know of at least 1872, 1878, 1887 and 1904. (There is also a 1911 white, which may be a colheita or may be a white vintage port.) From after, we have 2018 ...

Sighted: I plan to bring half bottles of Croft 2004 LBV ( from the crazy Tesco sale in 2009 - I have a few left still!) and a half bottle of Quinta do Noval 2011, a half bottle which was filled by me when tasting a newly released bottle in 2013.

2000 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port . Elegant with mature fruit on the nose. Very different on the palate from the 2000 Noval VP drunk alongside this wine with less sweetness to the fruit, more ripeness and purity. The tannins are more pronounced in the Nacional, delivering a wonderful and f...

Pictures are now complete. Apologies for the delay in finishing the story - but it now is.

Some pictures will be added to the new narrative once my phone is charged.

IMG_3049.jpeg The presentation of the new wines was followed by an opportunity to have lunch with Carlos Agrellos and Christian Seely and to ask them any questions we had. Lunch was also an opportunity to taste some older wines from Noval with food and a couple of back vintages of Quinta do Noval v...

Christian Seely has confirmed that no Vintage Port was made at Romaneira in 2023.

I’ve just updated the first post to keep track of developments.

But I’ve never had the chance to do a side-by-side comparison like you’re doing tomorrow. You were at the horizontal of 1985s in Nov 2015 (and even posted TNs such as for Cálem ); and at the {1980, ’85, ’85} × {D, W, G, F, T} with Jancis in March 2017 (e.g. TN, Fonseca ). Evening Derek :) I accept ...

But the theme is “a half bottle” and not “half a bottle” so it has to be in a 37.5cl container. If that were the command of the organiser, then I would have to make my apologies. Well, yes and no. If you own no empty half bottles, I can offer a couple of empty ones for adoption. But happily, it see...

Provisionally, yes. Is there a theme? Yes, bring a half bottle(s)😊 Seriously? What is this peculiar folly? Am I allowed to decant some things at the weekend, drink half of them, and bring the remainder? But the theme is “a half bottle” and not “half a bottle” so it has to be in a 37.5cl container.

Have fun tomorrow chaps. I will be very interested to read what you think of the wines. 20ish years ago, when I was backfilling gaps in my cellar, I ended up buying quite a lot of 1985 and have plenty of it left to drink — but it’s a vintage I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by. But I’ve never had the ch...

The viticultural year of 2023 saw a warm and wet winter, with the year as a whole being warmer than average. There were some problems with severe thunderstorms in May and June which caused storm damage to the grapes in some parts of the Douro although Quinta do Noval was spared. Water was plentiful,...

I can be there. Let me know where and when.

That is the most wonderful bottle to have acquired. Congratulations!

I was working on my cellar list spreadsheet earlier this evening and came up with another pointless statistic — but one which I think deserves a thread of its own. I've been keeping my cellar list spreadsheet for over 30 years. In that time, bottles have come onto the cellar list, stayed for a while...

The final red wine was something a little bit special, with a suggested retail of circa £230 per bottle. Occasionally, the winemaking team at Noval discover a parcel of grapes which has performed extraordinarily well in a year and decide to vinify and age them separately. The first time I discovered...

The next flight was the red wines. Happily, all four of these had made it successfully through customs. Most of the red wines were from the 2022 vintage. This was a viticultural year which was exceptionally dry, similar to 2020. The advantage of a very dry year was that there was little disease pres...

The wines came in flights, with the first three wines being the white wines from 2024. (Sadly, UK customs managed to intercept and hold up the samples of Cedro do Noval Branco 2024 so the intended 4 wines became 3.) The 2023-24 viticultural year started with a mild, wet winter which refilled the aqu...

Shortly after announcing that they will be releasing three Vintage Ports from 2023, Quinta do Noval arranged to show their wines to press and buyers. This year the chosen venue was a (rather dark) room at the Connaught Hotel, Mayfair. IMG_3039.jpeg The wines were presented by Christian Seely and Car...

You emailed me about the shippers I was providing and I responded with a query. Let me have an answer when you can as it affects what I will deliver and when.

Please can mine be updated to:
No starter
Burger & thin chips (with no bun)
Roasted carrots
No dessert

I have been told definitively that the blend in C da Silva, Dalva and Presidential is exactly the same. The only difference is the brand name, which is related to the intended sales destination.

A t-stopper doesn't mean for certain the wine was filtered before bottling, but it's a 6 year bottling and I think Churchill these days are normally 4 years.

How much sediment is there in the bottle?

I'm not sure what time I'll be able to get away from the Excel Centre on Thursday next week, but sometimes it's been as late as 6.30pm. It'll then take me 40 minutes to get to the B&F.

If there's a decanter waiting for me when I get there, I'll decant on arrival.

Not me, much as I love the vintage.

Noval’s declarations have been added to the list. The press release reads as follows: QUINTA DO NOVAL DECLARES 2023 VINTAGE PORT Christian Seely, Managing Director of Quinta do Noval, comments: “I am very happy to be able to announce the declaration of three exceptional Vintage Ports from Quinta do ...

IMG_2006.jpeg NV Tío Pepe fino Sherry, by the glass from the Alfonso XIII hotel in central Seville. Lemon yellow colour. A little gentle flor on the nose. Nicely balanced palate, the flor is restrained with the mineral and marmite dominating. Dry without being searing, the mid-palate is full of fla...

Justin K wrote: ↑18:36 Thu 24 Apr 2025 Another great destination, I think this might have been the place you recommended us visiting next time we come over?

It's well worth a visit

NV Wine Society Crusted, bottled 2013. From Symington Family Estates. Dark red with an opaque centre. Jellied black fruit on the nose, bramble jelly. Bramble jelly on the palate with charcoal tannins. Smooth, satin texture, with some tannins creating a brushed cotton effect. Hibiscus aftertaste, lin...

Ramos Pinto 1977. Slightly cloudy, full of fine sediment. Attractive mature fruit on the nose, a touch of red pear. A little red pear on the palate, along with dried plum — wonderfully mature. Dried cherry, damson and brown sugar. Wonderful complexity on the palate, multiple layers of subtle flavour...

Niepoort 1977. Bordeaux bottle. The most mature and developed of the wines being tasted this evening. Brick red, 30% opaque. Sweet, hints of orange blossom honey. Exquisite texture on the palate; Dead Nettle nectar, fabulous mature fruit. Stunning mature, spiced and honeyed fruit on the aftertaste a...

Taylor 1977. Mature appearance, approaching brick red and 40% opaque. A little sous bois and restrained fruit on the nose, much less expressive than the Fonseca. Dried red fruit, redcurrant jelly on a wonderfully expressive palate. The redcurrant and cranberry aftertaste holds long into the finish. ...

Fonseca 1977. Mature brick red, 40% opaque. Gorgeous mature fruit on the nose, sweet and ripe yet with a little redcurrant jelly. Jellied redcurrant on the palate, elegant and refined but with an underlying bitterness giving structure. Fabulous lingering redcurrant jelly with a birch sap undertone. ...

Sandeman 1977. Mature brick red colour, 50% opaque. Slightly musty cardboard on the nose, unpleasant. Similar tainted palate, but not as badly as the Dow. NR.

Smith Woodhouse 1977. Dark red, not as dark as GC but darker than W or G. Fresh cut red plums and red pears on the nose. Nicely balanced mature fruit, sweet and jellied. Bright green tannins grip drily and rather dominate the jellied fruit. Bitter citrus finish, great length. Very good Port. 90/100.

Gould Campbell 1977. Dark - intensely dark - red but with a centre that is still opaque. Black fruit, bramble and pipe ash. Exquisite palate, dominated by the ripe black cherry. Slightly green tannins still sit in the middle of the fruit. Green tannins give a chew to the aftertaste and finish. Long ...

Graham 1977. Dark red, very similar to the Warre. More attractive on the nose with sweet and ripe redcurrant fruit. Elegant fruit, fully expressive on the palate with a lovely acidic structure. Delicious red and bramble finish. Great length. A really fine wine. 92/100. I didn't notice the heat that ...

Warre 1977. Mature but dark red, 70% opaque. Lovely ripe and sweet redcurrant fruit in the nose. Wonderful concentrated fruit, surprisingly youthful with some tannin still on the palate. Some heat on the aftertaste. Long finish of red liquorice. Young, fresh. Delicious. Still needs lots more time. 8...

Dow 1977. Cork fell into the bottle when touched by an Ah-So. Pop and pour. Dark brick red. A little aldehyde on the nose, just a tiny bit of TCA. Some fruit on the palate, then a wave of metallic taint and wet cardboard. Dry core to the finish. Better finish. Much worse later. Yuck.

Could I have your food orders please. Special steaks availability: - Tomahawk (900-1000g) to share £82 - Fillet 230g £46 - Sirloin on the bone 600g £60 - Chateaubriand £86 All include two sides and two sauces If people are sharing then I'll take this into account with the seating plan. Will aim to ...

Search found 15670 matches