Search found 194 matches

by M.Charlton
00:36 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Quinta do Noval Nacional
Replies: 7
Views: 2282

Re: 1980 Noval Nacional

Red/orange rim – quite pale. Not much going on on the nose at the beginning, nor at the end of the evening. Unfortunately, I thought that the palate and the aftertaste didn’t have much going on, either, and that they stayed rather hot/acidic for the whole tasting.
by M.Charlton
00:35 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Gould Campbell
Replies: 5
Views: 2004

Re: 1980 Gould Campbell

Probably the second darkest wine of the tasting (Dow #1). The nose was excellent – cherry jam and mint (though possibly a “younger” nose than I’d have expected for a 41 year old wine). Nice and rich on the palate (would certainly have guessed a Graham's if the tasting were blind), and very well bala...
by M.Charlton
00:34 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Smith Woodhouse
Replies: 5
Views: 1987

Re: 1980 Smith Woodhouse

Also a dark red wine (though a little lighter than the Dow and the Gould Campbell) – barely pale at the rim. I thought the nose was muted but that the palate and the aftertaste, both of black cherry/almonds, were pleasant.
by M.Charlton
00:34 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Warre
Replies: 6
Views: 2201

Re: 1980 Warre

Pale red, slightly red/orange rim. The nose seemed a little subdued for my liking. The palate picked up a bit, with red cherries and maybe some orange blossom. I found the rather smooth aftertaste to be over too quickly, though.
by M.Charlton
00:33 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Graham
Replies: 4
Views: 1854

Re: 1980 Graham

Mid red, reddish rim. Very muted on the nose. My notes indicated that it didn’t open up as the tasting progressed. It wasn’t as rich on the palate as I was hoping for – and the palate was a mixed bag overall. Almost no grip. I would really have liked to have tried this with a longer decant time.
by M.Charlton
00:33 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Dow
Replies: 10
Views: 3247

Re: 1980 Dow

Very dark red indeed – the picture on the review of the evening as a whole doesn’t do the depth of colour justice. Huge amounts of youthful fruit remain, and I thought that this was too dominant given the age of the bottle. I wonder what this will be like in a few decades, once the fruit has integra...
by M.Charlton
00:33 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Burmester
Replies: 6
Views: 2203

Re: 1980 Burmester

Tending towards brown, rather than orange, at the rim. I found the nose to be muted (with a slight paperyness to it?). The palate was hot and the dominant flavour like those little red boxes of raisins (with the associated box-like flavour). I was not a fan.
by M.Charlton
00:32 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Offley
Replies: 4
Views: 1816

Re: 1980 Offley

Mid to dark red. The nose was particularly enjoyable – almondy first, red fruit second. Palate was very fine, more almonds with dark cherries, which long continued on the aftertaste.
by M.Charlton
00:32 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Sandeman
Replies: 7
Views: 2164

Re: 1980 Sandeman

Dark to mid red – clear rim. The nose really stood out, and was very fresh and lively (I suspect the accompanying wines amplified this observation). Nice and rich on the palate, with raspberries and fresh red fruit flavours predominating. A slight, if somewhat short, aftertaste of macerated red cher...
by M.Charlton
00:32 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Croft Roeda
Replies: 5
Views: 2027

Re: 1980 Croft Quinta da Roeda

Brown/orange rim. The most bizarre nose ever – I thought that I was drinking from a glass formerly occupied by an Espresso Martini! Clearly faulty, though having said that, this Port would’ve been an interesting start to a Saturday…
by M.Charlton
00:31 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Taylor
Replies: 6
Views: 2050

Re: 1980 Taylor

Dark to mid red. I thought it was a little hot on the nose, but the solid palate of red fruit really and medium length aftertaste won through (if a little drier than I was expecting). P3.
by M.Charlton
00:31 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Fonseca
Replies: 5
Views: 1937

Re: 1980 Fonseca

Dark to mid red. Nose muted. Not much going on on the palate, either. I was left wondering if this wine will it ever come out of its long slump?
by M.Charlton
00:31 Mon 25 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 2013 Quinta do Portal LBV
Replies: 3
Views: 1005

Re: 2013 Portal LBV

With my thanks to George, this wine was very much enjoyed on 21.10.21. Fantastically dark and viscous wine. Purple/red rim – with long purple legs in the glass. Huge levels of fruit on the nose, dominated by black cherries and blackcurrants, with very little heat. The palate was very rich, balanced ...
by M.Charlton
10:36 Wed 20 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1980 Burmester
Replies: 6
Views: 2203

Re: 1980 Burmester

The bottle.
by M.Charlton
10:33 Wed 20 Oct 2021
Forum: Organising Tastings and Get-togethers
Topic: 1980 Horizontal, 20 October 2021, B&F
Replies: 162
Views: 79292

Re: 1980 Horizontal, 20 October 2021, B&F

Burmester decanted at 0845. Unfortunately, the cork failed on extraction. Lots of fine sediment in the filter. A little closed on the nose, but a wonderful colour nonetheless. Hopefully it opens up in time!
by M.Charlton
12:28 Thu 14 Oct 2021
Forum: Organising Tastings and Get-togethers
Topic: 1980 Horizontal, 20 October 2021, B&F
Replies: 162
Views: 79292

Re: 1980 Horizontal, 20 October 2021, B&F

The main for yours truly will be the special order rib-eye, cooked rare, with chips and green beans (and if Béarnaise sauce is available, I would say yes please). If Welsh Rabbit is also available (I think it is an off-menu order), please could I have that as a savoury? Thanks.
by M.Charlton
18:30 Wed 06 Oct 2021
Forum: Reference
Topic: Foot Trodden - Portugal & the wines that time forgot
Replies: 18
Views: 13796

Re: Foot Trodden - Portugal & the wines that time forgot

Alex Bridgeman wrote: 17:37 Wed 06 Oct 2021 Mike - I’ve remembered your book! I’ll be at the B&F between 18.15 and 22.15 tonight.
Thank you, Alex. I will be along later (before 2215) and will be armed with £30.
by M.Charlton
03:15 Tue 05 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: NV Messias Tawny 20YO (bottled 2019)
Replies: 0
Views: 1077

NV Messias Tawny 20YO (bottled 2019)

Not quite as orange in colour as Sandeman 20, but not far off the mark. A lovely colour indeed. Very nutty - hazelnuts and orange peel on the nose. Entry much more dainty than I was expecting (based on the nose), almost like a diluted marmalade mixed with lightly roasted nuts. Grip excellent, and th...
by M.Charlton
02:37 Tue 05 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Cellar diary
Replies: 87
Views: 21921

Re: Cellar diary

October 3rd I wanted to have a look at bottle 828A - a lone bottle of Sandeman '54 - or is it '34..? I've plenty of Sa34 but the '54 is rare and the capsule is a bit ambiguous. I wanted to have another look at the capsule to see if I could era date it. Computer said location code 06J18 - but there ...
by M.Charlton
02:30 Tue 05 Oct 2021
Forum: Organising Tastings and Get-togethers
Topic: Warre's Sesquarcentennial Tasting - Weds 6th Oct 2021 (date confirmed)
Replies: 181
Views: 108791

Re: Warre's Sesquarcentennial Tasting - Weds 6th Oct 2021 (date confirmed)

nac wrote: 15:50 Wed 29 Sep 2021 Have had further contact with B&F.
They're working with supply chain re additional steak choices & will update soon.
More importantly though they've agreed to do Welsh rarebit.
Phew! :P
by M.Charlton
02:26 Tue 05 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Re-corking
Replies: 5
Views: 2009

Re: Re-corking

I think most people who do this (whether professionally or at home) take some steps to reduce the amount of oxygen that is admitted to the bottle when re-corking. This can range from just getting a spray can of something like Private Preserve (a mixture of inert gases) and spraying that into the ne...
by M.Charlton
01:56 Tue 05 Oct 2021
Forum: Reference
Topic: Foot Trodden - Portugal & the wines that time forgot
Replies: 18
Views: 13796

Re: Foot Trodden - Portugal & the wines that time forgot

Would anyone like to split a "2 Book" pledge with me - €30 per copy rather than €38 for a single copy? Yes, I would. OK Mike, you're on. I've done a two book pledge, you can have the second copy. Mike - the books have arrived and they look fabulous. Any idea when / if / how best to get yo...
by M.Charlton
14:11 Fri 01 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Latest buy
Replies: 2103
Views: 889389

Re: Latest buy

Out of curiosity, is there a way other than seepage to determine original release versus late release of the T77? I've seen a few for sale at auction online but never noticed a difference in labeling... The Symingtons usually apply labels in the current format, resulting in quite a few styles for s...
by M.Charlton
14:08 Fri 01 Oct 2021
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Latest buy
Replies: 2103
Views: 889389

Re: Latest buy

Out of curiosity, is there a way other than seepage to determine original release versus late release of the T77? I've seen a few for sale at auction online but never noticed a difference in labeling... The Symingtons usually apply labels in the current format, resulting in quite a few styles for s...