Quinta dos Malvedos: 22nd March 2010

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 21:31 Sun 30 Aug 2009

What? A vertical of Qunita dos Malvedos SQVP with a complementary selection of Graham’s VP.

When? Monday, 22nd March 2010.

Where? The RAF Club, London W1J.

Who?

1. Paul Symington
2. Richard Mayson
3. Ben
4. Jacob
5. Dirk
6. Axel
7. AlexB
8. Derek
9. Tom
10. Christopher
11. Cookie
12. ChrisD
13. AndyV
14. Wolfgang

The Ports: (with thanks to the Symington Family Estates for helping us track many of the more obscure bottles)

1955 Graham
1957 Malvedos
1958 Malvedos
1962 Malvedos
1964 Malvedos
1965 Malvedos
1966 Graham
1968 Malvedos
1970 Graham
1976 Malvedos
1978 Malvedos
1979 Malvedos
1982 Malvedos
1984 Malvedos
1985 Graham
1986 Malvedos
1987 Malvedos
1988 Malvedos
1990 Malvedos
1992 Malvedos
1995 Malvedos
1996 Malvedos
1998 Malvedos
1999 Malvedos
2001 Malvedos
2004 Malvedos
2006 Malvedos
2008 Malvedos (work in progress; may not be the final blend if / when a Malvedos 2008 is produced)

The Bill of Fare:

Pea and Mint Soup

Herb Polenta Cakes, with Asparagus and Cheese Gratin

Carnivorous Option: Steak and Kidney Pudding

Sherry Trifle

Coffee and Petits Fours

Further reading: Quinta dos Malvedos blog.

Original post:

At the 70s or Soixantes tasting, we briefly discussed a repeat of the Quinta de Vargellas single quinta tasting--an idea which I think might deserve some serious consideration.

For reasons concerning the preservation of DRT’s eternal youth, and to ensure the presence of a ’65, such a tasting might be held towards the end of March 2010. It was also discussed that we would combine it with something to commemorate BenR’s birthday but thinking about it now I’m not entirely sure how that would work, unless Vargellas wasn’t the only SQVP to be shipped in 1970. Paris was mentioned as a location, but no doubt somewhere else would be possible, too.

In terms of which SQVP to try, the obvious targets might be Dow’s Quinta do Bomfin or Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos. There seems quite a bit of Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha around, too. A final option might be Fonseca Guimaraens: not a real SQVP but a wine which might deserve a decent vertical.

Part of the reason for posting this so far in advance is that there seems to be very little of the older SQVPs around and some acquisition might be necessary to put something together. That said, I don’t think there is a particular need to aim for a complete vertical, and I think having 2 or 3 Ports from each decade from the 60s to the 90s (as we did at the Vargellas tasting) worked quite well.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received!

GM98 added by DRT on 15 March 2010 following the invocation of Rule 47(b).
16 Mar 2010: The ‟1995 or 1996” now known, according to an email from DRT, to be 1996.

Post by **jdaw1** » 21:59 Sun 30 Aug 2009

JacobH wrote:Paris was mentioned as a location

Ooooh! In which case in I am definitely.

JacobH wrote:I don’t think there is a particular need to aim for a complete vertical

Surely others will also dissent from this manifestly foolish statement.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 22:02 Sun 30 Aug 2009

jdaw1 wrote:
JacobH wrote:I don’t think there is a particular need to aim for a complete vertical
Surely others will also dissent from this manifestly foolish statement.

AHB wrote:We are not trying to pull together "The Most Complete Tasting of Vargellas Ports Ever Assembled"

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:46 Sun 30 Aug 2009

That was then, and I wasn’t there.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 08:50 Mon 31 Aug 2009

jdaw1 wrote:That was then, and I wasn’t there.

Fair enough. I rephrase:

Part of the reason for posting this so far in advance is that there seems to be very little of the older SQVPs around and some acquisition might be necessary to put a complete vertical together. That said, if necessary, I thought having 2 or 3 Ports from each decade from the 60s to the 90s (as we did at the Vargellas tasting) worked quite well.

Any views on the quinta?

benread · Post by **benread** » 09:53 Mon 31 Aug 2009

Personally, I would rather do this at another time as I am very keen to drink 1970 vintage at that exact point in time, being my 40th birthday on 26th March. I am sure we can manage an SQVP vertical without having to ask Derek to contribute one of his precious 1965's.

Of the choices, Malvedos is one I want to try more of personally, only having experience of the (delicious) 1987 so far.

I would like to propose that:

- we make the SQVP vertical a night in February perhaps
- that 26th / 28th March (+/- a few days) is either a 1970 night or bring your birth year night. The latter would of course serve both Derek and I very well!

Post by **jdaw1** » 11:42 Mon 31 Aug 2009

benread wrote:Malvedos

I have 1990.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 21:49 Thu 03 Sep 2009

benread wrote:Personally, I would rather do this at another time as I am very keen to drink 1970 vintage at that exact point in time, being my 40th birthday on 26th March. I am sure we can manage an SQVP vertical without having to ask Derek to contribute one of his precious 1965's.

Of the choices, Malvedos is one I want to try more of personally, only having experience of the (delicious) 1987 so far.

I would like to propose that:

- we make the SQVP vertical a night in February perhaps
- that 26th / 28th March (+/- a few days) is either a 1970 night or bring your birth year night. The latter would of course serve both Derek and I very well!

Perhaps the theme should be "Bring along a Ben or Derek Birth Year Port"?

Paris...hmm. May be a little difficult for me to wrangle. Nevertheless, if that is the consensus decision then I will try.

Post by **DRT** » 23:51 Thu 03 Sep 2009

jdaw1 wrote:
benread wrote:Malvedos
I have 1990.

I have 65, 68, 96 and 98

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 11:53 Fri 04 Sep 2009

I assume, purely from the lack of dissent, there is a bit of a consensus that Malvedos would be a good subject for the a SQVP vertical. I would be happy with that, although I think the only Malvedos I own is some 1998.

As a further suggestion, what would other people think about a Malvedos/Graham double vertical? It might be interesting to compare the SQVP to full blends over an extended period of time. Based very roughly on what has been said here, and what seems to be available elsewhere, a 12-bottle tasting could be something like: 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991*. This could, of course, be extended or reduced depending on suggestions (e.g. I think I am right in thinking that the Graham's '66 is fairly rare and expensive now.)

[* Key: Magenta = Malvedos; Green = Grahams.]

Post by **jdaw1** » 12:26 Fri 04 Sep 2009

Do people see Malvedos as a brand in its own right, like, say Ramos-Pinto, or as a thing that is subsidiary to and typically a part of the brand Graham’s?

If the former, a Malvedos vertical makes great sense. If the latter, a combined vertical would make more sense.

For me, it’s the latter: Malvedos is subsidiary to and typically a part of the brand Graham’s.

Post by **DRT** » 15:43 Fri 04 Sep 2009

jdaw1 wrote:For me, it’s the latter: Malvedos is subsidiary to and typically a part of the brand Graham’s.

Agreed.

Double vertical works for me - but perhaps we should start at 63?

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 23:38 Fri 04 Sep 2009

I also see Malvedos as subsidiary to and part of the Graham brand. A combined vertical could be quite interesting.

Of course we should start with the 1963. The only difficulty will be finding a bottle that is not in a six pack in storage in Suffolk somewhere.

Post by **DRT** » 23:47 Fri 04 Sep 2009

So, I say we make it a round number and start at 1960...

1. We need to find someone with a large cellar who was born in 1960
2. We need to find someone with a GM61 - not easy, but I know someone who is well known in the world of port who was born in 1961 and likes drinking them on his birthday
3. We need to find a GM62
4. We need to find a G63 that isn't in a 6 pack in Suffolk
5. We need Glenn to come
6. I need to get a GM65 out of a 6 pack in Suffolk - or buy another one from somewhere
7. We need at least 10 more

Post by **jdaw1** » 10:43 Sat 05 Sep 2009

The post-war port era really started with 1955: it seems needlessly ascetic to omit such an important vintage.

Post by **DRT** » 11:06 Sat 05 Sep 2009

How many do we need? It seems to me it would be rude to exclude 1926.

Graham 1863
Graham 1865
Graham 1867
Graham 1868
Graham 1870
Graham 1872
Graham 1873
Graham 1875
Graham 1878
Graham 1880
Graham 1881
Graham 1884
Graham 1885
Graham 1887
Graham 1890
Graham 1892
Graham 1894
Graham 1896
Graham 1897
Graham 1900
Graham 1901
Graham 1904
Graham 1908
Graham 1912
Graham 1917
Graham 1920
Graham 1924
Graham Quinta das Lages 1926
Graham 1927
Graham 1935
Graham 1942
Graham 1945
Graham 1948
Graham 1950
Graham Malvedos 1950
Graham Malvedos 1951
Graham Malvedos 1952
Graham Malvedos 1953
Graham 1954
Graham Malvedos 1954
Graham 1955
Graham Malvedos 1957
Graham Malvedos 1958
Graham 1960
Graham Malvedos 1961
Graham Malvedos 1962
Graham 1963
Graham Malvedos 1964
Graham Malvedos 1965
Graham 1966
Graham Malvedos 1968
Graham 1970
Graham 1975
Graham Malvedos 1976
Graham 1977
Graham Malvedos 1978
Graham Malvedos 1979
Graham 1980
Graham Malvedos 1982
Graham 1983
Graham Malvedos 1984
Graham 1985
Graham Malvedos 1986
Graham Malvedos 1987
Graham Malvedos 1988
Graham Malvedos 1990
Graham 1991
Graham Malvedos 1992
Graham 1994
Graham Malvedos 1995
Graham Malvedos 1996
Graham 1997
Graham Malvedos 1998
Graham Malvedos 1999
Graham 2000
Graham Malvedos 2001
Graham 2003
Graham Malvedos 2004
Graham Malvedos 2005
Graham Malvedos 2006

Zelandakh · Post by **Zelandakh** » 11:24 Sat 05 Sep 2009

Derek - was that a suggestion of a list of your cellar where name=Graham?

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 11:46 Sat 05 Sep 2009

Isn’t this the point at which AlexB posts a derisory comment about ‟the largest Malvedos tasting ever”?

Anyway, based on the fact there seems to be some consensus on the theme, I will amend the first post accordingly.

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:41 Sat 05 Sep 2009

Sorry to be tediously realistic, but we are highly unlikely to find a complete set of pre-1890 Graham’s port, single-quinta or otherwise. A sensible boundary would be 1920 or 1927.

JacobH: please remove typo from title.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 06:22 Sun 06 Sep 2009

JacobH wrote:Isn’t this the point at which AlexB posts a derisory comment about ‟the largest Malvedos tasting ever”?

No derisory comment seems needed. It seems that the organisors are well aware of the required level of derision.

However, I do think that it is a little ambitious to attempt to coordinate the largest and most complete tasting of all of Graham's Quinta das Lages declarations.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 16:08 Sun 06 Sep 2009

Hmm...Perhaps jumping back a few posts, looking at the Ports seriously mentioned, the current situation is as follows (using whatever wine-searcher turned up for a guide to prices).
1960: unknown.
1961: either from a notable wine criticÂ¹; or GilesÂ² for £169.97.
1962: unknown.
1963: either from a six-pack in Suffolk; or Fine and Rare Wines for £129.
1965: DRT.
1966: unknown, or from a load of places for £80-90.
1968: DRT.
1970: unknown, or from a load of places for £70-80.
1977: unknown, or from a load of places for £50-60.
1978: unknown, (although there seem to be some halves for £14.95)
1979: unknown, or from Germany for €29.50
1983: unknown, or from a load of places for £40-50.
1985: unknown, or from a load of places for £40-50.
1987: BenR
1990: jdaw1
1991: unknown, or from a load of places for £40-50.
10 more guests: unknown.

[Â¹ Who apparently prefers Vargellas ’61 on his birthday so we may not have much luck; Â² I think that’s his name]

Post by **DRT** » 17:14 Sun 06 Sep 2009

I jusr remembered that I have a 6 pack of 1991 in Suffock.

Axel P · Post by **Axel P** » 17:46 Sun 06 Sep 2009

If it be London and not the 24th or 25th of March I would be happy to provide a tasting at the RAF Club.

Axel

benread · Post by **benread** » 18:25 Sun 06 Sep 2009

I would prefer London too, given proximity to our expected April event! And earlier not later!

Post by **jdaw1** » 20:35 Sun 06 Sep 2009

I have 1963; 1966 (unbroken case in storage so only in extremis); 1977; 1980 (omitted from JacobH’s list); 1985 (only one bottle not in storage); 1990 (cost me £15 each); and 2000 (again, case in storage so only in extremis). And ’27, ’45, ’48, none of which would be cheap.

JacobH: would you object to my fixing the spelling error in the title of the thread?

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 22:17 Sun 06 Sep 2009

Axel, would you be likely to attend such a tasting if it were in London and not on the 24th or 25th March?

Ben, would the 26th be a day to avoid for your point of view?

jdaw, many thanks. Noted above. (The 1980 was missed out as it hadn’t been mentioned as a serious possibility). With any luck the typo should be corrected.

One question which I think we should consider is how much Malvedos should be incorporated. Do we make an effort to track down enough of them to do 50:50 with the normal Graham’s (which could be tricky, but not impossible) or would it be preferable to make it a more conventional Graham’s vertical with a few Malvedos (especially as the quality is likely to be higher)?

Post by **DRT** » 22:47 Sun 06 Sep 2009

Whatever time period we choose I think we should go for the most complete vertical we can muster. That way we wouldn't miss out any surprise gems

benread · Post by **benread** » 04:49 Mon 07 Sep 2009

JacobH wrote:Ben, would the 26th be a day to avoid for your point of view?

For the sake of marital harmony, yes! My preference would be one of the other March dates.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 21:22 Mon 07 Sep 2009

Does anyone live within 25 miles of:
The Imperial Wine Company Limited
7 Trinity Street
Bungay
Suffolk
NR35 1EH
and would be happy to take delivery of 3 (half) bottles of Quinta dos Malvedos 1978?

Post by **DRT** » 21:28 Mon 07 Sep 2009

I have just struck a deal for a Malvedos 1962.

The deal has conditions attached that mean a small sample will be extracted from that bottle and the GM65 to be sent to a non-participant.

As there appear to be no other 1962's available in the world I will assume this is acceptable unless told otherwise.

Derek

Post by **DRT** » 21:30 Mon 07 Sep 2009

JacobH wrote:Does anyone live within 25 miles of:
The Imperial Wine Company Limited
7 Trinity Street
Bungay
Suffolk
NR35 1EH
and would be happy to take delivery of 3 (half) bottles of Quinta dos Malvedos 1978?

AHB, Julian and I all have accounts at Seckford Wines in Suffolk. Alex visits from time to time. I visit less regularly than Alex.

Post by **jdaw1** » 23:15 Mon 07 Sep 2009

DRT wrote:AHB, Julian and I all have accounts at Seckford Wines in Suffolk. Alex visits from time to time. I visit less regularly than Alex.

I have never visited.

Post by **DRT** » 23:17 Mon 07 Sep 2009

jdaw1 wrote:
DRT wrote:AHB, Julian and I all have accounts at Seckford Wines in Suffolk. Alex visits from time to time. I visit less regularly than Alex.
I have never visited.

You should. Your bottles think you don't love them.

Axel P · Post by **Axel P** » 18:52 Tue 08 Sep 2009

Yes, Jacob, I would love to attend. I have a single bottle 78 and Malvedos from 95,96 in full bottles, 90,92,95,98 in halfes and Grahams from 55,63,70,80,85,94,97,00,03 and 07.

Axel

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 21:02 Tue 08 Sep 2009

Axel P wrote:Yes, Jacob, I would love to attend. I have a single bottle 78 and Malvedos from 95,96 in full bottles, 90,92,95,98 in halfes and Grahams from 55,63,70,80,85,94,97,00,03 and 07.

Excellent

I have added your bottles to the summary so we have an idea of what might be available. If we were going to take up your offer and book the RAF club, how far in advance would we have to do so?

Post by **DRT** » 00:30 Wed 09 Sep 2009

JacobH wrote: If we were going to take up your offer and book the RAF club, how far in advance would we have to do so?

Given the scope of this tasting and the suitability of the venue I would suggest you book it now.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 08:40 Wed 09 Sep 2009

DRT wrote:
JacobH wrote: If we were going to take up your offer and book the RAF club, how far in advance would we have to do so?
Given the scope of this tasting and the suitability of the venue I would suggest you book it now.

My concern was committing to a date 5-and-a-bit months in advance, which might cause unexpected difficulties; but if others are happy to do so, then we can certainly proceed.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 09:14 Wed 09 Sep 2009

It might be of interest to note that there is now a blog and section of Flickr devoted to Quinta dos Malvedos.

Axel P · Post by **Axel P** » 09:28 Wed 09 Sep 2009

Jacob,

I would be very happy to book the club in advance. The room/corc fee is very moderate and I believe the earlier, the better. This might be an event to invite someone from the Symingtons as well again as they can give us a hughe background information. So set a date, lets check how many would participate on that date and I will proceed on your green light.

Axel

benread · Post by **benread** » 19:19 Wed 09 Sep 2009

Dates: 26th March and 2nd April are Fridays in the DRT timeframe. 26th is my 40th birthday and 2nd is Easter Friday. I think that probably rules out the latter and I would expect marital discord if I went out on the former. Is a night other than a Friday acceptable? I also note that Axel's birthday is 24th March so this could become a tripple tipple event! Can we now official call it the Grahams / Malvedos birthday tripple tipple?

Post by **DRT** » 21:04 Wed 09 Sep 2009

My preference is a weeknight that is not a Friday.

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 19:53 Fri 11 Sep 2009

Hi Ho,

if still possible I would like to attend as well. Grahams vintagtes I have are 55, 60, 63, 66, 70, 75, 77, 80, 83 and 91. Malvedos vintages i have 90 and 96.

regards
WS1

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 16:06 Sat 12 Sep 2009

DRT wrote:My preference is a weeknight that is not a Friday.

With that in mind, and everything else that has been said, what about the 28th itself?

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 16:07 Sat 12 Sep 2009

WS1 wrote:if still possible I would like to attend as well. Grahams vintagtes I have are 55, 60, 63, 66, 70, 75, 77, 80, 83 and 91. Malvedos vintages i have 90 and 96.

I’ll add those to a list of what’s available, thanks

I was going to wait until we’ve set a date before starting an attendee list.

benread · Post by **benread** » 16:55 Sat 12 Sep 2009

JacobH wrote:
DRT wrote:My preference is a weeknight that is not a Friday.
With that in mind, and everything else that has been said, what about the 28th itself?

I may be misunderstanding this but 28th March 2010 appears to be a Sunday, which I would not normally classify as a weeknight?! 22nd - 25th that week may work? (Monday - Thursday nights).

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 19:01 Sat 12 Sep 2009

benread wrote:I may be misunderstanding this but 28th March 2010 appears to be a Sunday, which I would not normally classify as a weeknight?! 22nd - 25th that week may work? (Monday - Thursday nights).

Opps, sorry, was looking at 2009. Axel can’t do the 24th or 25th, so that would leave the 23rd or 22nd from that week.

benread · Post by **benread** » 07:47 Sun 13 Sep 2009

22nd or 23rd suit me.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 16:27 Mon 14 Sep 2009

benread wrote:22nd or 23rd suit me.

Right, so, in an effort to be decisive, let's go for the 23rd.

If you are interested in attending this tasting, please confirm below. I suggest we worry about exactly who will bring what and how things will work once we have a better idea of what and who is available.

Things currently required: some more Malvedos; about 10 more people.

DrDirk · Post by **DrDirk** » 16:44 Mon 14 Sep 2009

This sounds a great tasting, which I would like to join if there is some space available. Unfortunately I have only Malvedos 1995 which is not mentioned yet and Graham 1980. But perhaps WS1 will sell me some of his Grahams so that I can bring some more of this stuff.

Dirk

Axel P · Post by **Axel P** » 18:57 Mon 14 Sep 2009

Sorry to be such a nerd, but I do have birthday on the 24th so my wife will not give me authorised leave on the night before. Is the 22nd possible as well?

Axel