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A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 23:43 Thu 11 Nov 2010
by benread
Continuing the theme from 2009 (Vargellathon) and 2010 (Grahams vs Malvedos) I have taken it upon myself, in consultation with those also blessed to be an Aries, to start the planning for 2011. With so many vested interests, there is already strong demand, before we even have a firm date!

Proposed theme: Fonseca vs. Fonseca Guimaraens (DRT has a FG 1965!)
Date: tbc, but likely to be very early April (edit: 4th April)
Venue: tbc until date is resolved, but hopefully the RAF Club on Picadilly (edit: confirmed RAF Club)

Attendees:
1. Me
2. DRT
3. DRT's +1 (industry guest)
4. RAYC
5. Axel
6. JDAW1
7. UncleTom
8. AHB
9. Ghandih
10. Cookie
11. JacobH
12. Chris Doty
13. WS1
14. AndyVelebil

Waiting list:
1. Marc J

No longer attending:
1. Christopher G
2. JacobH +1
3. Mrs Ghandih

Vintage availability:
Costs of attending will need to be balanced based on what can physically be contributed, along with the cost of dinner, corkage etc. No idea how this will all work out yet and I will certainly engage the support of others to help work it all out. (DRT please!) To help me work out what line up we could organise, could people PM me what they are willing to contribute or put up for adoption, along with any cost estimates. I will start a post of available vintages to tease DRT and JDAW1 into making this the most complete vertical ever achieved!

Updated 17th January 2011:
We have now confirmed the date (4th April ) and venue (RAF Club, courtesy of Axel again.). Please can you all confirm your attendance (or otherwise) and update me if you have any undeclared bottles of Fonseca / Guimaraens you are willing to make available.

Updated 27th January:
Attendance and wait list updated.

Updated 22nd March:
Attendance list updated.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 23:48 Thu 11 Nov 2010
by benread
A place holder for offered vintages...

Edit 18th January:

We have offered so far:

Fonseca: 1960,1963,1966,1970,1977,1980,1985,1992,1997,2000
Fonseca Guimaraens: 1942 (poss),1962 (poss),1965,1968,1972,1976,1978,1984,1986,1988,1991,1996

A vague plan is emerging to focus on the FG and intersperse them with occasional Fonseca, as we did with the Grahams / Malvedos tasting in 2010.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 00:21 Fri 12 Nov 2010
by DRT
I have Fonseca 66, 85, 97 and 2000 and FG65.

I thought I had 3 or 4 other FGs, but I must had done a KillerB-V94 on them :roll:

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 00:43 Fri 12 Nov 2010
by Glenn E.
If, in your search for FG, you happen upon a stash of FG64 beyond that needed for this tasting, please advise.

1964 is my birth year and very few '64s exist. FG is one, and I would love to aquire more once this tasting has its allotment in place.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 00:49 Fri 12 Nov 2010
by DRT
Glenn,

It did not escape my notice that a bottle of FG64 passed through my hands on its way to Seattle not so long ago. We will, of course, keep watch for more :wink:

Derek

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 02:39 Fri 12 Nov 2010
by RAYC
I have had good luck with reserve lists so far so would certainly be interested in putting my name forward - thanks, Rob

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 10:50 Fri 12 Nov 2010
by JacobH
I note that since Fonseca Guimaraens is not quite a SQVP (the question over Graham's Malvedos notwithstanding), this does not exempt :tpf: from organising a proper SQVP tasting in 2011 ;-)

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 12:10 Mon 15 Nov 2010
by Axel P
Ben,

I have quite some Fonsecas, Guimaraens and Panascals after 1970, which I am happy to contribute. Let me know and I would like to fill the gaps.

Axel

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 21:15 Tue 16 Nov 2010
by Chris Doty
Would love to attend!

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 10:54 Wed 17 Nov 2010
by JacobH
That's two on the reserve list. How many do we need before we do this with Magnums?

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 23:29 Wed 17 Nov 2010
by Alex Bridgeman
JacobH wrote:That's two on the reserve list. How many do we need before we do this with Magnums?
I don't think I have ever seen a magnum of Fonseca Guimaraens!

But if we can get 7 people on the reserve list then maybe it would be worth 2 bottles of each wine...

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 18:17 Thu 18 Nov 2010
by JacobH
AHB wrote:
JacobH wrote:That's two on the reserve list. How many do we need before we do this with Magnums?
I don't think I have ever seen a magnum of Fonseca Guimaraens!
Pff...details :-P

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 23:39 Mon 17 Jan 2011
by benread
Details updated. See first post.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 00:07 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by Alex Bridgeman
I'm still available!

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 00:10 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by jdaw1
First draft of placemats.
  • benread wrote:to tease DRT and JDAW1 into making this the most complete vertical ever achieved!
    So far, we are rubbish and will be going thirsty.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 04:32 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by Andy Velebil
Still planning on attending, baring any major work issues. Looking into flights soon.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 09:47 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by Alex Bridgeman
jdaw1 wrote:First draft of placemats.
  • benread wrote:to tease DRT and JDAW1 into making this the most complete vertical ever achieved!
    So far, we are rubbish and will be going thirsty.
I laughed out loud when I saw the draft placemat for the Fonseca Guimaraens vertical - with 1 bottle of Guimaraens and 4 bottles of Fonseca on it!

Ben - stop teasing us with your second post (the placeholder for the offered vintages) and start to tantalise...we are only 2 months and 13 days away from the tasting.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 10:38 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by jdaw1
AHB wrote:I laughed out loud when I saw the draft placemat for the Fonseca Guimaraens vertical - with 1 bottle of Guimaraens and 4 bottles of Fonseca on it!
Between fourteen people not enough. Maybe Axel can save us:
Axel P wrote:I have quite some Fonsecas, Guimaraens and Panascals after 1970, which I am happy to contribute. Let me know and I would like to fill the gaps.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 13:36 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by benread
AHB wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:First draft of placemats.
  • benread wrote:to tease DRT and JDAW1 into making this the most complete vertical ever achieved!
    So far, we are rubbish and will be going thirsty.
I laughed out loud when I saw the draft placemat for the Fonseca Guimaraens vertical - with 1 bottle of Guimaraens and 4 bottles of Fonseca on it!

Ben - stop teasing us with your second post (the placeholder for the offered vintages) and start to tantalise...we are only 2 months and 13 days away from the tasting.
Rest assured we will not be thirsty. At last count, we have 20+ offered vintages! Will try and update tonight.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 23:08 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by benread
List of possible ports now updated. Costs will need to be confirmed.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011 - 4th April 2011

Posted: 23:23 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by jdaw1
Updated draft of placemats.
  • +Lots of bottles. Hurray!
  • Most bottles missing the name of the contributor.
  • Nothing in the pedants’ third millennium.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 23:26 Tue 18 Jan 2011
by jdaw1
benread wrote:Fonseca: 1960,1963,1966,1970,1977,1980,1985,1992,1997,2000
Fonseca Guimaraens: 1942 (poss),1962 (poss),1965,1968,1972,1976,1978,1984,1986,1988,1991,1996

A vague plan is emerging to focus on the FG and intersperse them with occasional Fonseca, as we did with the Grahams / Malvedos tasting in 2010.
Link to that Malvedos tasting.

For starters I’d be happy to lose the F60 and F80.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 00:02 Wed 19 Jan 2011
by DRT
jdaw1 wrote:
benread wrote:Fonseca: 1960,1963,1966,1970,1977,1980,1985,1992,1997,2000
Fonseca Guimaraens: 1942 (poss),1962 (poss),1965,1968,1972,1976,1978,1984,1986,1988,1991,1996

A vague plan is emerging to focus on the FG and intersperse them with occasional Fonseca, as we did with the Grahams / Malvedos tasting in 2010.
Link to that Malvedos tasting.

For starters I’d be happy to lose the F60 and F80.
I agree. I also think that 1985, 1992, 1997 and 2000 represent too many extremely immature Fonseca vintages.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 00:04 Wed 19 Jan 2011
by jdaw1
DRT wrote:I also think that 1985, 1992, 1997 and 2000 represent too many extremely immature Fonseca vintages.
Surely F85 would be interesting against FG84 and FG86.

On the other hand, it isn’t as if we don’t know what F85 is like. We know it well.

Re: A birthday tasting 2011

Posted: 00:09 Wed 19 Jan 2011
by DRT
jdaw1 wrote:
DRT wrote:I also think that 1985, 1992, 1997 and 2000 represent too many extremely immature Fonseca vintages.
Surely F85 would be interesting against FG84 and FG86.
Yes, it would be. My point was that 4 bottles of immature port spanning only 15 years is too many. One from four might not be too many.