1955s at the B&F on Thu 6 April 2017

[jdaw1]

On Thursday 6th April 2017 we gathered at The Boot & Flogger to taste 1955s, partly for the 55th birthday of James Maitland of Seckford Wines.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1955 Cockburn;
• 1955 Croft;
• 1955 Dow;
• 1955 Fonseca;
• 1955 Gonzalez Byass;
• 1955 Graham;
• 1955 Mackenzie;
• 1955 Quinta do Noval;
• 1955 Offley;
• 1955 Sandeman;
• 1955 Taylor;
• 1955 Warre;
• Placemats;
• Food order;
• Planning and arrangements.

[flash_uk]

Another great evening in good company and with wonderful port! Many thanks to Alex for getting us organised and together with Simon getting prepped on the day. Also thanks to Tom for providing various adoptions.

It was also very good to meet James M for the first time. Thank you James, for giving us a suitable excuse to sit down at a table with 12 1955 ports!

The '55s were all round excellent. Many were very consistent - the words smooth, syrupy, sweet, long aftertaste appeared frequently in my notes. My WOTN was Graham. Pretty much every port on show merited points though.

[jdaw1]

A fascinating tasting. My first Port was in October 1987; my first tasting in early 1988. The oldest bottle there was a ’55. For my whole Port-drinking life, 1955 has been solid mature excellent delicious Port. It has.

The Port at this tasting was excellent and delicious. Almost everything (not so much the Noval) could be drunk, and was drunk, with great pleasure. But “solid”? No, not any more. Many were showing signs of drying out: to move from my palate to AHB’s.

It is as if an aunt, only slightly older than me, remembered from childhood as playful, is diagnosed with an ‘old-person’ disease. Oh, yes, indeed, we are all mortal. We shed our youthful immortality and become at risk. The Vintages, and us as well.

[jdaw1]

Separarately from the previous post, a big thanks to Alex for arranging, to everybody for ensuring bottles were there in advance, and to the wine makers whose excellent product has taken almost 62 years to tire.

[DRT]

we are all mortal. We shed our youthful immortality and become at risk. The Vintages, and us as well.

With the help of my Life Coach, I am working on bucking that trend.

[jdaw1]

[jdaw1]

[jdaw1]

[jdaw1]

[jdaw1]

[idj123]

A wonderful tasting and one I had been looking forward to for quite some time. With pretty much all the 'tier 1' Ports within the line-up (only the Ni missing) this afforded a great opportunity to taste a great vintage and for me, it certainly delivered, with very little to differentiate the majority of Ports on show (as the scoring evidences) with the exception of the Mackenzie (which didn't seem to exhibit the same characteristics as the rest). Some also appeared to benefit from more 'glass time'.

Some suggestion of these being on the wane but if that is so then this is the phase that I have the most marked preference for with a robustness married with elegance and some glorious long and silky finishes. Pretty much all glasses duly drained and in short order!

Food and service all up to the usual high standard as was the company and it was good to meet James for the first time and also see Chris again.