Wednesday 28th April 2021 - Online Churchill tasting with the Port Forum

[Alex Bridgeman]

I’ve exchanged a couple of emails with the team at Churchill and have an offer from them to join us for a live online tasting along the same lines as the la Rosa tasting before Christmas with Sophia.

The proposed date is Wednesday 28th April to allow the delivery of the Q2 Port Club packs to Port Club members.

I’ll limit the number of participants to ensure we can have an interactive session like we did last time.

1. Johnny Graham
2. AHB - 1991 Vintage, Agua Alta 1995, Gricha 2005, Gricha 2009
3. CPR - 2000 Vintage
4. GEE - 1985 Vintage
5. JDAW - 2005 LBV
6. WS - 1985 Vintage
7. RN - Reserve Ruby
8. ZDR - Club Ruby
9. JMK - Reserve Ruby
10. JGH - Gricha 2009, 20YO Tawny
11. ADV (potentially)
12. MPM - 2005 LBV
13. IDJ - Club Ruby
14. SCD - Reserve Ruby
15. NAC - 1991 Vintage, Agua Alta 1995, Gricha 2005, Gricha 2009
16. GEAG - 1991 Vintage, Agua Alta 1995, Agua Alta 1998, Gricha 2005, Gricha 2009
17. PW - 1991 Vintage, Agua Alta 1995, Gricha 2005, Gricha 2009
18. AP - Agua Alta 1987
19. HTWH - Gricha 2005
20. BMHR - Crusted bottled 2006

[CPR 1]

Sounds great yes please

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[Glenn E.]

I'd love to participate, depending on exact time and date. I have a few bottles of the 1985 Churchill VP remaining and could open one for the festivities.

[jdaw1]

Yes please.

[rich_n]

Potentially yes, particularly if this happens after I receive the first bottles from the Port Club membership.

[akzy]

Yes please.

[Justin K]

Yes please but like Rich would you leave it till we get our bottles?

[JacobH]

Yes please. Thank you for trying to organise this!

[Andy Velebil]

If work permits I’d love to, date dependent. Pleas put me in the tentative Group.

[flash_uk]

Yes please

[idj123]

Yes for me too please!

[Doggett]

Yes please

[nac]

Yes please

[Alex Bridgeman]

Potentially yes, particularly if this happens after I receive the first bottles from the Port Club membership.

Good point. I’ll tentatively set this up for Wednesday 24th Feb.

[winesecretary]

yes please

[JacobH]

Incidentally, my first batch from the Port Club was send out pretty promptly and I got it just before Christmas so if you ordered a while ago and haven't recieved anything it might be worth chasing them. Unless, of course, they have said something else!

[PhilW]

Yes please

[rich_n]

Incidentally, my first batch from the Port Club was send out pretty promptly and I got it just before Christmas so if you ordered a while ago and haven't recieved anything it might be worth chasing them. Unless, of course, they have said something else!

I was convinced to join on Wednesday night after a large amount of port and a very very small (almost non-existent) amount of arm twisting.

[JacobH]

Incidentally, my first batch from the Port Club was send out pretty promptly and I got it just before Christmas so if you ordered a while ago and haven't recieved anything it might be worth chasing them. Unless, of course, they have said something else!

I was convinced to join on Wednesday night after a large amount of port and a very very small (almost non-existent) amount of arm twisting.

Excellent. Good work by everyone who was there!

[Alex Bridgeman]

As and when you decide what you will be opening, please say so here so I can help our host prepare.

[PhilW]

Mine will probably be Ch82

[idj123]

I received my first offering from the Port club just before Christmas (and my family in Wales benefited from the complementary offer). Have drunk the 20yr Tawny (which I was rather impressed with) and am in the midst of consuming the Reserve Ruby and so ((and before anyone else jumps in) I will plump for the other bottle in the pack-the QdG 2009.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Please feel free to open the same bottle as someone else.

That makes our host's life much simpler when they come to lead us through our tasting!

[nac]

I have Churchill 91, Agua Alta 95 and Gricha 05 (and the Club 09). As per the de la Rosa tasting might be able to do some samples.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I have Churchill 91, Agua Alta 95 and Gricha 05 (and the Club 09). As per the de la Rosa tasting might be able to do some samples.

Yes please.

Let me know if you need any bottles.

[Doggett]

I have Churchill 91, Agua Alta 95 and Gricha 05 (and the Club 09). As per the de la Rosa tasting might be able to do some samples.

Yea please if you can make it work.

[winesecretary]

If I can access them I have ChAA 98 plus VPs from 82, 85 and 00. If you haven't had the latter, in particular, you really ought to try it. Logistics may be tight but family needs probably require me to do a vulnerable-parent-caring week from 8 Feb in any case so possible. Will report back.

@nac - please send me a link to a source of those sample bottles

[Axel P]

Will be on. I have fairly all Churchill Vintage Ports at hand and surprisingly the Rio 2002 is drinking fantastically well now.

Please add me, Alex.

However since 94 is 94 this might be my choice - or both.

The Club 2009 is also on my death row.

Best wishes

Axel

[akzy]

Thanks for organising Alex. I've just received my Port.Club pack today - seen as though no one has said the 20YO tawny, you can put me down for that.

[PhilW]

I have Churchill 91, Agua Alta 95 and Gricha 05 (and the Club 09). As per the de la Rosa tasting might be able to do some samples.

If you were able and willing, that would be wonderful.

[hadge]

please can you add me to this tasting thanks

[JacobH]

I can’t remember how many of the Port Club bottles are sealed with a t-cork but assuming the ’09 QdG is and the other two are not, I’ll probably coravin the ’09 and open the 20YOT. If the 20YOT has a driven cork, I’ll coravin it too and open the reserve so I can try all three.

Might also see if I can procure something from Bar Douro, too.

Incidentally, Alex, do you know who might be hosting the tasting? I was just thinking that if it one of the younger generation I won’t worry too much about seeking out an older VP.

[jdaw1]

May I reserve a place for the person to whom I gave my gift pack?

[Alex Bridgeman]

I can’t remember how many of the Port Club bottles are sealed with a t-cork but assuming the ’09 QdG is and the other two are not, I’ll probably coravin the ’09 and open the 20YOT. If the 20YOT has a driven cork, I’ll coravin it too and open the reserve so I can try all three.

Might also see if I can procure something from Bar Douro, too.

Incidentally, Alex, do you know who might be hosting the tasting? I was just thinking that if it one of the younger generation I won’t worry too much about seeking out an older VP.

I believe that we will be hosted by Johnny, and will be joined later by Ben and/or Jamie so we will be able to ask questions about the history of Johnny starting the company through to the vision and plans that Zoe, Ben and Jamie are bringing to the business.

[JacobH]

The best of both worlds! We are very fortunate!

[benread]

yes please!

[Alex Bridgeman]

We're now full for this tasting, although I will start a waiting list for anyone else who would like to join us.

[rich_n]

We're now full for this tasting, although I will start a waiting list for anyone else who would like to join us.

Just to remove uncertainty I'll definitely be joining as my pack has arrived. I haven't decided which but I might actually go with the "any time" ruby from the pack just too see how it is and what they have to say about their "standard" port.

[Alex Bridgeman]

The "any time" ruby really does this wine a dis-service. This is a proper, decent reserve ruby - more like a crusted than a stabilized, filtered entry level ruby. You can cellar it for 5-20 years and see it improve. It's a damn good ruby.

[rich_n]

The "any time" ruby really does this wine a dis-service. This is a proper, decent reserve ruby - more like a crusted than a stabilized, filtered entry level ruby. You can cellar it for 5-20 years and see it improve. It's a damn good ruby.

Thanks for the heads up Alex, that's good to know. You've raised my expectations accordingly!

[WS1]

Hi Alex,

can you please put me on the waiting list as I found a bt of Churchill 85 today. Not the bt I was looking to find but at least something.

regards

WS1

[winesecretary]

I pray that we may all one day have cellars like WS1's where the experience of finding a bottle of Churchill '85 is 'Not the bt I was looking to find but at least something'. What a lovely, lovely phrase. And a lovely, lovely cellar. Up there as a TPF classic for me with 'We drank half a case of Fonseca '63 from the same cellar at the same time and they were all different' and 'A Cockburn 1955 Verizontal'.

[Justin K]

Finally got my two packs today from my friend in NI. Must be very disappointing for all those keyboard warriors out there! Not a single thing to complain about, excellent presentation, packaging and, most importantly for some one in Ireland, fantastic value for money. I would reckon if you could buy these Ports here (you can't) that you would pay almost £240 for those six bottles alone. Roll on the next lot. I've sent off a thankyou email to Jamie Graham.
Don't think I can wait 2 weeks!

[CPR 1]

Very much looking forward to this - I will be drinking Churchill 2000

[Alex Bridgeman]

The "any time" ruby really does this wine a dis-service. This is a proper, decent reserve ruby - more like a crusted than a stabilized, filtered entry level ruby. You can cellar it for 5-20 years and see it improve. It's a damn good ruby.

Thanks for the heads up Alex, that's good to know. You've raised my expectations accordingly!

I’m finishing a bottle today, 4 days after opening, and it’s drinking better now than it did when first opened.

[JacobH]

The "any time" ruby really does this wine a dis-service. This is a proper, decent reserve ruby - more like a crusted than a stabilized, filtered entry level ruby. You can cellar it for 5-20 years and see it improve. It's a damn good ruby.

Sounds like a perfect Port for drinking at "any time" to me! Aren't the only Ports which aren't suitable for drinking like that the ones that aren't that good and so are only suitable for drinking when on a tour of the property or as a part of a vertical / horizontal tasting of better Ports?

[Glenn E.]

I pray that we may all one day have cellars like WS1's where the experience of finding a bottle of Churchill '85 is 'Not the bt I was looking to find but at least something'. What a lovely, lovely phrase. And a lovely, lovely cellar. Up there as a TPF classic for me with 'We drank half a case of Fonseca '63 from the same cellar at the same time and they were all different' and 'A Cockburn 1955 Verizontal'.

I once did a 1967 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas matrix tasting. 4 bottles - English bottled in 1969, Oporto bottled in 1969, English bottled in 1970, and Oporto bottled in 1970. It could have been a much larger tasting, too, but I did not try to collect all of the possible English bottlers. That seemed excessive at the time, but the decision now seems to have been a poor one.

Perhaps I should re-start that collection and try again.

[winesecretary]

Somewhat in the vein of WS1, I shall be drinking ChAA 1998 on Wednesday 24th. Couldn't locate my case of 2000 VP in the limited time available to me before travelling back to town today. #firstworldproblems

[Alex Bridgeman]

May I reserve a place for the person to whom I gave my gift pack?

Could you let me know who that is?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Please could those of you who have yet to decide what you will be opening decide and advise me of your decision 5pm on Wednesday 17th Feb. I'd like to give the team at Churchill's a week to prepare for us. Thank you.