1980 Ferreira

[Alex Bridgeman]

Opened 12 hours before drinking, one of the bottles that had been stored upright in the case that Sean recently posted a picture of. The case was quite a bizarre arrangement that I have never seen before. A standard cardboard carton with the bottles upright in the carton - with the carton then being placed into a wooden case!

The wine was a pale rose colour, the colour you would expect of a 20 year tawny. The nose was of brown sugar and golden syrup, very attractive and inviting. The same brown sugar and syrup flavours came through distinctly on the palate and have several layers of tertairy flavours to them. The length was good but subtle. Overall, I was really impressed with this wine. While it fully accept that a 1980 should not taste like I would expect a 1950's wine to taste, I really enjoyed this. 90/100 or 6/5. Drunk 21st February 2007.

[Simon Lisle]

I also enjoyed this port two or three years ago although mine had good colour and what I remember this was very subtle.

[DRT]

Is this from the same case as the bottle that is to appear at the 1980 Horizontal?

[g-man]

Opened 12 hours before drinking, one of the bottles that had been stored upright in the case that Sean recently posted a picture of. The case was quite a bizarre arrangement that I have never seen before. A standard cardboard carton with the bottles upright in the carton - with the carton then being placed into a wooden case!

The wine was a pale rose colour, the colour you would expect of a 20 year tawny. The nose was of brown sugar and golden syrup, very attractive and inviting. The same brown sugar and syrup flavours came through distinctly on the palate and have several layers of tertairy flavours to them. The length was good but subtle. Overall, I was really impressed with this wine. While it fully accept that a 1980 should not taste like I would expect a 1950's wine to taste, I really enjoyed this. 90/100 or 6/5. Drunk 21st February 2007.

that sounds madierized due to heat damage no?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Is this from the same case as the bottle that is to appear at the 1980 Horizontal?

No. I'm not sure what the source will be for the 1980 Horizontal bottle, but it will not be from Sean's rather oddly packaged parcel.

that sounds madierized due to heat damage no?

I don't think so. The peculiar thing about this bottle and the others that came in the same case was the way in which they had been packed. Normally, when you see a wooden case of port you assume that the bottles have been lain down inside it - that the sides of the box are meant to be vertical and the top and bottom of the box horizontal. When this case was opened, it revealed a cardboard bottle box inside it. This box had the bottles standing upright between cardboard partitions. The net result of this rather strange storage arrangement was that the bottles had been stored to mature in an upright position for 25 years.

I didn't find any maderized characteristics, but did find lots of tawny characteristics that I would associate with vintage port with very poor ullage, for example.

Alex

[mosesbotbol]

I also have the same case as Sean. Is that the bottle he gave you on your first visit to Boston?

It's an interesting wine and correct as you described. Not sure I would use a bottle from our cases as the representitive of '80 Ferreira as a whole. It's a fun and unique port for an '80. I feel like each bottle is a crap shoot, but not in a drink or pour down the drain way.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I also have the same case as Sean. Is that the bottle he gave you on your first visit to Boston?

It's an interesting wine and correct as you described. Not sure I would use a bottle from our cases as the representitive of '80 Ferreira as a whole. It's a fun and unique port for an '80. I feel like each bottle is a crap shoot, but not in a drink or pour down the drain way.

The tasting note above is from the bottle that Sean gave me, the first time I came over to Boston.

We should get the chance to try a bottle from a different batch in May. We'll post a tasting note to try and illustrate the difference.

Alex

[Axel P]

So, Alex, you are working ahead on the 80s right now???

I thought we will leave them to May? Looking forward to it,

Axel

[Alex Bridgeman]

Axel,

I drank a bottle of the Ferreira 1980 early last year (2007) but did not post the note at the time. I posted the note a few days ago so that I had something I could link to on the organisation arrangements summary when adding the Ferreira to the list of ports being opened next month. That was all.

I am actually avoiding the 1980 ports at the moment, because of the tasting in May.

Alex