1980 Horizontal - Wokingham - 20 May 08

[DRT]

Links:

• Arrangements;
• Blinded Placemats;
• Un-blinded Placemats;
• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1980 Cockburn LBV;
• 1980 Dow;
• 1980 Ferreira;
• 1980 Fonseca (in Bottle);
• 1980 Fonseca (en Magnum);
• 1980 Graham’s;
• 1980 Hutcheson;
• 1980 Noval Nacional;
• 1980 Offley Boa Vista;
• 1980 Smith Woodhouse (in Bottle);
• 1980 Smith Woodhouse (in Halves)
• 1980 Taylor;
• 1980 Warre.

[/quote]

[DRT]

We would post something meaningful and lucid, but we're still imbibing but unable to drive legally. More will follow tomorrow.

[g-man]

How bout a title for this tasting?

"The 80s that even Billy Idol would be proud of" ?

[DRT]

Derek has now just had too much and can't take the pace. 14 bottles of port between six of us has proven too much for poor Derek. He has retired with reasonable fortitude having emptied all but one of his drinkable glasses.

Only Julian and I left now...

Alex B, taking advantage of Derek having left his PC on the tasting table

[Andy Velebil]

Make sure you put a bottle next to Derek and take a pic of sleeping beauty

[g-man]

And then there were 5..

[RonnieRoots]

Wake up lazy buggers! I want to read the stories, and see those pictures.

[DRT]

Most of us are awake now, just JDAW keeping us frm our breakfast.

(AHB increasing DRT's post count)

[Andy Velebil]

Most of us are awake now, just JDAW keeping us frm our breakfast.

Just throw a bucket of cold water on his face, that'll wake him up

[jdaw1]

Sorry about that team. Body-clock a bit muddled from the flight and drinking port until dawn.

[uncle tom]

I surfaced at around 6.30am, before taking an extra hour, but did have the advantage of spending some time comatose at the table. Julian surfaced at the crack of noon..

I have never previously been able to pin a specific 'signature' on the '80 vintage, and I'm not a lot the wiser now; but several of the wines had detectable traces of the higher alcohols (butanol?) - but not to the extent of being a major problem.

Winner of the night in my book was the Dow, although I talked myself into reckoning it was the Graham. (Some thought the best wine was the Ferreira)

Second on my list, and widely applauded was the Offley. Third was a Smith Woodhouse (from a bottle) Alex also included a decanter of SW drawn from two halves, which was much less impressive.

Warre and Graham also showed very well.

Worst wine of the night was a horribly pale and decaying Hutcheson.

Surprise of the night was the Nacional. It was the second palest wine of them all, and had me completely stumped as to its identity. My notes were confined to a single word 'coarse' It was not obviously faulty, but was in no way a premium wine.

Of the fourteeen decanters, I correctly identified four, one more than our efficient host, Alex B, and four more than someone who will remain nameless..!

Tom

[jdaw1]

Of the fourteeen decanters, I correctly identified four, one more than our efficient host, Alex B, and four more than someone who will remain nameless..!

This paragraph is inaccurate.

Score me three: Fonseca magnum twice, and the Hutcheson, a bottle of which I had sampled less than a month before.

[jdaw1]

First, and most important, a big thank you to our excellent host. Despite having multiple family commitments to handle, everything was organised, was to hand, and to hand in ample quantities. Great job Mr B.

Next I should praise the mathematics, and especially the division. “Fourteen bottles divided by six people is, err, about one and a quarter bottles each†, Derek T and I reassured each other. Derek even computed that a sixty-quid fillet for one person is about twenty-five quid a head. What could go wrong?

[DRT]

Another fantastic off-line. A big thanks is due to AHB for his generous hospitality.

I was mightily releaved when Tom fell asleep at the table as I meant I wouldn't be first! I managed to be 4th to bed out of 6 which is possible a PB for me

Wine of the night for me was Dow followed by Graham and Taylor. Lots of other good showings, including the Offley, Ferreira, Warre and Smith Woodhouse.

The Nacional was disappointing. When I decanted it in the morning it was as hot as the fires of hell but this had blown off by evening. If there was any left it will be interesting to read AHB's follow-on TNs once it has had more air time. That said, it was a very light colour compared to the star performers on the night which suggests it is perhaps already going downhill.

I scored 1 out of 14 on the blind tasting. I got the Dow.

It was great to meet Axel for the first time and, as always, it was good fun spending time with the die-hards.

When's the next one?

Derek

[DRT]

Next I should praise the mathematics, and especially the division. “Fourteen bottles divided by six people is, err, about one and a quarter bottles each†, Derek T and I reassured each other. Derek even computed that a sixty-quid fillet for one person is about twenty-five quid a head. What could go wrong?

I just tried both of those divisions on my special calculator that i use to work out the true cost of port related purchases and both were entirely accurate.

[KillerB]

I got 1 1/2 as I called the Dow "Dow or Taylor".

Another shout out for the extravagantly good host and his genetically modified children. Organisation was immaculate and the fillet was a brilliant move. It should also be noted that six of us got through a 6lb box of mushrooms to go with the 6lb fillet of beef.

The Ports were surprisingly good for a non-stellar vintage and the OBV and Ferreira were especially surprising. Taylor, Fonseca and Nacional were all down the list for once with the Nacional a very long way down. Graham, Dow and Warre all stood up extremely well. Pleased about the Dow as some are heading my way, should be able to get more Warre. I will now be looking around for the Offley, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[DRT]

It should also be noted that six of us got through a 6lb box of mushrooms to go with the 6lb fillet of beef.

Just to be clear, that is half a pound of fillet and a quarter pound of mushrooms each. Portions that in no way could be considered excessive.

[Overtired and emotional]

Congratulations on a great night, but are you going to tell Dawn Primarolo how many units of alcohol you consumed? Sounds like more than 5 a day.

[DRT]

Congratulations on a great night, but are you going to tell Dawn Primarolo how many units of alcohol you consumed? Sounds like more than 5 a day.

It was exactly 4.9 units each

[uncle tom]

How DID we get through all those mushrooms??

Tom

PS: It was admitted last year that the 'units' system for alcohol consumption has no scientific basis whatsoever. It was no more than 'inspired guesswork'.

[Andy Velebil]

Tom,

According to my cellar tracker software, a "Unit" is one bottle of Port (750ml). So if the doctors say 2 units a day is good for you, we are all golden

[Overtired and emotional]

Now, if Andy can convinve Her Majesty's Government that a unit equals a bottle, then we are not just golden, we are FREE!

Drinkers of the world unite. you have nothing to lose but your chains!

[Conky]

Are we getting close to a summary of events, and maybe some pictures?

I'm all eyes an ears...

[jdaw1]

Are we getting close to a summary of events, and maybe some pictures?

I hope that comments are not being delayed just so that some other publication with a longer lead time gets an exclusive. This audience wants timely reportage.


Alex kindly provided for lunch a pork pie. New York lacks pork pies, so I really miss them. Then an afternoon nap. I declined the beer, and whilst others had a preliminary pint, with Axel heated the BBQ.

A fantastic steak. Filet. Sampled uncooked, clearly great meat which needed no cooking at all. Alex K and I had the rarest, others requiring a little more heat. With chips, and something else I have forgotten.

So, on to the most blind tasting I have ever attended (thus I have learnt how to organise that such that not even the organiser knows which is which). 1980 is a most muddled vintage. Great names like Nacional and Fonseca made middling port, whilst Ferreira and Offley made stonking good drinks. Very educational.

Tom Archer fell asleep at the table, and when woken by a camera flash, was persuaded to retire. AHB and I were still drinking at dawn, the former managing to wake by 7am. Crack of noon for me.

[jdaw1]

There was also an entertaining snafu with the placemats. They had been printed double-sided: not quite obvious how that would work. So at the last moment a new set, with numbers up to 14 rather than 11, on A4, and single-sided, were made and printed.

[KillerB]

Breakfast is missing.

Derek and I wandered out to Morrison's to get some extra supplies as there patently wasn't enough food for six people - only three packs of bacon, two packs of sausages, 18 eggs, tomatoes, the remaining mushrooms and some bread. We went to get another loaf, three black-puddings and a haggis plus some proper coffee.

Derek proceeded to weld much of these to various pans, whilst I tried to make real coffee in a house with no coffee facilities and not even a tea strainer. The Mellita filters which were so rubbish for Port proved to be considerably worse with hot liquids.

As I completed by sauteeing the mushrooms and turning a dozen eggs into soft-scrambled versions we sat down to breakfast at about 12:15. Excellent it was too.

[uncle tom]

Excellent it was too

Indeed - Derek seemed perfectly in his element as he dominated the stove, with three gas rings in full flame...

Tom

[jdaw1]

Breakfast was indeed most excellent, haggis being a splendid idea, and improving of my colour.

[RonnieRoots]

Sound like a blast. I'm glad all of you survived.

Pleased about the Dow as some are heading my way, should be able to get more Warre. I will now be looking around for the Offley, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

KB: If you do find one of these, and are in need of someone to share a case with, please count me in.

[jdaw1]

Please could people feel encouraged to post that which passes for their tasting notes.

[Conky]

1980 is a most muddled vintage. Great names like Nacional and Fonseca made middling port, whilst Ferreira and Offley made stonking good drinks. Very educational.

Don't you feel that's the general rule of most years. Very inconsistent. Often confusing, but great fun.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've finally got a few minutes to try and catch up with things, having typed up my tasting notes and I reproduce those below. However, I do intend to write this tasting up for the fun it was so please could anyone who has photos of the evening send them over to me to help with the write up.

It was fun to host everyone and to be able to run arond franticlly keeping my family commitments while leaving others to do all the cooking.

The ports were generally very enjoyable and even the weak ones were still eminently quaffable. I'm supping gently on the Cockburn 1980 (Cockburn did not make a vintage port in 1980, only an LBV) and still thoroughly enjoying it (note that it has been kept in the fridge since Tuesday).

So here are my notes, in the order that the wines were served - and I totally failed to identify any of them or the two glasses from the Fonseca 1980 magnum!

Graham 1980
Deep red, glowing colour with a centre that is just transparent. Nose is closed with some tones of orange over the heat. Hollow entry that thickens in the middle. Terrific mid-palate with lots of development and more and more oranges coming through. Length is good, but slightly short for perfection. Spicy start to the aftertaste, but this fades quickly. May be better with more time in the glass or decanter. 88/100.

Dow 1980
Very deep red colour with a solid and opaque centre. Rich blackcurrants on the nose that get more pronounced as you swirl. Tannic still in the mouth, still very young, solid and powerful. Superb complexity and development in the mid-palate. The aftertaste is lovely, and lasts a very long time that remains sticky on the lips dor a good time. A great port that will be better in 20 years. 7/8 or 92/100.

Smith Woodhouse 1980 from bottle
Dark red colour with the centre of the glass just being transparent. Strange nose, a little tight but a lovely minty tone. Thick and sweet in the mouth, with a good tannic structure inside a ripe bramble fruit essence with an interesting pine sap note. Very sweet and with waves of fruit coming through in the mid-palate. Very good length with many phases before it finally fades away. 6/6 or 90/100.

Taylor 1980
A clear red, attmepting but failing to be a dark red, with a transparent centre. Fresh parsley on the nose but a swirl brings sweet redcurrant fruit. Very sweet in the mouth, lovely and soft. Wonderful mid-flavours with so much fruit coming through on the tongue. Very long aftertaste that coats the tongue so beautifully. This port is probably now at the start of its plateau of maturity. A super port. 8/9 or 93/100.

Cockburn 1980 LBV
Filtered style of LBV, bottled in 1985. Red in colour, turning pale orange on the rim. Sweet redcurrants on the nose, livened up with a touch of cloves. Sweet and caressing entry with a gentle collection of mature flavours and just the right amount of acidity to give a great structure. Huge length, with a massive range of flavours and complexity. A very good wine. 6/6 or 91/100.

Warre 1980
Deep centre, still opaque, with the colour holding into the rim. Not too much coming through on the nose but some tones of eucalyptus. Thick and sweet, lovely texture on the tongue and with masses of fruit. Very good length. Excellent wine. 90/100.

Fonseca 1980 from magnum
From magnum. Light in colour, not an intensely coloured wine, very clear centre, very pale rim. Enormously minty nose - almost Taylor-like. Underneath all the mint are some ripe, red raspberries. Sweet and elegant with terrific poise, keeping its redcurrant sweetness and plumminess all the way through the mid-palate. Very pronounced, long lasting and extremely enjoyable aftertaste. 92/100.

Offley Boa Vista 1980
Deep red in colour, but with a clear and transparent centre. Funky nose with a bit of VA, which I can’t really make anything of. Dry entry, still tannic but with the fruit to offset the tannics quite nicely and with plenty happening in the mid-palate. Massive aftertaste that just goes on and on. 93/100.

Smith Woodhouse 1980 from half bottle
From 2 half bottles. Light red colour, but still distinctly red rather than paling to any shade of orange. Bottle stink all over the nose and not enough time to allow it to blow off in the 12 hours we took for the tasting. Light in flavour with stewed fruits dominating. Not rated. (24 hours after the tasting, the bottle stink had blown off and the port was much improved.)

Quinta do Noval Nacional 1980
Light red centre, just a touch darker than the Fonseca of the same vintage. Very open and enjoyable nose with prunes and rhubarb dominating. Mouthfilling entry, developing enormously with lots of orange and roasted meat flavours. Huge start to the aftertaste, which fades away very quickly but stays noticeable for a long time. Really enjoyable for drinking now. 91/100.

Fonseca 1980 from bottle
Served from the bottle, alongside the same port from magnum. Light and very clear in colour, pale pink on the rim. Closed on the nose but does show some sweet redcurrant and sandalwood on the nose. Light but sweet in the mouth, a touch simple in the mid-palate. The aftertaste is dominated by the heat of the wine and some delicate red licorice, but does have good length. 86/100.

Hutcheson 1980
Pale colour and cloudy complexion, this would be transparent and the colour of barley sugar if it wasn't so cloudy. Nosing strongly of VA, with stewed meats, vanilla and oranges. Brown sugar impact in the mouth, with lots of different brown and burnt sugar flavours but with a lovely streak of oranges in the mid-palate. The alcohol is not well integrated, but doesn't spoil the enjoyment. Pleasant tingling aftertaste of decent length with a nice aniseed tone. 83/100.

Ferreira 1980
Good healthy red colour with an orange rim and transparent centre. Woody nose, of fresh sawdust, mixed with delicate rose-hips. Good density in the mouth with lovely elegance but a little hollow in the middle. Wonderful aftertaste with excellent variations and phases during the long length. Very enjoyable and drinking at its peak today. 90/100.

Wine of the night for me was Offley Boa Vista, with Taylor close behind. Lovely for drinking today are the Warre and Ferreira. Disappointments were the Nacional (very weak for a Nacional) and the Graham (which I know can be much better than this bottle).

And final word goes to JDAW, for cooking the steak to perfection; to ARK for bringing goodness knows how many mushrooms; to DRT for burning a very successful breakfast; to Axel for making the effort to call in on his way to Ireland; and to Uncle Tom for making very certain that we had enough decanters to cope with what started as 8 bottles and ended as 14.


Alex

[DRT]

I reviewed my notes tonight and decided that they are so woefull they will add nothing of use so I will refrain. However, I will offer to copy AHBs notes to each on the TNs when I get around to fixing the links. OK AHB?

I did take note of what each person said was their wine of the night. Each person had two votes: best for drinking now and best for drinking when it reaches it's peak. I think these votes were cast prior to the names of the wines being revealed. The results are below:

Name : Now : Peak
Axel : Ferreira : Dow
AHB : Nacional : Fonseca Magnum
KillerB : Ferreira : Offley
Jdaw : Ferreira : Smith Woodhouse Bottle
Uncle Tom : Dow : Dow
Derek T. : Ferreira : Dow

Winners : Ferreira (4/6) : Dow (3/6)

Derek

[KillerB]

I will find my {cough} notes and do something with them. This may involve a certain amount of artistic licence.

[jdaw1]

The dormitory being prepared.

[jdaw1]

Bottles from the 1980 vintage.

[jdaw1]

The table

[jdaw1]

The people

[jdaw1]

Filled glasses

[jdaw1]

The left sheet of glasses: a zoom-in.
1 = top centre = Graham’s 1980;
2 = near-top left = Dow 1980;
3 = near-top right = Smith Woodhouse 1980;
4 = middle centre Taylor 1980;
5 = near-bottom left = Cockburn LBV 1980;
6 = near-bottom right = Warre 1980;
7 = bottom centre = Fonseca 1980 in magnum.

[jdaw1]

The right sheet of glasses: a zoom-in.
8 = top centre = Offley Boa Vista 1980;
9 = near-top left = Smith Woodhouse 1980, in halves;
10 = near-top right = Fonseca 1980 in magnum;
11 = middle centre Noval Nacional 1980;
12 = near-bottom left = Fonseca 1980;
13 = near-bottom right = Hutcheseon 1980;
14 = bottom centre = Ferreira 1980.

[jdaw1]

In this picture of a man asleep at a tasting, is — no surprise there — Derek T.

[jdaw1]

Later in the evening.

[DRT]

Some more photos, many of which are very similar to Jdaw's...

[Axel P]

Back from Ireland, I enjoyed myself on both Islands on the last two weeks.

From my point of view - although I was suffering from a lack of sleep big time - the Dow was the Port with the highest score although not being very close to full maturity. I was one of the Ferreira lovers concerning drinkable now. My scores were:
Grahams 17
Dows 18
SWC half bottle NR due to cork
SWC bottle 17
Taylors NR due to cork
Cockburns LBV NR due to well passed his maturity plateau
Warres 17
Fonseca identical rating 15
Offley 17 (really surprised me that this wine is an Offley - same as with 82)
Noval Nacional 17
Hutcheson 15
Ferreira 17

More soon

Axel

[Andy Velebil]

Great pics, thanks for posting them...although the guy sleeping isn't Derek this time

Hey how come Jdaw isn't wearing a button down shirt...shame on you

[Conky]

Hear, Hear.

No Fashion awards, but looked a good un. Interesting line up of Ports, and interesting conclusions.
That is Jules's F-Plan Shirt. We dont have enough nights like that...

Alan

[KillerB]

Please note the place settings: those with four letter names containing the letters A, e, l and x on one side, everybody else on the other - it worked.

[DRT]

I have copied AHBs notes to the individual TNs and updated the links to include the additional 3 wines that turned up unexpectedly on the night.

Derek

[jdaw1]

My pictures of the bottles are in this thread. Please would anybody else who took pictures of the bottles send me those pictures. Thank you.