winesecretary wrote: ↑05:59 Mon 18 Oct 2021
@ Mike J.W. - I think you'll be impressed with the Niepoort. Best young VP I've ever drunk.
I am curious to try it even though it's young. I have a half dozen full size bottles and a couple of halves. I think I'll try out a half bottle
and see what it's like. I suspect a fruit bomb?
I took delivery yesterday of the Quevedo premium Advent calendar refill pack. The port included is a step up from last years offering with the more basic offerings being replaced by some very exciting ports. One point of note is the new label designs that look fantastic and have some style Indicators for port type and colour. They all look very impressive, as well as very tasty!
Last edited by Doggett on 19:25 Fri 22 Oct 2021, edited 1 time in total.
Doggett wrote:I took delivery yesterday of the Quevedo premium Advent calendar refill pack. The port included is a step up from last years offering with the more basic offerings being replaced by some very exciting ports. One point of note is the new label designs that look fantastic and have some style
Indicators for port type and colour. They all look very impressive, as well as very tasty!
I’ve been expanding my Quinta de Roriz collection. By a strange co-incidence, I ended up finalising two purchases yesterday. One for a case of the 2016 and the 2004. The other for a bottled of believed Kopke Quinta de Roriz 1834 which, if true, will be, by some measure, the oldest bottle of Port in my possession once I pick it up...
I have three 1927 Roriz, bottled by Gonzalez Byass - bought eight years ago, all in good order, but never sampled..
..excuse needed..!
Absolutely. I’ve wanted to have a proper Roriz vertical for a while. There are about a dozen recent vintages from 1991 onwards, although they are made in such small quantities that tracking them down is a bit tricky; I’m about half-way there. I think we would need the full set of them plus perhaps another Gonzalez Byass bottling if we can get hold of it! I think the chances of ever seeing another Kopke one are about zero.
It's not the best producer nor the best year, but I purchased a case of 6 of 1998 Quinta do Passadouro very cheap (chap forgot to set a reserve price at an auction, ended up being around €23/bottle). I think I'll open one this weekend to see the stage in which the wine currently is.
MigSU wrote: ↑15:52 Wed 03 Nov 2021It's not the best producer nor the best year, but I purchased a case of 6 of 1998 Quinta do Passadouro very cheap (chap forgot to set a reserve price at an auction, ended up being around €23/bottle). I think I'll open one this weekend to see the stage in which the wine currently is.
I bought two dozen of the Ps98. Twenty-three have been opened, of which at most six were drinkable with pleasure. Hopefully you will have better luck than that.
The 1994 and 1997 bottlings of anything that came from Niepoort tend to be heavily riddled with VA. I've never had a 1998 Passadouro, but VA would be my concern there as well.
I'm normally very tolerant of VA, but the stuff I've had from 1994 and 1997 has been nearly undrinkable.
winesecretary wrote: ↑20:12 Sun 07 Nov 2021
@ Mike J.W. - you have yourself two absolutely cracking ports there, IMHO.
Thanks. I've had the '92 before and I really, really liked it. I buy it when I can get it at a decent price at auction. I think it's only going to keep getting better for quite awhile. Right now, I prefer it over the '94 Taylor's but that might just be because in my opinion, the '94 still isn't ready.
As far as the '45 Croft, I've read a lot about it, but have never tried it. I'm going to save it for a special occasion. What that is yet, I don't know.
Maybe for my retirement celebration next December.
@ Mike J.W. - For me the Taylor 1992 is not only the wine of the vintage but the best wine Taylor made that decade, and probably a decade either side although some here would probably argue for the Vargellas 1987. The 1994 is definitely behind the 1992 for me. The 1992 was a wine I avoided for years because RPWA had reviewed it well (often a big turn-off in the UK wine world, certainly for those of us who have very 'old world' palates) and then I opened a bottle about two years back and I was just blown away by it.
Croft 1945 - retirement celebration - maybe - on your own, with the door locked on the inside...
winesecretary wrote: ↑21:42 Sun 07 Nov 2021
@ Mike J.W. - For me the Taylor 1992 is not only the wine of the vintage but the best wine Taylor made that decade, and probably a decade either side although some here would probably argue for the Vargellas 1987. The 1994 is definitely behind the 1992 for me. The 1992 was a wine I avoided for years because RPWA had reviewed it well (often a big turn-off in the UK wine world, certainly for those of us who have very 'old world' palates) and then I opened a bottle about two years back and I was just blown away by it.
Croft 1945 - retirement celebration - maybe - on your own, with the door locked on the inside...
Blown away describes my reaction to the '92 as well. I also had it about 2 years ago for the first time. It runs laps around the '94. We'll see if the '94 ever catches up.
You're right, I could get pretty selfish for once when I crack open the '45.
In general, 1994’s have been in a funky phase for about 5-6 years now and are slowly coming out it. So if your comparison of them is from that time frame don’t use it as a reliable set in stone decision. Your opinion of them may just change in due course. Of course, you’ll need to drink lots of it first
@ Andy V - I suspect you may be right about the 1994s having been in a down phase. Next 1994 horizontal is in 1 week, I am happy to say, so we will be able to test the thesis... and, as you also say, one needs lots of comparators. Because of my age I have as much 1994 as any other vintage.
JKristiansen wrote: ↑13:42 Fri 19 Nov 2021
2 x Taylor's Historical collection I
2 x Taylor's Historical collection II
2 x Taylor's Historical collection III
2 x Taylor's 2005 Vintage - Vargellas & Terra Feita (Estates Collection)
Big fan of Graham's - and especially the Single harvest collection
I've not seen the Estates Collection cases before. They look really nice.
On a different matter - have you bought yourself the latest Graham Single Harvest Tawny vintage yet? I'd love to see another picture of your collection of the range of the wines.
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
I don’t know Migules although I can see they have declared fairly frequently since 1960 according to their website: are they popular in Denmark?
Rather alarmingly, after just buying the mixed case from Vintage Wine and Port which included the Messias 10-year-old white, I now have eight different bottles of white Port in my possession: a new record!
MigSU wrote: ↑15:35 Mon 22 Nov 2021
That's an interesting oddity. I've never had any of their wines.
I notice that VintagePort.se says that they were founded in 2015 by someone who is related to the Messias family and sell wines from the Messias reserves. Whilst their tawnies could be a mixture of family stocks, are the vintage ports likely to be straight rebranded Messias bottles?
I realised that an interesting option for a birth-year port to drink with family at Christmas could be a tawny, so when I saw this on VWP I couldn't resist.
rich_n wrote: ↑17:20 Wed 01 Dec 2021
I realised that an interesting option for a birth-year port to drink with family at Christmas could be a tawny, so when I saw this on VWP I couldn't resist.
I just picked up 3 of those also! It's a very nice tawny, I think you will enjoy it.
rich_n wrote: ↑17:20 Wed 01 Dec 2021
I realised that an interesting option for a birth-year port to drink with family at Christmas could be a tawny, so when I saw this on VWP I couldn't resist.
I just picked up 3 of those also! It's a very nice tawny, I think you will enjoy it.
Good to know, if you're singing its praises then I would think I've not gone too far wrong.
I saw the price of the Warre '94 and thought just the same - you have got yourself an absolute steal Mike. If there's more available at the same price, buy it!
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
buying 9 bottles of N31. 
