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I haven't read Suckling's reviews, but lets just say IMO he's a little high on a few of them.

I tasted a Royal Oporto sample yesterday, which showed more on the elegant than on the massive-tannic style. Extremely well done though.

Axel

AHB wrote: - Taylors will be making mixed cases available through their agents, containing 2 bottles Croft, 2 Fonseca and 2 Taylor. This was being pitched at the gift market but I pointed out that this was also perfect for the poor modern consumer forced to use offsite storage where the storage company would only hold unbroken and unmixed cases. Perfect for having balanced drinking by the case in 20 years time.

I think that's a great idea for any poor modern consumer, even if he or she is storing them onsite. There's no way that I'll be buying 6 of each of those ports on release, but I might be tempted to buy something like this so that I can have a nice selection available without the commitment of half a case of each. It would be nice to see such a thing from Symington, too. Perhaps one bottle of each of their houses, plus a bottle of this Vesuvio Cristal?

I could see it also working for those who drink a lot of wine but not a lot of Port. They might like a selection of Vintage Port without having to acquire a case of one particular brand.

Andy V wrote:I haven't read Suckling's reviews, but lets just say IMO he's a little high on a few of them.

I agree, Andy

Axel

DRT wrote:

Axel P wrote:Although unconfirmed I was told that I would get a strong support from Noval for my german VP tasting next year. I guess that should mean something, but nothing official yet.

My understanding is that they will declare Noval and Silval but Nacional is not yet decided.

mr. suckling has said that Christian Seely has confimed that no Nacional will be declared this year.

Axel P wrote:

Andy V wrote:I haven't read Suckling's reviews, but lets just say IMO he's a little high on a few of them.

I agree, Andy

Axel

Yes, it appears from his article that he tasted these only once each...a "snap shop" tasting if you will. Hard to do a snap shot tasting of such young VP. You can get a broad feeling, but they can change dramatically over 2-3 days, sometimes better, sometimes not. The Croft is one I'll mention that started out a little slow but totally morphed by day 2 and was even better at day 3. It's also hard as many are still in tank and not yet bottled, so there can be some "tanky" notes that you have overlook as those will go away once they are bottled and settle down.

Andy V wrote:

Axel P wrote:

Andy V wrote:I haven't read Suckling's reviews, but lets just say IMO he's a little high on a few of them.

I agree, Andy

Axel

Yes, it appears from his article that he tasted these only once each...a "snap shop" tasting if you will. Hard to do a snap shot tasting of such young VP. You can get a broad feeling, but they can change dramatically over 2-3 days, sometimes better, sometimes not. The Croft is one I'll mention that started out a little slow but totally morphed by day 2 and was even better at day 3. It's also hard as many are still in tank and not yet bottled, so there can be some "tanky" notes that you have overlook as those will go away once they are bottled and settle down.

to be fair tho, suckling has done this as a full time profession for years. Judging wines from the barrels and sitting down to do 50-100 wines at a time.
I give him the benefit of the doubt as it is his craft and he seems pretty good at it.

G-man,
Not talking bad about him in any way, I totally respect his Port palate. But for anyone, experienced or not, tasting Vintage Port cask samples is not easy at all. Even Suckling admits to that in his article. It's can be very hard or misleading to try these in only one short window. Generally most reviewers in this setting only spend less than 5 minutes per Port evaluating it. Not a lot of time to really get a sense of where it may or may not go. Still useful? Yes, but can often be very misleading. I used the Croft as an example earlier and it was a perfect example to highlight this. The first day I had it it was tight, yet I could tell something was there, but it wasn't giving up a lot. On days 2 and 3 it blossomed into this awesome VP. That's what I'm talking about, and that one example highlights some potential pit falls with snap shot tastings.

Having had more time to read through Suckling's TN's, there are some I agree with and some i don't, which is to be expected. I will defer to others who've said this....wait until you can read several reviews on these before determining which you want to spend your money on. Taking only one persons point of view may turn out to be the wrong choice, regardless of who the reviewer may be.

g-man wrote:

Andy V wrote:

Axel P wrote:

Andy V wrote:I haven't read Suckling's reviews, but lets just say IMO he's a little high on a few of them.

I agree, Andy

Axel

Yes, it appears from his article that he tasted these only once each...a "snap shop" tasting if you will. Hard to do a snap shot tasting of such young VP. You can get a broad feeling, but they can change dramatically over 2-3 days, sometimes better, sometimes not. The Croft is one I'll mention that started out a little slow but totally morphed by day 2 and was even better at day 3. It's also hard as many are still in tank and not yet bottled, so there can be some "tanky" notes that you have overlook as those will go away once they are bottled and settle down.

to be fair tho, suckling has done this as a full time profession for years. Judging wines from the barrels and sitting down to do 50-100 wines at a time.
I give him the benefit of the doubt as it is his craft and he seems pretty good at it.

Amen. Suckling does a very good job at Vintage Port. My only wish would be that he would be able to give the subject of port more attention in WS. Andy's comment really doesn't do Mr. Suckling's experience and tasting skills justice.

Understand I am not knocking Suckling at all, I completely respect his Port palate and his experience, so you need to get that out of your heads and stop trying to create something that isn't there. I've often looked to his scores for my own use in selecting a Port that I've not had before, so I do trust him. What you need to understand though is that a snap shot tasting of ANY VP cask sample can be misleading at times...FOR ANY REVIEWER, me included. Until you've had the opportunity to evaluate cask samples this may seem strange. But ask anyone here who's done so and they will tell you how hard it is no matter what your experience, especially when you've only been able spent a few minutes with a cask sample. Look at Julian's notes, even he states he isn't sure how to take notes on them...here is his own words

I can’t do tasting notes of cask samples. Both because I lack the experience of them, and because palate exhaustion set in after approximately one sample.

I know Julian, he has a great palate, he and I have tasted cask samples together, yet even he states how hard it is to review them. So imagine spending probably less than 5 minutes a glass with this type of wine. That's a small window for a wine that is destined to last for 30+ years no matter what you're experience is.

Check out the Wine Advocate forum (Squires Forum) and Neal Martins take on them. Some of the scores are similar and some are very different than Sucklings...so is he wrong and Suckling right? No way, but each had only a snap shot tasting of them so that is to be expected. Just as some of my notes will be different from theirs. But at least for some of them I had extended tasting experiences with them and saw what changes occurred. Some of my notes and scores also changed as a result of extented tastings with them.

Matter of fact lets look at it this way. If I popped a top notch 1970 XYZ Vintage Port, had one small glass right when it was opened, then wrote that this VP was hot, disjointed, and not very good. Everyone would have a melt down and say something like "of course it didn't show well, you should have decanted it for X amount of hours first and seen it's true potential." Same goes here! Instead everyone is running around like Suckling's notes are king just because he was the first to put them on paper (or computer ). Again, not saying they are wrong at all...just take them and any other snap shot tasting for what they are, a quick overview of a wine that may or may not get substantially better with time.

Andy V wrote:I know Julian, he has a great palate,

I also know Julian, and he doesn’t.

But what you say is plausible: five minutes per port for dozens of ports would be difficult with mature soft port impossible to do well with such youngsters.

jdaw1 wrote:

Andy V wrote:I know Julian, he has a great palate,

I also know Julian, and he doesn’t.

But what you say is plausible: five minutes per port for dozens of ports would be difficult with mature soft port impossible to do well with such youngsters.

I too have seen Julian's Palate and it is quite formidable when it comes to putting down a portly amount of port!

jdaw1 wrote:

Andy V wrote:I know Julian, he has a great palate,

I also know Julian, and he doesn’t.

In that case please send all your bottles to me, I will drink them and let you know how they were

Hey Derek,

arent No 27 and 35 the same or is there really a Romaniera???

Axel

Axel P wrote:arent No 27 and 35 the same or is there really a Romaniera???

Thanks, Axel. Now fixed

DRT wrote:37. Ramos Pinto
38. Ramos Pinot Quinta de Ervamoira

[url=http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=12022#p12022]Here[/url] DRT wrote:Are we going to concern ourselves with the fact that Ramos Pinto is actually Ramos-Pinto?

(Politely pretending not to notice the other typo.)

Besides Suckling and Parker, which other wine critics are worth listening to about Port? Generally I like to read multiple notes on a wine, but unfortunately here in the States Suckling and Parker pretty much corner the market. Stephen Tanzer does a good job with other areas but I dont believe I've ever come across a port note from him. Who else is there? Michael Broadbent? Jancis Robinson? What do you guys use in the UK or those of you elsewhere in Europe?

Alex Bridgeman. He’s not speedy about posting online, but when he does, he is thorough.

Portman wrote:Besides Suckling and Parker, which other wine critics are worth listening to about Port?

Suckling is good, but I'm not sure I'd say that Parker is worth listening to about Port. I'd easily place Michael Broadbent above Parker when it comes to Port.

I'll second JDAW's recommendation of AHB. Alex's notes are thorough, readable, and spot on.

I am deeply flattered, but I would also recommend Roy's notes. I always find them useful.

Derek and I will post notes on the 2007 ports we've tasted, but we are tasting each of them over a 4 day period to allow them to develop properly. Notes will probably start to appear in a couple of weeks - but I will pop a couple of snapshot tastings of Taylor Fladgate wines in the TN database tonight.

Alex

AHB wrote:I am deeply flattered, but I would also recommend Roy's notes. I always find them useful.

Derek and I will post notes on the 2007 ports we've tasted, but we are tasting each of them over a 4 day period to allow them to develop properly. Notes will probably start to appear in a couple of weeks - but I will pop a couple of snapshot tastings of Taylor Fladgate wines in the TN database tonight.

Alex

Thank you sir, I was thinking just the same about your notes...very informative!

I like Mayson a lot, too, but havent heard anything from him about the 07s

Axel

So I guess Vesuvio Capella should be included, too.

Axel

Cappella added; Ramos-Pinto hyphens added.

Quinta do Infantado is declaring, too.

Axel

Quinta do Infantado added.

Dear all,

I just received a fax from Castelinho. They will not declare a VP in 2007.

Axel

Krohn did decide to declare afterall, they wanted to wait to see what would happen with their IVDP samples. I've tasted 49 of the 2007s so far. A unique young vintage with both highs and lows in the mix.

As for Suckling: although no one could say for sure whether he did his tasting blind, in addition to his tastings at TFP and SFE he also did a thorough sit down tasting at The Factory House.

As for Parker: he has not done any Vintage Port since 2000 and will certainly not do the 2007s. Two years ago he appointed Jay S. Miller to be the Vintage Port taster for the Wine Advocate. Pierre Rovani did the '03 vintage ... poorly at that, in my humble opinion. It should be noted that Robert Parker NEVER visited Porto/Gaia or the Douro in the entire time he rated VP. The only time he stepped on Portuguese soil was on his honeymoon, many decades ago and that was only in the Southern half of the country. I am not positive, but I can't think of ANY OTHER region where he was a regular critic of the wines with many years of reviews ... and nary a single visit to see the vineyards from where the wines came from. Seems very odd to me. Of course one can objectively taste the wines, (although he is notorious for not tasting blind) but having no context has to play some part in being more thorough in what is written.

Last but not least, tasting cask samples while staring at the labels is far less valuable (again, in one man's opinion) than doing them blind. Once again, I noticed a vast difference from some of my expectations of what a brand should deliver and how they actually showed, blind. It is humbling and prevents bias which is only natural, even with the very best tasters.

Roy Hersh wrote: As for Parker: he has not done any Vintage Port since 2000 and will certainly not do the 2007s. Two years ago he appointed Jay S. Miller to be the Vintage Port taster for the Wine Advocate.

Oh geez,

there was an article - to yank a paragraph
"a thousand tastings is relaxed as he picks at a bit of smoked salmon and confesses that yes, he likes to eat well, but often on these trips eager hosts ply him with enormous meals that leave him groggy and overfed."

I dont think I want any of my reviews groggy/overfed with smoked salmon in his mouth.

Roy Hersh wrote:As for Suckling: although no one could say for sure whether he did his tasting blind,

Accoring to WS's standards, his tastings should be blind.

In 2007 vintage ports ”“ Part 1 Richard Hemming reported on a recent showing of these exciting new wines made by the three jolly good chaps shown here (left to right) Adrian Bridge of The Fladgate Partnership (Croft, Delaforce, Fonseca, Taylor’s), Paul Symington (Dow’s, Graham’s, Warre’s and more) and Christian Seely of AXA Millésimes (Quinta do Noval). I see that his scores were quoted and credited to ‘JancisRobinson.com’ in Fine & Rare Wine’s vintage port mailout this morning.

The tasting notes below are mine and relate to the much more comprehensive tasting organised this week by The Institute of Masters of Wine of as many new 2007 vintage ports as they could muster, which turned out, amazingly, to be these 42. Probably the most exciting additions to the rollcall of classic ports noted by Richard are the three from Niepoort, imported into the UK by Raymond Reynolds.

Yet even this list of 42 is not exhaustive. Calem seems to have slipped through the net for a start. Yet the total quantity of 2007 vintage port made represents barely one per cent of total annual port production, and is the equivalent of the annual output of just four large Médoc estates.Expect to pay between £100 and £200 for a case of six bottles in bond in the UK. See my overview on this distinctive, sophisticated, almost elegant vintage on May 30. These are the wines for those who wish to lay down wine for a child born in 2007.

These baby vintage ports are listed alphabetically with associated single quinta ports listed just before the principal bottling from the shipper that owns that quinta.Single quinta ports without an associated shipper are listed alphabetically by the name of the quinta.

Churchill's, Quinta da Gricha 2007 Port 16- Drink 2015-25
Looks deeper and bluer than the regular bottling. Fragant and fresh on the nose. A very firm spine, and even slightly spindly on the palate ”“ much more fragile than one might expect. Refreshing with notable tannins but not an awful lot of flesh. Bone dry finish.

Churchill's 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2015-30
Plummy and rich on the nose, Vigorous, slightly pruney on the nose but with marked acidity on the palate.A little pinched at this stage.

Cockburn's, Quinta dos Canais 2007 Port 17 Drink 2017-30
Very dark and lustrous. Black pepper and intensity of fruit on the nose. Fresh and firm ”“ a claret of a port, or do I mean a Dow? Lots of neat, dry tannins but no shortage of flesh. Bracing finish.

Cockburn's 2007 Port 17+ Drink 2017-35
Lush and sweet on the nose. Very ripe front palate attack and then fine, taut palate. Relatively restrained on the finish.Really quite dry.Should be a dependable, slow burner.

Croft 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2020-30
Very bright, deep crimson.Smells almost overripe! Some burnt notes and even a hint of oak (can that be..?) and only then settles down into the tannic depths.Extremely youthful and unformed at this stage with, apparently, lots of disparate elements. Note of greenness on the finish.Not sure about this one. The oddest wine of the vintage?

Delaforce 2007 Port 16.5+ Drink 2013-20
Much fresher and more integrated on the nose than its stablemate Croft.Sweet, straightforward and then rather marked acidity and slightly light (for a vintage port) structure on the finish,

Dow's 2007 Port 18 Drink 2020-35
Very dark and brooding to look at. Dry and complex with some notes of vegetation on the nose. Really rather polished and superior. Masses of extract, not an awful lot of sugar, but refinement and breed. If it were a person it woulddefinitely be a man. In a pin striped suit (as this taster is today, funnily enough).Clean peppermint finish.

Ferreira 2007 Port 17 Drink 2020-30
Prunes and undergrowth on the nose.Definite dried vegetation: dried grass or leaves. Masses of tannin ”“ as though it’s determined not to be dismissed for being too simply fruity!

Fonseca 2007 Port 18 Drink 2020-35
Looks much more evolved and indeed smells much more open than one might expect.Very luscious, with a hint of cough medicine and masses of ripe fruit, though no specious sweetness.Lots of tannin on the finish.I suspect if I were tasting this blind I might not be quite so indulgent and might wonder about what is tying everything together in the middle. Very dry finish, very open, loose start. Later: But I went back after an hour or so and can see that this is a very dramatic wine, not playing safe at all.Very tannic finish.

Gould Campbell 2007 Port 17 Drink 2017-30
Scented, fine boned, rather a pretty wine. Not desperately intense but very nicely balanced with a dry, peppery finish and fine tannins not unlike sandpaper.

Graham's 2007 Port 18+ Drink 2015-35
Blackish purple. Very rich and spicy and immediately attractive and rather luscious on the nose. Violets, liquorice and very flattering. Round and extremely fruity ”“ so much less obviously tannic and dry than many.Is there enough tannin here? It’s certainly very well hidden! Literally gorgeous now but I wonder how it will age?Again, as with Fonseca, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that it has been made to age and that underneath all that voluptuous fruit is enough tannin for a long life. Certainly persistent.

Quinta do Intifado 2007 Port 16 Drink 2013-20
Lightish, clarety nose. Good balance but no great intensity.Redcurrant fruit. Very pleasant but a little spindly.Dry, almost rasping, finish.

Martinez 2007 Port 16+ Drink 2013-20
Dark crimson. Intense colour and very slightly woody nose. Relatively lightweight with marked acidity and pretty chewy tannins. I suspect this may always be a bit of wimp although there’s nothing actively unpleasant about it. Rather dry end.

Niepoort, Broadbent 2007 Port 17.5 Drink 2020-30
A joint venture with Bartholomew Broadbent, son of Michael, for the US market. Very bright crimson/ruby. Full, broad and very voluptuous. Really rather the opposite of Michael Broadbent! Though there is marked pepperiness on the finish.The shape of this port is quite different from most: tadpole ie fat at first and then narrowing to tightness. Certainly much tighter than the regular Niepoort bottling. Intriguing.

Niepoort, Pisca 2007 Port 17.5+ Drink 2015-32
This should have been a single quinta port but Dirk N didn’t get round to registering it as such.Not quite such a dark crimson as the regular bottling. Very distinctive herbal nose ”“ seems quite different from most ports. Some full-blooded appeal on the nose. Very sweet and fat on the front palate ”“ then rather floral.Then very deep throated appeal on the finish.Not desperately tannic but chock full of nuance and flavour. Just a bit lighter and looser than the regular bottling. Very delicious.

Niepoort 2007 Port 18 Drink 2020-38
Mid crimson, not the bluest by a long chalk. Fragrant with some black pepper and then extremely luscious at first with an impressive register of ripe tannins closing in on the finish. Real velvet glove with an iron fist hidden inside. Complex, different wine that has admirable freshness rather than being formulaic. Full of life.Rather playful.

Quinta do Noval, Silval 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2013-20
Rich spicy nose and some fairly lean raciness on the palate. Lots of freshness but no great lusciousness or intensity.A pick me up port?

Quinta do Noval 2007 Port 18 Drink 2020-40
One of the darkest of the 2007s. Limpid and luscious-looking, Very sweet and ripe with some spice ”“ cinnamon? All-enveloping and one of the sleekest and smoothest in terms of texture.The acid and then tannins creep in on the finish but this is a bit of a standout in terms of its dry energetic finish. This gives the impression of polished leather ”“ not one of the sweetest on the finish.A palate scrub of a wine. Distinctive.

Offley BV 2007 Port 17 Drink 2014-20
Blood red and very polished. Sweet and flattering with the acid and tannin just intruding on the finish ”“ not unlike a turbo charged Napa Cabernet! There just doesn’t seem to be masses of complexity or depth in the middle but it’s a good effort,

Quinta de Passadouro 2007 Port 16 Drink 2014-20
Brownish tinge. Less intense than most.Lively and almost doing cartwheels but not really deep or rich.Just a little scrawny on the finish.

Pintas 2007 Port 17 Drink 2016-25
From Wine & Soul. Bright purplish crimson. Floral with violets -very Touriga Nacional it seems to me.Smells almost like a varietal table wine!And in terms of density it’s a little more transparent and simpler than the greatest 2007s although it seems a bit more confident than many of these ports.Dryness on the finish dominates a bit. Good effort but I’m not sure it has the stuffing for a very long life.

Poças, Quinta de Santa Barbara 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2015-25
Light, peppery, hint of pickled vegetables (might go down well in Korea?). Very lush and sweet with dry oak tannins on the front ”“ as though some new wood might have been used for this?! Different and dramatic though the opposite of classic.

Poças 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2015-25
Blackish ruby, A little muddy on the nose,Very sweet start with a hint of liquorice, then marked fine tannins ”“ extremely embryonic,A little bit awkward and uncertain.

Quinta do Portal 2007 Port 17 Drink 2015-28
Very dark purple. Scented and complete. Very sweet start ”“ extremely flattering.Round and then a dry finish with lots of drama on the mid palate. Pretty damn flashy!Though not as deep flavoured and complex as some.

Quarles Harris 2007 Port 17.5 Drink 2015-25
Dark crimson. runey, superripe nose, Very very flattering and ripe and sumptuous ”“ almost like a syrup!Thick and rich.This should wow lots of tasters in the early to mid term.Fine tannins tucked in on the finish. Not hot at all ”“ really quite impressive.

Ramos Pinto, Quinta de Ervamoira 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2020-30
Putty and minerals on the nose. Lively and positively quivering with masses of acidity and rather awkward treacly fruit before the kick of tannin.Not the most classic style! But it makes a splash. A little bit too tannic for the fruit intensity? Extremely dry finish.

Ramos Pinto 2007 Port 17 Drink 2017-30
Very dark crimson.Exciting, well balanced liquorice notes on the nose. Lots of ripe fruit ”“ rather like stereotypical ‘Portuguese port’ ”“ and then rather awkward acidity and fine tannins.Somehow more like a revved up table wine than a calm, well balanced vintage port. Wood shavings on the finish. This wine nearly made it to a higher score but not quite.

Real Companhia Velha 2007 Port 16.5- Drink 2015-25
Very dark. Sweet and plummy on the palate. Rather flashy and beguiling but without much in the middle.Reminds me of one of those sweet Saperavis from Georgia.

Quinta da Romaneira 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2012-20
First vintage from the posh hotel with which Christian Seely of Noval is associated. Heady and luscious and full of charm.Very sweet with acidity and some relatively light tannins added almost as an afterthought. Definitely belongs to the single quinta school rather than classic vintage port.Very dry finish ”“ almost gawky. A shame as the nose is stunning.

Quinta de Roriz 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2013-20
Hint of evolution at the rim. Hint of overripeness on the nose.Very very sweet but just a bit too lush.Not really the depth of a vintage port. A little awkward and stringy on the finish,

Royal Oporto 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2010-18
Dark purple. Scented, polished nose.Sweet and gentle and awfully friendly already ”“ like liquefied chocolate covered prunes. Lovely stuff for the short term but is it real vintage port..? A bit short and sinewy.

Rozès 2007 Port 16 Drink 2013-18
Chestnut crimson colour. Scented and sweet but a little bit flabby, relatively speaking.Acceptable but only at half cock really,

Sandeman 2007 Port 17 Drink 2018-30
Healthy colour and lovely dry finish ”“ superior stuff with great vigour after a series of rather more humdrum samples, although oddly dry on the end.

Smith Woodhouse 2007 Port 18- Drink 2016-30
Firm smoky and liquorice with a hint of tar. Serious stuff. Nice fresh fruit and really rather luscious.. Exciting tingle on the palate. There’s a great beginning, middle and end to this wine.Zesty but rewarding,Bravo!Maybe not for the very long term but great balance for the medium term.

Taylor's, Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha 2007 Port 18- Drink 2015-30
Not especially dense or blue as a colour. Heady, plummy, very flattering nose.Spicy, beguiling ”“ rather more transparent than the regular Taylor’s.Interesting and rather intellectual.This demands attention and has notably supple tannins.

Taylor's 2007 Port 18+ Drink 2020-40
Serious stuff ”“ just the merest hint of cheesiness but real complexity and almost rough tannins ”“ hurly burly ”“ at this stage.Very vibrant and positive with great length. This wine certainly doesn’t follow any formula.Dry ”“ yes, porty ”“ finish.Grown up stuff.Sophisticated and a bit wild.

Quinta Vale D. Maria 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2018-25
Bright purplish crimson. Drier than most ”“ like a lush table wine almost.Lively and a bit sinewy.Lacking flesh ”“ a little anorexic.Taut. Very dry and rather unsatisfying end.

Quinta do Vale Meão 2007 Port 17.5- Drink 2015-25
Dark, rich and not so dissimilar to Quinta Vale D. Maria 2007 tasted immediately before it but with a bit more stuffing.Interesting, herby ”“ non classic.More like souped up table wine but very satisfying and well balanced,

Quinta do Ventozelo 2007 Port 16.5 Drink 2014-20
Slightly cheesy nose,Rather open textured ”“ lots of nice ripe fruit but not real intensity.A bit awkward and inky on the finish. A little bit more ripe fruit on the mid palate please! Finishes very dry.

Quinta do Vesuvio 2007 Port 17.5+ Drink 2016-30
Vibrant purple. Very lush and almost rudely fruity.Lots of interesting dry tannins and herbs on the finish.Obviously very much a terroir wine.Lovely long finish.

Quinta do Vesuvio, Capela 2007 Port 17.5 Drink 2016-30
Special very small production from this Symington-owned quinta (pictured).Very dark.Hint of treacle on the nose. Very round and actually a little lighter than the regular bottling.Great edge and attack and lots of sweetness but not as dense as the regular bottling ”“ though there is more obvious tannin on the finish.I imagine this is more expensive than the regular Quinta do Vesuvio but I’m not quite convinced by its superiority?

Warre's 2007 Port 18 Drink 2020-35
Liquorice and richness on the nose.Lots of spice and sweetness and very complete. Perhaps the wine closest to classic vnitage port of all the 42 wines tasted here. Biding its time, all in place.Not at all showy.Dry finish.Great balance and integration.

I don't know if everyone interested in is aware that Richard Mayson has TNs of the 2007 VP on his website. Here is the link. http://www.richardmayson.com/Port_Notes/
Apologies if redundant.

Michael

thanks Michael I for one had not spotted that

Krohn actually declared both Retiro Novo and Krohn. As well did Vista Allegre and Valle Longo declare.

Axel

As it seems, Cachao will not be declared. I just received samples from Messias.

Derek, please remove from list

Axel

Last in the list so far: Borges

Axel

Dalva declared, too.

Axel

The ones I've tried (some are already listed in this thread):

Croft
Martinez
Quinta do Vale Meão
Smith Woodhouse
Sandeman
Niepoort Pisca
Gould Campbell
Broadbent (produced by Niepoort)
Valle Longo (produced by Vallegre)
Magalhães (produced by Quinta do Silval, not to be confused with Quinta do Noval's Silval brand)
Porto Rocha
Dow
Vista Alegre (produced by Vallegre)
Quinta do Portal
Quinta do Vesuvio Capela
Niepoort
Croft (tasted this one twice)
Taylor
Graham
Warre
Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha
Fonseca
Duorum (I don't recall the producer off the top of my head... the label was hand written)

I understood that Niepoort Pisca will only be bottled next year. Does anyone have anymore information as to the what and why of this different type of ageing?

About a dozen ports added to the list:

1. Andresen
2. Barros
3. Berry Brothers (stated as a special blend made specifically for them by Peter Symington)
4. Borges
5. Broadbent (may be a special blend by Niepoort)
6. Burmester
7. Churchill
8. Churchill Quinta da Gricha
9. Calem
10. Cockburn
11. Cockburn Quinta dos Canais
12. Quinta do Crasto
13. Croft
14. Dalva
15. Delaforce
16. Dow
17. Duorum
18. Ferreira
19. Fonseca
20. Gould Campbell
21. Graham
22. Quinta do Infantado
23. Kopke
24. Krohn
25. Krohn Quinta do Retiro Novo
26. Quinta das Lamelas
27. Magalhaes
28. Martinez
29. Maynard
30. Messias
31. Morgada de Calcada
32. Niepoort
33. Niepoort Pisca
34. Quinta Nova da Nossa Senhora do Carmo
35. Quinta do Noval
36. Noval Silval
37. Offley Boa Vista
38. Quinta do Passadouro
39. Quinta da Pedra Alta (2,067 bottles produced)
40. Pintas
41. Pocas
42. Pocas Quinta da Santa Barbara
43. Quinta do Portal
44. Pousada
45. Quarles Harris
46. Quevedo
47. Ramos-Pinto
48. Ramos-Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira
49. Real Companhia Velha
50. Rocha
51. Quinta da Romaneira
52. Quinta de Roriz
53. Quinta de la Rosa
54. Royal Oporto
55. Rozes
56. Rozes Quinta do GriFo
57. Sandeman
58. Skeffington
59. Smith Woodhouse
60. Taylor
61. Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha
62. Quinta do Tedo
63. Quinta do Tedo Savedra
64. Quinta do Vale Dona Maria
65. Quinta do Vale Meao
66. Quinta de Valle Longo
67. Quinta do Ventozelo
68. Quinta do Vesuvio
69. Quinta do Vesuvio Capela (250 cases)
70. Quinta de Vista Alegre
71. Warre

Real Companhia Velha added after being seen at Oporto airport earlier this week

At 71 (+?) we're gonna need a few days to do that retrospective tasting in 20 years time.

Andy Velebil wrote:At 71 (+?) we're gonna need a few days to do that retrospective tasting in 20 years time.

Fifteen at lunch plus twenty-one in the evening; times two days is 72. That’s achievable.

Take charge. Start the thread. I’ll make the placemats. You know the form.

jdaw1 wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:At 71 (+?) we're gonna need a few days to do that retrospective tasting in 20 years time.

Fifteen at lunch plus twenty-one in the evening; times two days is 72. That’s achievable.

Take charge. Start the thread. I’ll make the placemats. You know the form.

Perhaps in due time. 20 years a bit early to start?

Andy Velebil wrote:Perhaps in due time. 20 years a bit early to start?

DRT has started planning one tasting thirty-six years before. Don’t want that diary being blocked.

São Leonardo from Quinta do Mourão just added to the list. Their first Vintage Port was (I believe) in 2000 and then a jump to 2007.