ThePortForum.com

Now confirmed for 1800 kickoff on 2 November 2022, Red Room at the Boot and Flogger.

Back in the pre-Covid mists of time I was drinking a delicious glass of Taylor's Terra Feita 2005. 85% red juice. An entirely congruent port- the plump-sultana-and-glace-cherry-led fruit cake it promised on the nose it delivered on the palate and said cake remained on the finish. It inspired me to suggest that, for our edification and for that of others, we ought to have a tasting where we drink all eleven* vintages of TTF (1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2008**). You all agreed.

To make sure we have enough to drink we have agreed we will have four TVs from matching vintages, TV1987, TV1991, TV1995 (thanks Charles) and TV2001 (thanks Neil).

1. GEAG - reconfirmed - bringing 1988
2. OJW - reconfirmed - adopting 1987 from George
3. CPR 1 - reconfirmed - adopting 2008 from George
4. forest26 - reconfirmed - adopting TV1987 from George
5. idj123 - confirmed - adopting TV1991 from George
6. Doggett - reconfirmed - bring 1999 please
7. akzy - reconfirmed - bring 2005 please
8. jdaw1 - reconfirmed - adopting 1996 from George
9. MWN - adopting TV2001 from nac
10. hadge - reconfirmed - bring 2001 please
11. flash_uk - reconfirmed - bring 1995 please
12. nac - reconfirmed - bring 1982 and 1991 please
13. PhilW - reconfirmed - adopting TV1995 from CPR1
14. BPetrie - confirmed - adopting 1986 from George

Current draft of the placemats.

Who has what:

GEAG (1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2008).
Doggett (1999, 2001)
akzy (2005)
nac (1982; also 1991 courtesy of Taylor's via Mentzendorff/C&B).
AHB (1986, 2005)
hadge (1995, 2001)
flash_uk (1995,1999)

*For completeness I should add that there are mentions to be found of several other Terra Feita wines.

• The Book suggests 1907 and 1911 as tasted by the late, great, Michael Broadbent.
  
  vintageport.se suggests there is a 1914 Terra Feita.
  
  The stock of 1998 TTF is recorded in The Book (quoting Mayson 2001) as having been destroyed in a natural disaster at the Fonseca lodge in 2001.
  
  Taylor's own website mentions that "In the early 1900’s the firm’s relationship with Terra Feita seems to have intensified. The firm started bottling small amounts of Vintage Port drawn exclusively from the Terra Feita vineyards, distant precursors of today’s Quinta de Terra Feita single estate Vintage Ports. A handful of bottles of these early Terra Feita Vintages, starting with 1905 and continuing until the mid-1930’s, can still be found in Taylor’s cellars"
  
  A 1925 Terra Feita (bottled by Fonseca Guimaraens) was sold in Amsterdam in June 2020; alas I was the underbidder.
  
  flash_uk records below on this thread that a publication by TFP, which arrived with the BFT ports in 2021, lists the following 'early' years for TTF: 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1918, 1923, 1925, 1931, 1937.

**There is a 2019 but it has not been released yet

Yes please, not sure if I have any will check...

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Yes Please - I will check.

Yes please. I have 2001 and 1995.

Yes please... I have 1999 and the popular 2001

I'd be interested. I only have 2005.

I like TTF. Yes please.

Yes please! Great idea!

yes please - will check what i have.

Can you add Mike/Flash please. He is busy helping the NHS supply chain, but good for this tasting.

flash_uk added.

Yes please. Believe I have a bottle of the 82, but will confirm.

If you extend the list beyond 12, I’m interested and have the 1986.

I like TTF also; clearly I shouldn't have gone to bed last night! Reserve please

nac wrote: ↑04:56 Thu 16 Apr 2020 Yes please. Believe I have a bottle of the 82, but will confirm.

Just checked, and yes - one bottle of TTF82.

List extended to 14 persons. I don't want to fuzz the focus of this tasting by introducing comparative TVs but, on reflection, a few port tastings where we come in some way below a bottle a head is not a bad thing. Between those declaring their holdings we already have everything other than the 1991,1996 & 2008 available, which is very pleasing.

Just had a quick check online and only 91 I could find is a 12bt case at Lay & Wheeler. However it's nearly £1100 in bond...

Let's all keep looking.

Will ask C&B contact to check with Mentzendorff.

winesecretary wrote: ↑07:51 Thu 16 Apr 2020 List extended to 14 persons. I don't want to fuzz the focus of this tasting by introducing comparative TVs but, on reflection, a few port tastings where we come in some way below a bottle a head is not a bad thing. Between those declaring their holdings we already have everything other than the 1991 available, which is very pleasing.

FWIW, I have previously suggested a TTF vs TV taste-off for those years where both were made, which is a tasting in the pending pile also; so if you did want additional bottles, you could consider adding a few of those year pairs for comparison perhaps.

The alternative is that we have had evenings where the themed tasting is followed by those not providing a bottle for the theme bringing some other bottles of Port for the after-tasting conversation.

14 people could result in 10 bottles of TTF and 4 bottles of other Port, giving us our normal weeknight drinking volume.

@ nac - I have been aware of that L&W case for a while. I appreciate you reaching out to your contacts...

@ PhilW - My intention was specifically not to cut across the contemplated TTF v TV taste-off, which is a worthy and serious and larger project, but, stimulated by the unabashed pleasure derived from the consumption of TTF 2005, merely to suggest we might enjoy a separate single-focus TTF event.

@ AHB - Indeed...

winesecretary wrote: ↑09:19 Thu 16 Apr 2020@ PhilW - My intention was specifically not to cut across the contemplated TTF v TV taste-off, which is a worthy and serious and larger project, but, stimulated by the unabashed pleasure derived from the consumption of TTF 2005, merely to suggest we might enjoy a separate single-focus TTF event.

I wasn't seeing it as cutting across; more that a TTF/TV might never happen (didn't get much response when suggesting it), so if you wanted extra bottles for the TTF vertical I thought a few of same-year TVs might be an option.

I don't remember ever seeing the TTF '91 at a reasonable price; perhaps it was a tiny quantity; I see there is no tasting note on TPF. Clearly a rare beast - though whether a consequence of being lovely or not, or simply a minuscule quantity (perhaps likely) who knows... (Adrian?)

I believe that i have 1995 and 2001, will double check when i'm allowed back home! been locked away from my cellar.

@ hadge - I know that feeling, 90% of my wine is currently inaccessible...

Like Alex's idea of post-tasting tasting.

nac wrote: ↑15:53 Thu 16 Apr 2020 Like Alex's idea of post-tasting tasting.

If there is an apres tasting tasting, we should arrange a warm up tasting for early birds too

Doggett wrote: ↑23:45 Wed 15 Apr 2020 Can you add Mike/Flash please. He is busy helping the NHS supply chain, but good for this tasting.

winesecretary wrote: ↑23:46 Wed 15 Apr 2020 flash_uk added.

Thank you both very much, very kind of you to have me in mind.

I've obviously been slow off the mark here and so if there is to be a reserve list then please add me to it.

I have 1999.

@ idj123 - first reserve, statistically very likely to be promoted. In truth I was surprised at the speed of responses. But it was a very nice bottle of port.
@ flash_uk - we have your best interests at heart...

nac wrote: ↑08:24 Thu 16 Apr 2020 Just had a quick check online and only 91 I could find is a 12bt case at Lay & Wheeler. However it's nearly £1100 in bond...

Let's all keep looking.

Will ask C&B contact to check with Mentzendorff.

Just heard from C&B, and Mentzendorff have obtained a bottle of the 1991 free-of-charge from Taylor's.

Being sent direct to me.

Does that complete the line-up?

Wow, brilliant. It does!

nac wrote: ↑15:38 Mon 08 Jun 2020

nac wrote: ↑08:24 Thu 16 Apr 2020 Just had a quick check online and only 91 I could find is a 12bt case at Lay & Wheeler. However it's nearly £1100 in bond...

Let's all keep looking.

Will ask C&B contact to check with Mentzendorff.

Just heard from C&B, and Mentzendorff have obtained a bottle
of the 1991 free-of-charge from Taylor's.

Being sent direct to me.

Does that complete the line-up?

Good work Neil!

Doggett wrote: ↑17:05 Mon 08 Jun 2020 Good work Neil!

+1

PhilW wrote: ↑16:03 Sat 13 Jun 2020

Doggett wrote: ↑17:05 Mon 08 Jun 2020 Good work Neil!

+1

Many thanks to my man at C&B - the lovely Ed Pilkington.

They’ve asked that we get some pictures and notes from the tasting. I’ve already said that won’t be a problem...

This just arrived, direct from Vila Nova de Gaia...

That is a very fine (and rare!) sight to see... hurrah for Taylor's, Adrian Bridge, Mentzendorff, Corney & Barrow, Ed Pilkington, and nac.

Wow. Good work Neil!

winesecretary wrote: ↑14:21 Mon 22 Jun 2020 That is a very fine (and rare!) sight to see...

Given how pristine it is I wonder if it's come from their Library stock and has just been freshly labelled?

It’s an original style label: since the early 2000s, the name of the quinta is in large calligraphic letters rather than the capitals of this one.

Please may I be added to the reserve list, this sounds very intriguing! I have some of the 2005 Terra Feita that I can contribute if a spot opens up for me

@ rich_n: added

New provisional date posted.

We may need to move this one, as we are still currently limited to tables of 6 for this date. We might be able to have more than one table - perhaps 6, 6, 2 - with no physical intercommunication between them - but that depends on the situation nearer the time. Will update in a month.

Actually splitting the groups up could be interesting. This could reduce groupthink. Would be interesting to see if the other groups are ranking particularly differently when there's no communication between, yet identical wines.

Admittedly the data size would be far too small to draw conclusions but I suspect we're all nothing but bad influences on each other.

winesecretary wrote: ↑09:02 Sat 10 Apr 2021 We may need to move this one, as we are still currently limited to tables of 6 for this date. We might be able to have more than one table - perhaps 6, 6, 2 - with no physical intercommunication between them - but that depends on the situation nearer the time. Will update in a month.

My view is that the date for this should slip. I think the logistics of trying to do a split across two tables will be a nightmare.

Conclusion following further discussion with the B&F is that we will need to move this to later in the summer. Sorry about the false alarm.

We normally avoid July and August but how would we be on a tasting in early July in this exceptional year?

There is the Quinta de la Rosa LBV and Vintage tasting on 8th July, so maybe later in the year?