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The Horizontal of 1970s, definite article, was held over two days and five flights, Thursday 2^nd and Friday 3^rd October 2025, at the Boot & Flogger, as organised by Mike who was assisted by Julian.

Links:

• Review of the event as a whole;
• Bottle pictures;
• Planning, flight 0, Thu 2^nd Oct 2025;
• Planning, flights 1–4, Fri 3^rd Oct 2025;
• Placemats;
• Flight 0 (Thu 2^nd Oct 2025):
  • Andresen;
  • Hutcheson;
  • Martins (Hutcheson);
  • Dalva (C. da Silva);
  • Dalva;
  • Borges;
  • Barros;
  • Cabral;
  • Diez Hermanos;
  • Feist;
  • Osborne;
  • Santos Júnior;
  • Dolamore;
  • Hunt Roope (Tuke Holdsworth);
  • Maia;
  • Pousada;
  • Thienpoint (Butler Nephew);
  • Mackenzie;
  • Messias Quinta do Cachão;
  • Royal Oporto Quinta das Carvalhas;
  • Graham tregnum; 
• Flight 1 (Fri 3^rd Oct 2025):
  • Quarles Harris;
  • Gould Campbell;
  • Gould Campbell LBV;
  • BBR;
  • Warre;
  • Dow;
  • Graham;
  • Smith Woodhouse;
  • Noval;
  • Noval Nacional;
• Flight 2 (Fri 3^rd Oct 2025):
  • Taylor Vargellas;
  • Taylor;
  • Fonseca;
  • Croft Quinta da Roêda;
  • Croft;
  • Avery;
  • Ferreira;
  • Sandeman;
  • Offley Boa Vista;
• Flight 3 (Fri 3^rd Oct 2025):
  • Martinez;
  • Cockburn;
  • Kopke São Luiz;
  • Rebello Valente;
  • Cálem;
  • Cálem Quinta da Foz;
  • Burmester;
  • Niepoort;
  • Sibio;
• Flight 4 (Fri 3^rd Oct 2025):
  • Ramos Pinto;
  • Delaforce;
  • Gonzalez Byass;
  • Poças;
  • Krohn;
  • Morgan Brothers;
  • Butler Nephew;
  • Royal Oporto;
  • Feuerheerd;

(Colour in the image — which is not in the PDF nor in the printout — distinguishes flights: white grey green pink cyan.)

Placeholder

Scoring for Flight 0 below.

Scoring - Flight 1

Scoring - Flight 2

Scoring - Flight 3

Scoring - Flight 4

Scoring - Whole Event


I'll post this scoresheet in a few days, just in case any further attendees want to vote on it.

Before

Ages ago my first Port, the first one I tasted, was Taylor 1970. The 1970 Vintage is the Vintage of my era.

And in the 1970 horizontal in January 2009 the great shippers were great, the medium shippers were great, mostly the weak shippers were great, and only Hutcheson was a whoopsie. That was then. It was younger; we were younger; I was … move along, nothing to see here.


This

So, to the Ports as of 2025. And the 1970s have moved decisively past active middle age. The whole-vintage summary TN might be red-brown 40% opaque, early-palate dry moving to drier for mid- and late-palate, mid-weight, fruit gone or a hint of cherries, decent length.

Flight 0, on Thursday, had many for which the description ‘mediocre’ would be unfairly flattering. My favourite two were the BOB Thienpoint (Butler Nephew) and Dolamore, though the consensus was that the former was first. (Well, the real winner was the Graham tregnum, but that was somehow deemed separate.)

Without doubt the senior flight was flight 1, within which much to love. (Alas, I somehow lost my TN sheets for this flight.) For me Dow the clear winner, then Quarles Harris, then Smith Woodhouse, but the competition for third included both the GCs (V.P., LBV) and Warre. The Graham was good but not of the same rank; the window side’s BBR was corked. Neither Noval nor Noval Nacional competed.

Flight 2 had merit. Taylor definitely senior to the Vargellas, Fonseca and Avery showed very well, Croft also good.

Flight 3 (Niepoort no-show), led by Kopke São Luiz, followed by nothing else. Flight 4 was a wash-out.


Conclusion

This vintage has moved from almost-everything-excellent to most-seem-tired-but-a-few-gems-remain. Any resemblance to people born in the sixties and seventies is purely coincidental.


Thanks

This was a monster to organise. Mike was a fool for doing it, and I thank him for this folly. Over a hundred bottles to chase, 2½ dozen people to herd, and yet he made it work. Thank you.