ThePortForum.com

Date? October 2011.

People? Likely to include:

1. AHB;
2. JDAW;
3. BMHR;
4. JHG?;
5. DRT;
6. RAH;
7. NN;
8. GEE?;
9. ARK;
10. AP;
11. ADV;
12. JGH;
13. SRG;
14. CMAG.

Waiting list?

1. THRA;
2. JES;
3. Cookie;
4. WS1;
5. VJR.

Note that if the waitlist grows to 10+ then we will enlarge the tasting to accommodate everyone

Ports? Probably {Fonseca, Taylor, Graham, Dow} × {1963, 1966, 1970, 1977}.

Edited Tue 03 Nov by jdaw1.
CMAG added by DRT, 3 Nov 09
Information above this note moved to here from another post in this thread for ease of reference, DRT 5 Nov 09
Edited by jdaw1 Wed 09 Dec and Thu 10 Dec, extending wait list and changing date to 2011.

Original first post starts here!



In a recent thread - and I will post a link when time permits - sparked by the tasting notes from a recent small Fonseca vertical, it seemed to be considered a good idea to run a rematch of the original FTLOP Autumn 2005 offline where many of us met for the first time.

This offline had as a theme "The Wines of Fonseca, Taylor, Graham and Sandeman from 1963, 1966 and 1970" and was a diagonal tasting with 4 wines being tasted from the same year in 3 flights. It would seem that a 5 year gap is a decent interval after which a theme can be repeated and the wines evaluated to see how they have changed over time.

It has also been suggested the theme be modified slightly to replace Sandeman - whose wines were lovely but perhaps were unfairly overshadowed - with wines from Dow.

It has also been suggested that with a further 5 years of bottle age that the theme could be stretched to include 1977 to make it a 4 x 4 tasting.

The most likely venue for the tasting would be the Crusting Pipe and the timing would be aimed to fit in with Roy's next harvest trip (October 3 to 10) so that any folks on the trip who would like to return home via London could attend the offline.

Despite the very early notice, if anyone would be interested in attending then please let me know. If you would like to influence the arrangements (day of the week, date, choice of venue, ports to include etc) then please post here or drop me a PM and I will do my best to accommodate all requests.

Links and grumbles.

[url=http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=30591#p30591]Here[/url] AHB wrote:It was October 2005 when we had that fantastic diagonal tasting.

So should October 2010 see a repeat of that great theme? Perhaps with Dow replacing Sandeman? If there's a positive response in this thread then I will start up a thread in the Offlines forum.

[url=http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=30604#p30604]Here[/url] jdaw1 wrote:

DRT wrote:F, G, T & S: 1963, 1966 & 1970.

That’s a rectangle, not a diagonal. Really.

Replacing S with D seems sensible.

Yes please: count me in.

g-man wrote:Would this possibly happen in the states?

I could sort out all of the fonsecas except the 63.

Jeff - it can happen in London. Could you be in London next October? Plenty of time to book cheap flights and the weather is usually not too bad at that time of year.

Not being involved in the original I cannot comment on any progress but would love to be involved in anything that may included a number of 1970's - particularly next year. For an event like this, I would seek special dispensation from the diary secretary to make it any day of the week. I am sure Edward would understand!

AHB wrote:

g-man wrote:Would this possibly happen in the states?

I could sort out all of the fonsecas except the 63.

Jeff - it can happen in London. Could you be in London next October? Plenty of time to book cheap flights and the weather is usually not too bad at that time of year.

will most certainly aim for it!

In case there was any doubt - I'm in

Thanks for taking charge Alex. It seems like yesterday that you and I were putting the theme together for the 2005 diagonal and I have fond memories of meeting that great group of people over in London!

Please count me in with 1 guest (Mr. Nicos Neocleous).

To allow (our VP's) the Yanks coming back from the trip to have our bottles settle down (or maybe we just trade them for local bottles that are all ready to go?) ... may I suggest possibly moving this tasting to the following Saturday night, Oct. 16th? That would allow us to do a "warm up" at the Crusting Pipe on Friday night (the 15th) with an eclectic mix of older Ports, (Colheitas & VPs), so that our palates are properly primed for a plethora of prodigious Port.

BTW, how many seats will be made available for this event ... or in a more polite British way to ask: what size "pour" do you envision?

Please count me in. I am going to make every effort to be on the 2010 Harvest Tour, so if this is timed so that those of us returning to the US could stop off in London for the event on the way I'll most certainly be there!

Roy Hersh wrote:BTW, how many seats will be made available for this event

Roy,

We normally limit tastings to 14 people so that each person can have an adequate pour from each bottle.

Derek

I'm in.

If it's four vintages and four producers it becomes a "Square Tasting".

Numbers.
People: maximum fourteen. Minimum three (being JDAW, DRT, AHB).
Bottles: either 12 ({Fonseca, Taylor, Graham, Dow}×{1963, 1966, 1970}) or 16 ({Fonseca, Taylor, Graham, Dow}×{1963, 1966, 1970, YYYY}, where YYYY probably equals 1977 though 1955 would be bettter). If people ≥11 then bottles must be sixteen. If people ≤10 then we could pretend to make do with twelve.

To say it with Dereks words:

If there was any doubt: I am in. Of course just to lift the number above 12.

How about adding Dow to the event and leave 77 out?

Axel

Count me in too...I need a good excuse to head back to the UK before or after the harvest trip next year

I'll try to make it, too.

A tasting is announced eleven months in advance. Within thirty hours of the announcement eleven of the fourteen seats have gone. Clearly tastings have a good reputation.

Actually Julian, it is 12. I asked for Nicos Neocleous to please be included in my earlier post(s).

Thanks!

Dear all,

This looks fairly and squarely in my favourite tasting window, so please could I request a seat at the table? And port, obviously.

Ghandih

Roy Hersh wrote:Actually Julian, it is 12. I asked for Nicos Neocleous to please be included in my earlier post(s).

Sorry. With SRG that’s thirteen.

CMAG is in - that makes 14

Given the overwhelming positive response to this tasting, if there is a substantial number of extra people who would like to attend - say at least another 10 - then I would be quite prepared to organise a larger tasting and have 2 bottles of each wine to pour.

Alex

AHB wrote:Given the overwhelming positive response to this tasting, if there is a substantial number of extra people who would like to attend - say at least another 10 - then I would be quite prepared to organise a larger tasting and have 2 bottles of each wine to pour.

Alex

Or, better still, Magnums

Well those seats went quick... One item of note is that here in the states we are gearing up for a Dow tasting followed shortly by a Sandeman tasting. Is Croft or Warre so maligned as to not be an equal alternative to D/S? I definitely think 77 should be included, btw.

AHB wrote:Given the overwhelming positive response to this tasting, if there is a substantial number of extra people who would like to attend - say at least another 10 - then I would be quite prepared to organise a larger tasting and have 2 bottles of each wine to pour.

As Derek says, magnums help ensure that everybody gets the same.

But this is in eleven months. There were two ‘?’s amongst the attendees, and events may cause one or two non-‘?’s to withdraw. So we may yet be able to accommodate others: a waiting list has been made.

SushiNorth wrote:Well those seats went quick... One item of note is that here in the states we are gearing up for a Dow tasting followed shortly by a Sandeman tasting. Is Croft or Warre so maligned as to not be an equal alternative to D/S? I definitely think 77 should be included, btw.

Croft is TFP which would give a heavier weighting 3:1 against Symingtons. Warre is certainly not maligned, it's elegant well-balanced Port much loved on this site. However, Dow is more of a power Port whilst Warre may get overwhelmed by the heavyweights just like Sandeman did. At least I think that is the reasoning.

KillerB wrote:Warre is ! elegant well-balanced Port much loved on this site.

[Drifting a little off-topic] A excellent summary of Warre.

KillerB wrote:Dow is more of a power Port whilst Warre may get overwhelmed by the heavyweights just like Sandeman did. At least I think that is the reasoning.

The logical conclusion of that reasoning would be to repeat the experience with "elegant well-balanced" Ports...Croft, Warre, Sandeman & Niepoort, perhaps?

Getting right back on-topic: I am greatly concerned at the current state of the vote. If the score remains as it is now the 1977 vintage will not be represented

please add me to the waiting list

SushiNorth wrote:please add me to the waiting list

Pipped to the post by a PM request on behalf of THRA. Both added.

Current state of play with organisation details moved from here to here so that they are easy to find.

In my mind, Taylor and Fonseca are the heavyweights from TFP while Graham and Dow are the heavyweights from SFE. Croft and Warre are excellent, but just not on the same level as the other four. Vesuvio is its own beast, but with time will likely be considered a heavyweight.

My weekends tend to be dedicated to family duties and Saturday tastings do not work well for me.

As the lead organiser for the event, I am seizing executive powers and changing the date to be Friday October 15th 2010 at the Crusting Pipe, London.

In the meantime, could those who have volunteered their names to be people who attend please drop me a PM (or email) and let me know which of the ports we are proposing to include, they could contribute. Please also let me know the cost of the bottle and a description of its condition.

Thanks,

Alex

DRT wrote:Or, better still, Magnums

Comments of a nature likely to increase the difficulty of organising the tasting will be completely ignored.

AHB wrote:

DRT wrote:Or, better still, Magnums

Comments of a nature likely to increase the difficulty of organising the tasting will be completely ignored.

I was being helpfull

DRT wrote:

AHB wrote:

DRT wrote:Or, better still, Magnums

Comments of a nature likely to increase the difficulty of organising the tasting will be completely ignored.

I was being helpfull

No. You weren't.

AHB wrote:

DRT wrote:

AHB wrote:

DRT wrote:Or, better still, Magnums

Comments of a nature likely to increase the difficulty of organising the tasting will be completely ignored.

I was being helpfull

No. You weren't.

If I was being unhelpfull I would have suggested that we obtain the four magnums from each vintage from a single bottling source to level the playing field

Stop it -- before Julian makes another attempt to revive the 20 liter Dow from 1896.

Could I be added to the wait list please.

Cookie

Cookie wrote:Could I be added to the wait list please.

Cookie

Done. If 7 more people can be added to the waitlist then I will enlarge the tasting to fit everyone in by doubling up the bottles.

When I first proposed a re-run of the October 2005 diagonal tasting, I had forgotten that we had already planned to organise a horizontal of ports from 1955 to celebrate their 55th birthday. So as not to clash with the "55 at 55" tasting, I will defer the 2005 diagonal re-run to coincide with the end of the 2011 harvest tour.

Any objections?

I remain interested, but unless I can somehow pull off trips three years in a row (I'm already planning 2010 and 2012) there's a good chance that I won't be able to make this tasting in 2011.

Hi Alex,

you can out me also to the witing list. However October can be tricky for me since I always have alot on in this month ;-(((

regards

WS1

Hi All, This sounds like an event to look forward to
- please add me to the waitlist.
Thanks, victor