Hello from Texas
Posted: 01:07 Wed 24 Mar 2010
I've been consulting your tasting notes for a couple months now, and I thought I might as well register in case I decide I want to post some of my own. And I got the "please introduce yourself" email, which I'm doing now.
My name is John, and I live in Beaumont, Texas, which is on the Gulf Coast, about 30 miles from the Louisiana border..
I'm not knowledgeable at all about Port, but that hasn't stopped me from acquiring a half a dozen cases or so. I had a '63 Dow a couple years ago, and I realized I was missing something. And lately, I've been finding much less interested in whatever happens to be the red vin du jour (or more likely the vin d'avant-hier--I'm not very fashionable), and quite drawn to Ports and Mareiras. (I know Madeira's not Port, but they seem pretty similar to me.)
Those "half a dozen or so cases" consist of a few bottles of the '63 Dow, plus a case each of Dow's 1977, 1983, 1985, 1994, 2000, and 2007, Warre's 1991, Smith Woodhouse's 1983, and about three more mixed cases of Fonseca, Graham, Croft, Quinto de Vesuvio, and Delaforce Corte, mostly on the young side (none older than 1985).
I really liked the '63 Dow when I had it a couple years ago, but less so last year, which I put down to a leaky cork. I've found Kopke's 20YO tawny quite enjoyable, the 10YO less so. I also really liked the Rare Wine Company's New York Malmsey and Boston Bual Madieras. And I've found the Madeira-style wines produced by Haak Winery in Santa Fe, Texas, to be pretty darned good too. I like being able to drink the bottle over the course of a week or so, so the vintage Ports tend to get passed over for tawnys or Madeira.
But I'm thinking it's about time to open a bottle of the '77 Dow. Anyone have any recommendations on how long I should plan to let that sit in the decanter before drinking it?
My name is John, and I live in Beaumont, Texas, which is on the Gulf Coast, about 30 miles from the Louisiana border..
I'm not knowledgeable at all about Port, but that hasn't stopped me from acquiring a half a dozen cases or so. I had a '63 Dow a couple years ago, and I realized I was missing something. And lately, I've been finding much less interested in whatever happens to be the red vin du jour (or more likely the vin d'avant-hier--I'm not very fashionable), and quite drawn to Ports and Mareiras. (I know Madeira's not Port, but they seem pretty similar to me.)
Those "half a dozen or so cases" consist of a few bottles of the '63 Dow, plus a case each of Dow's 1977, 1983, 1985, 1994, 2000, and 2007, Warre's 1991, Smith Woodhouse's 1983, and about three more mixed cases of Fonseca, Graham, Croft, Quinto de Vesuvio, and Delaforce Corte, mostly on the young side (none older than 1985).
I really liked the '63 Dow when I had it a couple years ago, but less so last year, which I put down to a leaky cork. I've found Kopke's 20YO tawny quite enjoyable, the 10YO less so. I also really liked the Rare Wine Company's New York Malmsey and Boston Bual Madieras. And I've found the Madeira-style wines produced by Haak Winery in Santa Fe, Texas, to be pretty darned good too. I like being able to drink the bottle over the course of a week or so, so the vintage Ports tend to get passed over for tawnys or Madeira.
But I'm thinking it's about time to open a bottle of the '77 Dow. Anyone have any recommendations on how long I should plan to let that sit in the decanter before drinking it?