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Incompetently split from this thread by DRT.

JacobH wrote:At some stage I think we should do a blind double-vertical of Dow v. Graham’s (or another suitably sweet house) to see...

That is quite the most splendid idea I have heard for a very long time. New thread?

JacobH wrote:

DRT wrote:

JacobH wrote:At some stage I think we should do a blind double-vertical of Dow v. Graham’s (or another suitably sweet house) to see...

That is quite the most splendid idea I have heard for a very long time. New thread?

Sounds good. Do you wish to do the honours? (Though the first question might be whether this should be a revisit of the 63, 66, 70, 77 quadrille tasting...)

Sounds splendid!

If we do this, we would have to give some thought to choosing combinations of bottles where the stylistic differences are pre-eminent. I think 1955 v 1955, 1963 v 1963, 1966 v 1966 and 1970 v 1970 would all work but the more modern years might be trickier. 1977 v 1977 would be problematic because the Dow will be corked ( ). 1980 v 1980 will also be problematic because the Dow 1980 will be about 50% darker than the Graham. There might be a smaller problem with 1983 since the Dow is quite sweet.

Any thoughts?

JacobH wrote:1977 v 1977 would be problematic because the Dow will be corked

I'm working on a solution for that and later in the year should have a magnum of Dow 1977 which could be used for a tasting like this - but would have to be matched against a magnum of Graham 1977 or it wouldn't be a fair comparison. Anyone got a magnum of Graham 1977 they'd be willing to use for this tasting...

Hi Alex,

as far as I remember I should have 2 Grahams 1977 Magnums, but need to be checking. You know that I am sometimes not the most organised person when it comes to wine/port.
On the other hand I tend not to forget things and also usually I refind them again when I have misplaced them in one of my cellars/docking stations on this planet.

regards

WS1

AHB wrote:

JacobH wrote:1977 v 1977 would be problematic because the Dow will be corked

I'm working on a solution for that and later in the year should have a magnum of Dow 1977 which could be used for a tasting like this - but would have to be matched against a magnum of Graham 1977 or it wouldn't be a fair comparison. Anyone got a magnum of Graham 1977 they'd be willing to use for this tasting...

Hmmm...a magnum solution...I like that idea! (Though, of course, if the problem occurred during the wine-making, we may not be in much luck).

JacobH wrote:(Though, of course, if the problem occurred during the wine-making, we may not be in much luck).

I've never read anything that would imply you can get TCA taint during wine-making. I believe (but would be happy to be corrected) that a wine can only be affected by TCA leaching out of a cork - and that the TCA gets there as a by-product of a combination of the sterilisation of the cork bark and a certain fungus / mould having affected the bark.

I'm putting my money on that all being true, in the hope that the bark used for the magnum corks came from a different tree or group of trees that that used to stopper up most of the bottles that I've tried so far.

Not during wine making, no, but during cleaning of the wine-making equipment.

TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) is a chlorinated version of the naturally occuring organic compound anisole. Anisole itself is recognizable as an anise seed-like odor.

If the winery's equipment (especially barrels or other wood) is cleaned with chlorine or bleach and not rinsed thoroughly, winery-wide TCA can be the result. This is generally far more rare than TCA introduced via the cork, but it can happen. The industry has switched to peroxide-based cleaning agents in order to eliminate this particular source of winery-wide taint, but others do still exist. Rubber hoses, for example, have an affinity for TCA which they can then transfer to the wine.