East India Club port tasting - 7 November 2012
Posted: 16:14 Fri 09 Nov 2012
AJM very kindly took me as his guest to the annual East India Club port tasting.
This was a sit-down format, with circular tables of 8-10, wines served in pairs, about 2/3 of a bottle per table.
The East India Club sommelier, Eric Lagre, did a very impressive job in introducing the wines, talking through the basics of the different styles and historical/market background. While he conveyed great enthusiasm throughout, there was a refreshing Gallic bluntness to his appraisal of the less impressive or closed wines! (i took the opportunity at the end of the tasting to encourage him to visit this site and - if he ever wants to drink port to excess and for pleasure - sign up for one of our tastings. I hope he does)
Ports included in the tasting were:
Fonseca Sirocco white (extra dry): Not favoured by me or elsewhere in the room, and perhaps might have gone down better if served with tonic. But it did make me wonder whether there were any premium (aged) extra dry whites...if so, could make an interesting prospect.
Croft Pink: Very sweet and simple - AJM commenting it was a bit too much like haribo solution! Quite an alcoholic burn at the end, too. Not for me, though i'm not totally against pinks (Lamelas was quite good, i thought).
Taylor's Fine Tawny: Varnish and heat on the nose, not too much better to taste. Was not convinced.
Skeffington Ruby: slightly rough brandy on the nose, but was actually rather nice to drink, good brambly dark fruit and liquorice/ainseed flavours. Simple, yes, and quite light bodied, but definitely gluggable. I'd take this over quite a few of the Ruby Reserves we drank earlier this year...
Fonseca 1994: Light minty nose- not giving much up. Sure enough, this turns out to be completely closed down. Actually quite a boring, grapey port at the moment, with an empty finish - certainly no sense of this being a 100-pointer at the moment. Doesn't feel particularly tannic or big. Based on this experience, I'd leave well alone for the moment.
Ferreira Quinta do Porto 10yr (bottled 2011): Not a particularly attractive nose, but nice fresh, crisp red fruits, followed by a refined dryness at the finish with a really very attractive nutty and olive aftertaste of great length. Very impressive ad good complexity for a 10, i thought. Would make great mid-week drinking.
Barros 1996 Coleheita (bottled 2012): I didn't appear to take notes, but was not as taken with this as with the Ferreira. A bit simple and short on the finish.
DALVA Golden white 1963: Lovely almond essence on the nose, with a touch of volatility. Thick unctuous texture with good concentration of flavour - zesty orange peel on the finish. Long. Very sweet, with good balancing acidity...but perhaps just a little bit too cloying to make this a "session" port! Nevertheless, a real treat.
Graham's 40yr Tawny (bottled 2012): One of the new "re-branded" / "re-blended" bottles. I'd like to give this another go, as it was surprisingly dry and lacking in fruit, and overall concentration/flavour felt more like a 20 than a 40. I didn't think it was bad, but not a "wow" wine. Possibly because it followed the DALVA GW63, but even so you'd think a premium 40 would do a better job of standing up to it. Possibly flawed, definitely not showing particularly well tonight given its cost.
After the tasting we retired to the dining room, where roast lamb was washed down by the rather tasty club claret, and a bottle of Warre 83. The Warre is in a great place right now - perhaps could have done with a bit more of a decant to open up even more - but it was really very elegant and tasty, and just at a nice stage of maturity. I have a number of BBR own label bottles of this, but have seen the regular bottles going for attractive prices recently and i am tempted to look out for it a bit more actively.
Many thanks to AJM for a great evening.
This was a sit-down format, with circular tables of 8-10, wines served in pairs, about 2/3 of a bottle per table.
The East India Club sommelier, Eric Lagre, did a very impressive job in introducing the wines, talking through the basics of the different styles and historical/market background. While he conveyed great enthusiasm throughout, there was a refreshing Gallic bluntness to his appraisal of the less impressive or closed wines! (i took the opportunity at the end of the tasting to encourage him to visit this site and - if he ever wants to drink port to excess and for pleasure - sign up for one of our tastings. I hope he does)
Ports included in the tasting were:
Fonseca Sirocco white (extra dry): Not favoured by me or elsewhere in the room, and perhaps might have gone down better if served with tonic. But it did make me wonder whether there were any premium (aged) extra dry whites...if so, could make an interesting prospect.
Croft Pink: Very sweet and simple - AJM commenting it was a bit too much like haribo solution! Quite an alcoholic burn at the end, too. Not for me, though i'm not totally against pinks (Lamelas was quite good, i thought).
Taylor's Fine Tawny: Varnish and heat on the nose, not too much better to taste. Was not convinced.
Skeffington Ruby: slightly rough brandy on the nose, but was actually rather nice to drink, good brambly dark fruit and liquorice/ainseed flavours. Simple, yes, and quite light bodied, but definitely gluggable. I'd take this over quite a few of the Ruby Reserves we drank earlier this year...
Fonseca 1994: Light minty nose- not giving much up. Sure enough, this turns out to be completely closed down. Actually quite a boring, grapey port at the moment, with an empty finish - certainly no sense of this being a 100-pointer at the moment. Doesn't feel particularly tannic or big. Based on this experience, I'd leave well alone for the moment.
Ferreira Quinta do Porto 10yr (bottled 2011): Not a particularly attractive nose, but nice fresh, crisp red fruits, followed by a refined dryness at the finish with a really very attractive nutty and olive aftertaste of great length. Very impressive ad good complexity for a 10, i thought. Would make great mid-week drinking.
Barros 1996 Coleheita (bottled 2012): I didn't appear to take notes, but was not as taken with this as with the Ferreira. A bit simple and short on the finish.
DALVA Golden white 1963: Lovely almond essence on the nose, with a touch of volatility. Thick unctuous texture with good concentration of flavour - zesty orange peel on the finish. Long. Very sweet, with good balancing acidity...but perhaps just a little bit too cloying to make this a "session" port! Nevertheless, a real treat.
Graham's 40yr Tawny (bottled 2012): One of the new "re-branded" / "re-blended" bottles. I'd like to give this another go, as it was surprisingly dry and lacking in fruit, and overall concentration/flavour felt more like a 20 than a 40. I didn't think it was bad, but not a "wow" wine. Possibly because it followed the DALVA GW63, but even so you'd think a premium 40 would do a better job of standing up to it. Possibly flawed, definitely not showing particularly well tonight given its cost.
After the tasting we retired to the dining room, where roast lamb was washed down by the rather tasty club claret, and a bottle of Warre 83. The Warre is in a great place right now - perhaps could have done with a bit more of a decant to open up even more - but it was really very elegant and tasty, and just at a nice stage of maturity. I have a number of BBR own label bottles of this, but have seen the regular bottles going for attractive prices recently and i am tempted to look out for it a bit more actively.
Many thanks to AJM for a great evening.