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AHB and I intend to have a mini-offline on Monday 29th October. We’ll be meeting at 7pm, in my local French restaurant, Bistro Citron, NY 10024-5131, which is on the east side of Columbus Avenue between west 82nd and west 83rd streets. Good nosh, and the best fries in Manhattan.

Subway from downtown take the B or C to 81st street: don’t take the A or D as they are express from Columbus Circle to somewhere functionally equivalent to Canada.

Ports to be determined† . Please let me know if you’re coming, so that I can forewarn my friendly restaurateur.

†  Currently estimated to be a Kopke 1985 from Alex, a Sandeman 1977 and Rebello Valente 1977 from Jeff, from Bob Heckart a Graham 1985, and from me Warre 1977 and Warre 1985. Current draft of the placemats.

Derek's shedding a lot of tears today. Cheer up chap I'm sure everyone will raise a glass in your honor.

Have fun. Restaurant prices seem very reasonable for a Big City.

The forecast is for a Croft 1963 from me, perhaps accompanied by a 1985, either Warre or Graham.

Best I will be able to do is to double decant in the morning before I leave for work OR decant in a hurry after work and give the port 2-3 hours of air time before we drink it.

It will be a 1985, one which I have drunk and rated quite highly recently; not a Graham or Warre. Any preferences for which decanting option I choose?

Alex

Depends on which house—and you’re more than expert enough to decide.

Croft 1963 I was going for three hours. Is that too little for your taste?

jdaw1 wrote:Croft 1963 I was going for three hours. Is that too little for your taste?

I think three hours before we meet is perfect - plus about another three hours over the course of the evening should be spot on.

Alex

this looks great,

would be me and the missus joining in.

I won't be able to decant prior to dinner tho
and the wines would be sitting on my desk at work since i won't get any chance to swing home.

How does a 77 Sandeman's sound?

OK by me. In which case I should substitute the ’63 for a 1977 Warre, so that we have a 1985 horizontal (Kopke + Warre), a Warre vertical (1985 + 1977) and a 1977 horizontal (Warre + Sandeman).

I’ll bring decanting equipment appropriate for a shaken Sandeman 1977.

Objections?

sounds good to me..
looking forward to meeting everyone.

G-Man,

I can vouch for the fact that Julian and Alex are made of the right stuff! Good company and entertaining.

I would just ask you and your better half to just glance at the Geek thread in Meaningless Drivel...

(Only messing)

Alan

Conky wrote:are made of the right stuff

That being, by weight, about 61% oxygen, 23% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 2.6% nitrogen, 1.4% calcium, 1.1% phosphorus, 0.20% potassium, 0.20% sulfur, 0.14% sodium, 0.14% chlorine, 0.027% magnesium, 0.0060% iron, 0.0037% fluorine, 0.0033% zinc, 0.0014% silicon, and various other trace elements.

surprised it's not 50% port make up.

g-man: I’m making the placemats. What are your and your wife’s initials?

G-man and Mrs G-man (should that be G-Mrs?), I look forward to meeting you on Monday, should be fun!

Alex

It's actually the girlfriend, but future Mrs. G-Man (I haven't told her yet though)

jdaw1, it's
JG and SY

Should I just ask for the rowdy table with purple stains when we get there?

-Jeff

Just been to a Rhone tasting, where I met a chap called Bob Heckart, who—if I recall correctly—described himself as a “neophyte port connoisseur†. He’ll also be there, apparently bearing a bottle of an as-yet-unspecified 1985.

Bob, if you’re reading this: what 1985?

Edit: current draft of the placemats.

That's really cool jdaw.

Just curious on previous tastings, but can you guys really finish a bottle each? =) ...

For my tastings (e.g.) I budget 1½ bottles per British male, halved for women and for Americans who I don’t classify as honorary Brits. At the Fonseca tasting we had beer and Madeira first, and then each finished two bottles of port.

would make for a miserable tuesday tho =) ...
since it's the two of us, i can chip in a 77 croft too

1. Draft of the placemats updated and made slightly more flamboyant. ✓

2. Confirmed the restaurant for six people (Monday nights aren’t crowded). ✓

g-man wrote:That's really cool jdaw.

Just curious on previous tastings, but can you guys really finish a bottle each? =) ...

Last weekend Simon Lisle and I managed to polish off 5 bottles in a single sitting. Not clever, but proof that it is possible with high levels of training and dedication to the world of Port Offlining

Derek

PS: The frustration of reading this thread is becoming unbareable

Derek T. wrote:Last weekend Simon Lisle and I managed to polish off 5 bottles in a single sitting.

No leftovers from 2½ bottles each? No falling asleep in the kitchen? Oooooh, that’s on the edge of being unhealthy.

Julian,

Just make sure Alex makes his flight to L.A. after all those Ports

I'm sure that I read somewhere from both Simon and Derek that there was port left over and consumed with breakfast.

More seriously, from personal experience I have found it is perfectly reasonable to consume a bottle of port over the course of an extended evening (ie. 4-6 hours) with little else to drink and lots of water to wash it down - although I seemed to take that to an extreme last offline and was rushing off to the bathroom every 30 minutes. However, the result of all that water was that we consumed around a bottle of port each and I woke up the next morning feeling slightly seedy but able to function more or less perfectly normally and certainly without a hangover.

I will be drinking large amounts of water on Monday night and will have to be able to function properly in the two meetings I have on Tuesday - first one starting an hour's train ride away at 9:30am.

I must say, I am looking forward to this trip to the US far more than I did my last...

Alex

AHB wrote:I'm sure that I read somewhere from both Simon and Derek that there was port left over and consumed with breakfast.
Alex

Probably not the place, but I cant resist.
I wont publish a certain photo again, but the only two who noticed the dregs, was the man who fell asleep early, and the man who valiantly struggled with breakfast!

Just to invoke a certain persons wrath wrath, I would have to ask Jdaw1 if he actually meant English Port Drinkers consuming 2 bottles, rather than UK drinkers?
Ghandi stayed the course, he just needed help in the recovery stage.

But now I've had my fun. Have a cracker on Monday, and if anyone can be bothered, a camera would be a great way of enhancing the notes!

Alan

Hey jdaw1,

apologies to you and the rest of the guys joining on monday.

I'm gonna have to DK the croft 77.

I checked the fill and it was shoulder level.

Going to replace it with a Rebello Valente 77 instead.

apologies again.

OK - I'll admit it was only 4.5 bottles what a couple of wimps we are

Oh, and the photo of the bottles wasn't taken at the end of the night

Have fun guys and raise a glass to absent friends

Derek

Hey guys,

for the two bottles how much time would you want it decanted?

i might be able to decant it for sediment before i leave for work at 6 in the morning

and stick it back into the bottle

but it'd sit on my desk at work til dinner time.

would you guys rather I just bring the two bottles and we decant at the restaurant?

Sandeman 1977 and Rebello Valente 1977: twelve hours or none? I vote twelve, but not strongly: if others have a clear preference for waiting I’ll concede gracefully.

Could they sit until 3pm in a work fridge (already decanted)? Or would your colleagues help themselves?

Aside to AHB: I know what you’re doing on Halloween (though it might be this).

yep definitely in the fridge ....

i'll duct tape close the fridge if I h ave to!!

OK. My vote is for an early decant, and to be stored in the fridge until shortly after midday.

Other opinions?

PS: the number of this post is the current year in the Hebrew calendar.

I would also vote for a 12 hour decant - in my opinion its always better to decant too early than too late, especially if that means the chance to decant off all the sediment before travelling with a bottle and stirring it all up again.

I know what I'm doing Halloween too - we're off Trick or Treating round at Andy's house! I wonder what we might find there...

alright done,

I'll get it decanted and pour it back into the bottle before i head out to work.

Looking forward to seeing you guys on monday.

Bob Heckart is now signed up to TPF, and has vouchsafed to me that he will be bringing a Graham 1985. Placemats updated.

Just to report,

fill levels were both pristine for the sandeman and the rebello

didn't taste the wines, couldn't bring myself to drink at 6 in the morning

seriuosly chunky wines the corks for both were perfectly intact. The sandeman was seeped all the way through tho making the foil cap a bit sticky to remove.


the sandeman showed signs of a slight bricking, but it was a deep opaque purple.

the rebello showed no signs of aging, a deep muddy opaque purple.

I'll give you guys the smell notes when i see you at 7 =)

back to work.

Alex B., by email, wrote:Kopke 1985 opened and double decanted at 7am. Tested (purely in the pursuit of scientific study, you understand) and found not to be flawed.

Look forward to seeing everyone tonight. Do we have a set start time or do we just turn up whenever we can?

to which I have replied “… Agreed start time was 7pm, but late arrivals will not be refused entry. If you're on target to be early, just let me know. …†.

This is getting better and better! I was checking through my tasting notes and was surprised to find that I have never tasted the Grahams 1985 or Rebello Valente 1977 and have only tasted the Warre 1985 and Sandeman 1977 once before.

This is going to be a very fun evening.

Alex

yea I'm excited to,

I've only had the graham's 85 and the sandeman's 77

the rebello smells really awesome.

Me and Steph should be there on time.

Julian.

CAMERA!

Alan

Camera: OK. But where has the wife hidden the charger?

Warre 1985 decanted at noon, and looking splendid. Warre 1977 decanted at 12:10pm, and looked a little pale. Recent teeth flossing prevented sampling. Wife saw me shaking decanter containing a smidgen of port, and I explained that; 1 you people are more retentive than me; and 2 the decanter should be ‘primed’. She didn’t believe the first.

jdaw1 wrote: 1 you people are more retentive than me; and 2 the decanter should be ‘primed’. She didn’t believe the first.

I've not met most of them and I don't believe it either

Derek

Threads:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• Tasting notes of the Kopke 1985;
• Tasting notes of the Warre 1985;
• Tasting notes of the Warre 1977;
• Tasting notes of the Sandeman 1977;
• Tasting notes of the Rebello Valente 1977;
• Tasting notes of the Graham 1985.

stupid q. but ... when should i take the wine outta the fridge?... I usually drink all my bottles before they get to that point?

Now!

guess I'm bringing some port popsicles tonight =)

thank you very much for setting this up Julian.

It was a pleasure meeting you all.

Julian

I want to echo Jeff's thanks for you arranging things last night. It was a great way to spend a night away from home and was really good to meet 4 new port lovers and to share some time with them.

I'll post my notes on the wines tomorrow probably - right now these are in my suitcase ready to be flown to LA in a couple of hours time.

But it was a great evening and one that was a lot of fun.

Alex