Six bottles to learn port

WINE TALK
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That is an extremely generous offer. I have sent you a DM to discuss.

For an update to my original topic post: I have taken the restaurant approach to try grahams 10 and 20 year tawny, Dow 30 year tawny and have opened bottles of 1997 and 2016 Fonseca at home. I am waiting for cooler weather and the right occasion to open a 1985 graham. I’ve kept my notes and plan on posting a follow up after trying that one.

This thread has been really helpful. Thanks for the tips.

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Some very nice Ports. Do post about your impressions of them. And if you don’t want to wait too long for the '85, simply toss it in the fridge to cool it down and let it warm up in the glass as you enjoy it.

The '97, and of course the 2016, are very young still so a long decant won’t hurt them. I’ve found 5-ish hours is pretty good for the 1985. [cheers.gif]

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A wife who won’t help you drink Port? [shock.gif] GASP! How will this marriage survive?!? [wow.gif]

Fun thread, I decided to approach it by asking myself, “What six bottles of Port would I give him out of my own collection so he and his wife could learn about Port?” I’ll even stick to the 375 ml format. Here we go:

  • Graham’s Six Grapes Ruby Porto – A classic starter Ruby Port with lots of tangy red fruit and heat; this should be the very first one you try
  • Fonseca White Porto – A starter White Port, a category which I feel even Port lovers don’t explore often enough; drink this second
  • Sandeman 1997 or 1999 “Vau” Vintage Porto – Depending on which vintage you can get (I have both), this is a tasty and very affordable half-bottle dip into what well-aged Vintage Port should taste like.
  • Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port – One of the few I’ve seen sold sold in a 500ml bottle (Close enough to a half for you), this will give you an idea of the rich, caramelized style that is Tawny Port with an emphasis on what fortified wine lovers call “Rancio” – the complex nutty, tobacco tinged, buttery caramel toffee flavors that are unique to all oxidized fortified wines
  • Dow’s 2006 Quinta do Bomfim Single Quinta Vintage Port – This is an intro to both much younger but still ready to drink Vintage Port and single quinta vintage port whose grapes all originate from a single estate in Porto
  • Quinta da Davesa 30 Year Old White Port – It’s only fair that you also see what long aging can do to a white Porto as well so here you go
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I finally enjoyed the third and final bottle that Chuck so generously shared with me. I was surprised at how different these wines were. The good news is I enjoyed all three. The bad news is that I enjoyed all three, so I don’t have a ton of direction on where to focus. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying.

Fonseca 1994:

Silky, but persistent tannins. Nothing rough about this. Lots of fruit in focus, dark cherry and plum. Seems very youthful. The finish just keeps going and going. Not much in the way of secondary flavors yet.

I had this one first, and my initial thought was that this was more like a 2016 vintage port I had opened than it was to a 30 year tawny. Extremely enjoyable in its way, but not what I expected. I have a feeling it has many good years ahead. As it sat, the depth improved and it was more like what I expected. Although they are extremely different, this tied with the graham’s as my favorite. I will be searching out more of this.

Taylor fladgate 1994
Dates and floral notes on nose. Mostly dried fruits on palate: dried cherry, prunes, raisins. A little medicinal. Candi sugar (sugar used in making Belgian style beers). Syrupy mouthfeel.

This was my least favorite. The sweetness and syrupy mouthfeel felt out of balance. I still enjoyed it.

Grahams 1994:

Nose: dried fruits, eucalyptus, alcohol heat.
Palate: pleasantly surprised the alcohol from the nose didn’t come through here. Dried cherry, cassis, licorice, menthol. Really elegant. I perceived this as higher acidity, which I enjoyed. Not cloying.

This tied with the fonseca. It had more of the characteristics I associated with port going I (Carmel, baking spices) but not as over the top as the fladgate.

This was a wonderful way to get my feet underneath me in the world of port. I can’t thank Chuck enough.

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Chris, I’m glad you enjoyed them, and happy I could put them in the hands of someone that would pull the corks! Since your earlier post, I finally pulled a bottle of port for the holidays, and chose one that I knew really needed to be consumed, a 1985 Ferriera. I think I bought a couple cases in 1988 or so for about $16/btl. Fully mature but simple and plummy.

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Ferriera is one of those houses that deceptively age a long, long time. It’s a very elegant style rather than a blockbuster so people don’t think it does, but I’ve had ones from the 60’s and 70’s that have aged as well as the big ones.