What is the best single bottle of PORT you've had in 2011?

WINE TALK
41

77 Taylor

42

SOOOO hard to chose just one but it is the 60 dow
if I could chose 2 add the 70 fonseca to the list
the one I was most surprised by was the 80 dow which seemed to look,taste and smell as young as the 07 dow when drank during a dow offline (60 -07 vintages)

43

I’m close to Keith on this. The question could be “Which Port did you have this year”?
I guess it would be '70 Dow.

If anybody ever wants to stop by and help do a bottle justice, I’m here in Seattle with about five cases and few occasions.

P Hickner

44

1948 Warre

I had very low expectations given the write up in Broadbent’s GVW Book, however it turned out to be absolutely lovely

45

Peter H.,

I live in Sammamish, WA and would be happy to share some Port some time this winter if you need an excuse to pull a cork. I think I might be able to find something in the cellar too that you might find enjoyable as well.

46

Andy,

That Brunheda was one of the finest Ports we had on the trip. Loved that 1900 in a tour where we were spoiled with many from the 19th and early 20th century that Brunheda experience was one of the standouts for sure. [cheers.gif]

47

Looks like a first year philosophy class. Does Symon really exist or am I just reacting to some strange electric impulse?

What I have noticed from this thread is:

  1. There are a large number of really old wines
  2. How many people are saying they are not drinking Port.

Looks like there are plenty of bargains because nobody is really drinking it. It is a small sample but probably pretty accurately reflects what is going on. Sad state of affairs. Thinking about it, I have done three tastings featuring pairs of Port, but as my wife doesn’t drink it, I have opened three of four bottles this year. Consumption is less than a case!

48

Unfortunately, he’s very real.

49

'55 Taylors (the second time) was also pretty damn good, and significantly better than the 1st bottle, even though I suspect they came from the same source…

Re:

'77 Taylors:

5 times this year, two were truly great, 1 just Ok, 2 not so great…storage = everything, like with any other wine…

50

Are you sure? Most of us were drinking quite a bit this last weekend…

51

Paul,
I don’t know where your bottles came from, but there is a lot of bottle variation with the 1977 Taylors and Fonseca. Mostly attributed to poor quality corks they, along with many other producers, received from cork suppliers around that time period. But good showing bottles rock!

52

Consider me there!

I’m hoping my best port this year will be a '77 Dow that I plan on cracking in a couple weeks.

53

Ok, I have been holding onto this question for a long time: Are storage requirements for vintage port similar to those of wine?
I do not drink port (used to enjoy it a long time ago) but was given a bottle of 1985 Dow’s - I am guessing sometime in the late 80s. It moved across country, was stored in closets…all sorts of what would be major abuse of wine. What do you think?

54

Hi Merrill,

Port is fairly hearty but is susceptible to the same abuse as is typical with table wine. Only Madeira can withstand the abuse without showing any signs of denegration. As to what to expect from your bottle? Read Paul H.'s post from above. The 1977 Taylor’s Port experience is likely due to poor storage conditions. But if your bottle was not hurt by heat, likely it will still be good. I’d drink it sooner rather than later though.

55

Thanks - kind of what I thought. There are no signs of seepage or anything. If I can gather up any interest, I’ll open it.

56

This one is tough as had many very solid ports this year.

70 Dow
77 Dow (mag)
70 Graham
76 Niepoort Colheita
83 Niepoort Colheita
68 Offley Forrester Colheita
75 Offley Forrester Tawny
85 Offley Forrester Tawny
30 year Niepoort Tawny
66 Krohn Colheita

Vote for Number 1 - Dow’s 1970 Vintage Port, 83 Niepoort Colheita

57

Best mature bottle is 1966 Croft opened by a friend at the end of the evening at his beautiful Lake Tahoe home.

58

Agree Andy,

Not sure on 3 of the bottles, but my 2 both came from the same auction purchase about 5-6 years ago. I would assume they both had the same provenance, but who really knows. Both looked similar, so probably a cork issue perhaps explains why one was pretty ordinary, and one great…

59

I find it interesting that a couple of people mentioned the rather obscure Niepoort 1983 Colheita. It is not a Port you see every day. Glad to know it is making its way around the country though. The Niepoort Colheita style is one I truly enjoy, even more than Dirk’s Garrafeiras which are even rarer to come by in the USA.

For those that rarely open Ports, would you consider doing so at the end of a multi-wine Thanksgiving meal or during the upcoming holidays?

60

We always open a bottle at the end of Thanksgiving dinner because both of my brothers in law enjoy good port, which gives us a sufficient critical mass to want to open a bottle. With the Green Bay vs. Detroit game looking interesting this year, maybe we will eat early and then actually polish off a bottle during the game. I’ve got a 1963 Calem that may be over the hill but maybe we’ll see how it’s doing.