Vintage Port 1985 - 30 year Retrospective Tasting over 2 days

Issaquah, WA
Tasted Saturday, January 24, 2015 - Sunday, January 25, 2015 by jlgnml with 914 views

Introduction

Glen (aka Mr Tawny) from the upper Northwest had a lot of '85 VP in his cellar and picked the weekend of the Pro Bowl to do a 2 day event to drink at least 30 1985 Vintage Ports over the weekend. My wife Linda and I met Glen and a few others on the last FTLOP harvest Tour last October. Linda has a niece in Renton and we had a lot of AA miles so off we went to the great state of Washington to do an epic tasting. Glen set up 3 flights of 5 wines to be tasted each day. Tasting lasted near an hour with comments lasting another hour so we spent six hours each day tasting, spitting and conversing. Of course a couple of btls were added to the mix. Dinner was at a local venue, Max's cafe restaurant featuring Portuguese and Indian cuisine for seven of us and more wine...and a port. All in all we had a great time visiting old and new friends and of course family.

Several btls I could not find on cellartracker and they were: in flight 1 of the first day Geudes (85), flight 1 day 2, Rabello Vallnee (92) and Krone (94) and in Flight 2 of the second day Borges & Irmao (92).

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

Flight 2 (5 Notes)

  • 1985 Martinez Gassiot & Co. Porto Vintage 87 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/24/2015)

    #1 of the second flight. Good color, caramel, alcohol, so far the most heat of any of the ports tasted.
    Grp notes: woody, musty, hazelnut skin, bitter, the most suspected glassware discrepancy.

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  • 1985 Quinta do Infantado Porto Vintage 89 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/24/2015)

    #2 of the second flight. Good color, full expression on the palate, good finish and good characteristics.
    Grp note: strawberry, nut & spice, red fruit, fruit leather, cardiman.

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  • 1985 Cálem Porto Vintage 89 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/24/2015)

    #3 of the second flight. Good color, good palate feel, good finish, smells and drinks like a wine, almond color.
    Grp note: suave, clean, touch of heat, spiced finish, licorice, cherry, lemon-lime candy, raisin, nutty.

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  • 1985 Fonseca Porto Vintage 93 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/24/2015)

    #4 of the second flight and btl #1 as we did not know that a second btl was put into the tasting on Saturday.
    Dark black berry color, up front crushed berry smell, so youthful that it was consider an outlier to the ports tasted on the first day.
    Grp note: soy nose, intense, plush, velvety, jammy, expressive, cedar, chickory, sugar cane, dried cherry, violets, pro typical of Fonseca.

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  • 1985 Gould Campbell Porto Vintage 86 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/24/2015)

    #5 of the second flight. Lighter color, subtle nose, cough syrup finish, doesn't rhyme, clear ruby, winterberry.
    Grp note: dried leather, dried apricot, woody.

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Flight 3 (5 Notes)

Flight 4 (2 Notes)

Flight 5 (3 Notes)

  • 1985 Kopke Porto Vintage 95 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #3 of the first flight on day 2. Cherry, great color, bright, mint, good finish with a slight medicinal taste. Flavorful, lasting finish.
    Grp note: can age longer, cigar, semi mature, candied fruit, figs, deep,layered, complex, almond, a must buy for the cellar.

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  • 1985 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional 92 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #4 of the first flight, day 2. Light water edge, good color, good nose, good finish, stalls on the palate, vanilla and floral.
    Grp note: hints of balsamic, baking spices, cloves, cake batter, mocha, a touch hot, vegetal, cramp berry, viscosity, more tawny like, rubber, instant folders coffee.

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  • 1985 Croft Porto Vintage 95 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #5 of the first flight, day 2. Great color, cinnamon, great finish, minimal heat, lovely, spicy.
    Grp note: deep typical port, old roses, dark mouse color, cranberry, strawberry jam, bright cherry fruit, cheery vanilla, lemoncello.

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Flight 6 (4 Notes)

  • 1985 Graham Porto Vintage 94 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #2 of the second flight, day 2. Dark fruit color, medicinal smell, very smooth, great palate, 20 min later reduced heat, very good palate feel.
    Grp note: Douglas fir, red Aussie licorice, more mature, dark chocolate, figs, prunes, delicious, Rose and cedar.

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  • 1985 Fonseca Porto Vintage 96 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #3 of the second flight, day 2 and the second btl. Dark fruit color, jammy plum, very good on the palate.
    Grp note: insanely young, cinnamon, black current, juicy, ripe tannins, mint, deep blackberry, clean, granny apple, nickel. One for the ages.

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  • 1985 Warre Porto Vintage 97 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #4 of the second flight, day 2. Really dark fruit color, sexy smell, great palate finish, good legs, big and jammy, disappointed heat.
    Grp note: minimal bricking, Meyer lemon, brown butter, eggplant color, blackberry, dense, grainy, espresso.

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  • 1985 Quarles Harris Porto Vintage 88 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #5 of the second flight, day 2. Medicinal, like yesterday's tasting, nothing to write much about, no change over the hour of tasting.
    Grp note: blood oranges,oxidized, bruised apple, stewed, tawny like, thin, mold, pistachio creme

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Flight 7 (6 Notes)

  • 1985 Dow Porto Vintage 90 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #1 of the third flight, day 2. VA, good color, good taste, some heat,that lasts.
    Grp note: toasted buckwheat, sour beer, honey, Forest scent.

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  • 1985 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage 84 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #2 of the third flight, day 2. Funky smell, taste not, dirty color, off putting, VA, short finish.
    Grp note: rubber, caramelized, cherry, fig

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  • 1985 Morgans Porto Vintage 93 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #3 of the third flight, day 2. Nice color, earthy spices, sweet finish.
    Grp note: peach, nectarines, sour, caramel, stone fruit, acidic, Belgian sugar.

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  • 1985 Offley Porto Boa Vista Vintage 94 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #4 of the third flight, day 2. Sweet, good color, great place right now, lively, rock star palate.
    Grp note: brandy, medicinal, N/R, fruity red berry, corked

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  • 1985 Churchill/Graham Porto Vintage 92 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #5 of the third flight, day 2. Nose like barnyard, sweet palate and a good finish. Drinking well.
    Grp note: malt vinegar, cloves, marshmallow, medicinal, chocolate, blueberries, cinnamon, structure was good, heat, fruity candy.

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  • 1985 Feist Porto Vintage 89 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (1/25/2015)

    #6 of the third and final flight, day 2. Tawny color, heat on the tip of the tongue, fragrant, caramel.
    Grp note: overertly sweet, overwhelming sour

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Closing

The wines of the weekend were Warre, Fonseca (Sunday btl) and Croft. Kopke, Calem and Infantado were close seconds.

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