Might be in a dumb phase currently, but not very good nor expressive over three days. Paired with fudge brownies and vanilla ice cream. Aromas are closed down and the flavors were sweet but simplistic at best. Structure is lurking. Decanting didn’t help. Hopefully this will improve given additional bottle time, right now it’s a pass.
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From a 50mL bought in a shop in Porto - not sure how long it was on the shelf. Nice ruby with slight bricking throughout. There is a very fine suspended precipitate, indicating this probably was on the shelf for quite a while. On the nose, aromas of toffee, caramel, raisins, plums. On the palate, the attack is frank, with a noticeable acidity and tannin (quite structured despite the aromas that make it appear quite aged). It has a good length but seems to be ending somewhat on oaky aromas. A good persistence. 87 mostly for the structure.
After visiting Graham’s Port lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, I had this idea that I would find miniatures of two (or more) other LBVs to compare with the Graham’s 2015. This was not was easy as expected, as a) my wonderful wife is not fond of my drinking and as such, I must be discrete in my shopping, and b) outside of the lodges, it is difficult to find the latest vintage and be sure about the quality of the storage.
In this tasting, I compared Dow’s (non-crusted) 2013 LBV, Taylor’s 2014 LBV and Graham’s 2015 LBV - the only one purchased in a lodge.
I believe both the Dow and the Taylor suffered from their storage. Only the Graham’s was fresh. I still compared them, but won’t formally give an actual score to the Dow or Taylor at this stage.
Of the three, the Graham’s was best (freshest, best balance), followed by the Dow which had nice aromas of an older Port and the Taylor was, though well structured, the least pleasant owing to the fine suspended particulate (tannin). It was a little bit harsh and the toffee notes a little to present compared to the fruit IMHO.
The Graham’s was better than the 2011 I tasted when last in Portugal. 2011 was an awesome vintage, and this seems to demonstrate that a good-but-not-quite-vintage year can have better LBVs that an awesome vintage year, as in the vintage years, the best grapes goes into the vintage, not the lbv. I rated the 2015 higher than the 2011.
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Good LBV. Off dry with overripe blackberry, black currant, raisins, pine, eucalyptus and bitter herbs. Just the slightest hint of oak; which comes out as sort of a tobacco note. Tannins are perfect - firm but not too big. Full bodied, high alcohol. Perfect with some stilton.
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what can i say just a joy to sip.. chocolate everywhere.. nose palate.. high heat on the alcohol on this one.. burned off most of it on the last few glasses.. drunk over a week or so.. ill need to get more. makes for a great get home from work sip while i finish paperwork and decide what is for dinner..
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Enjoyed outside on a cool October evening. Dark chocolate, raisin, and sweet blackberry lead the way, and just when you think it's getting a tad cloying, the tannins flex, giving it the tension it needs. On the simpler side overall, but still very tasty.
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Purchased for ~$20. Inky, thick, unctuous, opaque black. Ahhhh... I do love Port. Beautiful nose of sweet black fruits, petrol, a hint of spice and chocolate. On the palate, this is like sweet blackberry and Blueberry preserves. None of the petrol I pick up on the nose, just sweet, dark fruits. Firm tannins, but it seems balanced. I would prefer if the finish were a bit longer. But a perfect wine for an autumn evening in the NE. I am a fan of Taylor. Grade: A-
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Inky appearance, garnet rim. Very restrained, slightly meaty, mildly sweet nose. Sweet, slightly fiery taste. Some red/purple fruit, nothing distinctive. Somewhat medicinal mouthfeel. It's drinkable but tastes like a basic red wine with a glug of spirit. Not far wrong. [Cork stopper; 20% abv; a gift so unknown price].
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bold and rich, nice berries. Creamy mouth feeling - round. Very nice mouth feeling. Tasted it over 3 weeks, was better in week 2 and 3. The finish is a bit short. All in all a solid LBV.
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This is easily approachable, bright red fruits, soft tannins and very good overall balance, offers flawless drinking. Quite opposite to the robust Grahams'2014.
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A bit watery and rough on the edges but hey port is always good. Though this certainly isn't great.
Drinking at Pine Cliffs, Algarve, Portugal. Just saw this costs £10 on Amazon. Hmmm. Thinkni just paid that for a small glass ... and some atmosphere I suppose.
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One of those labelled 'Taylor's' rather than Taylor Fladgate (Why the difference?)
Quite hot on the nose, deep dark savoury fruit profile, stewed plum & mulberry. Some sort of subtle acetone/wallpaper paste thing, dark chocolate/liquorice.
Sweet, rich, smooth, blackberry jam, blueberry, finish hints of apple pip/almond. Dense but not at all syrupy, just a little lift in body as well as on the finish. I'm enjoying this.
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Deep ruby colour. Medium nose with blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, black plum and eucalyptus. Pronounced taste of blackberry, black cherry, black plum and eucalyptus. Medium long and sweet finish. Medium acidity. Medium tannins. Full bodied. A good LBV. Goes well with blue cheeses, chocolate or chocolate based desserts.
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Dark garnet colour. Law of stewed plumbs and spice. Silky texture with blackberry, pie crust and a hint of cinnamon on the tongue. There’s a hint of tartness in the finish.
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Plenty of sweet dark cherry and dark blackberry fruit with spice. Good structure and length with enough acidity to balance the sweetness and a soft, tannic backbone. Everything I want in an inexpensive (£9 from Morrisons, UK) LBV.
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For a port, this is almost light in its impression with bright acidity that nicely balances the sweetness and dark fruit. Tannins approachable; also an interesting hint of forest floor in the fruit/spice mix.
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Popped from a half bottle. Vibrant nose of ripe a bit generic dark fruit. Full bodied, sweet and smooth, showing loads of ripe dark fruit with a generic aspect and smooth tannins. A little heat on the finish. Solid LBV.
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Danny and Keana (The Lyon Hall): This is a nice sturdy example of LBV and makes you want some Oregon Creamery Blue or a dense chocolate pudding cake...ok, got those! Black fruit, spice and earth/ stone. Decent acidity and moderate tannins all in good balance. Drink now to keep your hands off the good stuff.
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Pretty notes of tobacco, red and dark berries, some cinnamon too. It's medium-full bodied, with medium+ acidity and some medium+ tannin. Good length. A very pretty LBV, very reliable as always.
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Encore un excellent LBV qui est dans une version plus rondes et fruité que les derniers millésimes. Superbe. Se boit très bien en soi, à mettre en valeur avec un dessert au chocolat et aux fruits rouges.
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4/26/2024 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Seems young, more ruby than tawny, well balanced, medium bodied.
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3/26/2024 - chbeaumont wrote: 85 Points
Decent enough, fruit holding up quite well
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3/17/2024 - superwayne wrote: 90 Points
A bit acidic and maybe even starting to turn. Was good but not great.
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10/1/2023 - wmccone54 wrote: 89 Points
Much better improved over the prior bottle. Sweet black cherry, coffee, and some wordiness. Grainy tannins but higher acidity could add balance.
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12/11/2022 - wmccone54 wrote: 85 Points
Might be in a dumb phase currently, but not very good nor expressive over three days. Paired with fudge brownies and vanilla ice cream. Aromas are closed down and the flavors were sweet but simplistic at best. Structure is lurking. Decanting didn’t help. Hopefully this will improve given additional bottle time, right now it’s a pass.
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12/18/2021 - BobMilton Likes this wine: 93 Points
Usual good ruby port. Rich with just right sweetness.
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11/13/2021 - BobMilton wrote:
No rating - obviously we drank this but darned if I remember. Probably typical Taylor with good sweetness and rich body.
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11/13/2021 - ChristopherB wrote:
From a 50mL bought in a shop in Porto - not sure how long it was on the shelf. Nice ruby with slight bricking throughout. There is a very fine suspended precipitate, indicating this probably was on the shelf for quite a while. On the nose, aromas of toffee, caramel, raisins, plums. On the palate, the attack is frank, with a noticeable acidity and tannin (quite structured despite the aromas that make it appear quite aged). It has a good length but seems to be ending somewhat on oaky aromas. A good persistence. 87 mostly for the structure.
After visiting Graham’s Port lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, I had this idea that I would find miniatures of two (or more) other LBVs to compare with the Graham’s 2015. This was not was easy as expected, as a) my wonderful wife is not fond of my drinking and as such, I must be discrete in my shopping, and b) outside of the lodges, it is difficult to find the latest vintage and be sure about the quality of the storage.
In this tasting, I compared Dow’s (non-crusted) 2013 LBV, Taylor’s 2014 LBV and Graham’s 2015 LBV - the only one purchased in a lodge.
I believe both the Dow and the Taylor suffered from their storage. Only the Graham’s was fresh. I still compared them, but won’t formally give an actual score to the Dow or Taylor at this stage.
Of the three, the Graham’s was best (freshest, best balance), followed by the Dow which had nice aromas of an older Port and the Taylor was, though well structured, the least pleasant owing to the fine suspended particulate (tannin). It was a little bit harsh and the toffee notes a little to present compared to the fruit IMHO.
The Graham’s was better than the 2011 I tasted when last in Portugal. 2011 was an awesome vintage, and this seems to demonstrate that a good-but-not-quite-vintage year can have better LBVs that an awesome vintage year, as in the vintage years, the best grapes goes into the vintage, not the lbv. I rated the 2015 higher than the 2011.
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5/24/2021 - mackstine wrote: 85 Points
Huge concentrated, blackberries, plums, blueberries. Almost a bit too sweet and thick for my likikgnbut well crafted
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3/7/2021 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good LBV. Off dry with overripe blackberry, black currant, raisins, pine, eucalyptus and bitter herbs. Just the slightest hint of oak; which comes out as sort of a tobacco note. Tannins are perfect - firm but not too big. Full bodied, high alcohol. Perfect with some stilton.
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12/28/2020 - Dad300 Likes this wine: 88 Points
what can i say just a joy to sip.. chocolate everywhere.. nose palate.. high heat on the alcohol on this one.. burned off most of it on the last few glasses.. drunk over a week or so.. ill need to get more. makes for a great get home from work sip while i finish paperwork and decide what is for dinner..
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10/20/2020 - ziavino wrote: 89 Points
Enjoyed outside on a cool October evening. Dark chocolate, raisin, and sweet blackberry lead the way, and just when you think it's getting a tad cloying, the tannins flex, giving it the tension it needs. On the simpler side overall, but still very tasty.
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10/9/2020 - mwagner7700 Likes this wine:
Purchased for ~$20. Inky, thick, unctuous, opaque black. Ahhhh... I do love Port. Beautiful nose of sweet black fruits, petrol, a hint of spice and chocolate. On the palate, this is like sweet blackberry and Blueberry preserves. None of the petrol I pick up on the nose, just sweet, dark fruits. Firm tannins, but it seems balanced. I would prefer if the finish were a bit longer. But a perfect wine for an autumn evening in the NE. I am a fan of Taylor. Grade: A-
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9/7/2020 - scyrene wrote: 80 Points
Inky appearance, garnet rim. Very restrained, slightly meaty, mildly sweet nose. Sweet, slightly fiery taste. Some red/purple fruit, nothing distinctive. Somewhat medicinal mouthfeel. It's drinkable but tastes like a basic red wine with a glug of spirit. Not far wrong. [Cork stopper; 20% abv; a gift so unknown price].
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8/19/2020 - chbeaumont wrote: 86 Points
Decent enough, lacks real interest.
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7/30/2020 - Delinquent Likes this wine: 88 Points
bold and rich, nice berries. Creamy mouth feeling - round. Very nice mouth feeling. Tasted it over 3 weeks, was better in week 2 and 3. The finish is a bit short. All in all a solid LBV.
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7/11/2020 - cufflink13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent port. Deep color, bright fruit with a smooth finish. Not too syrupy sweet like some ports.
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5/2/2020 - Lyubomir Lefterov wrote: 89 Points
This is easily approachable, bright red fruits, soft tannins and very good overall balance, offers flawless drinking. Quite opposite to the robust Grahams'2014.
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2/15/2020 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 91 Points
A bit watery and rough on the edges but hey port is always good. Though this certainly isn't great.
Drinking at Pine Cliffs, Algarve, Portugal. Just saw this costs £10 on Amazon. Hmmm. Thinkni just paid that for a small glass ... and some atmosphere I suppose.
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1/27/2020 - mysterycooper Likes this wine:
One of those labelled 'Taylor's' rather than Taylor Fladgate (Why the difference?)
Quite hot on the nose, deep dark savoury fruit profile, stewed plum & mulberry. Some sort of subtle acetone/wallpaper paste thing, dark chocolate/liquorice.
Sweet, rich, smooth, blackberry jam, blueberry, finish hints of apple pip/almond. Dense but not at all syrupy, just a little lift in body as well as on the finish. I'm enjoying this.
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1/24/2020 - Jokermac wrote: 88 Points
Good value port.
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1/3/2020 - SuperSomm wrote:
Deep ruby colour. Medium nose with blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, black plum and eucalyptus. Pronounced taste of blackberry, black cherry, black plum and eucalyptus. Medium long and sweet finish. Medium acidity. Medium tannins. Full bodied. A good LBV. Goes well with blue cheeses, chocolate or chocolate based desserts.
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1/1/2020 - JCherniak Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark garnet colour. Law of stewed plumbs and spice. Silky texture with blackberry, pie crust and a hint of cinnamon on the tongue. There’s a hint of tartness in the finish.
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12/29/2019 - johnrm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Plenty of sweet dark cherry and dark blackberry fruit with spice. Good structure and length with enough acidity to balance the sweetness and a soft, tannic backbone. Everything I want in an inexpensive (£9 from Morrisons, UK) LBV.
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10/31/2019 - Jzizzle Likes this wine: 90 Points
For a port, this is almost light in its impression with bright acidity that nicely balances the sweetness and dark fruit. Tannins approachable; also an interesting hint of forest floor in the fruit/spice mix.
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10/18/2019 - Henman Likes this wine: 89 Points
Popped from a half bottle. Vibrant nose of ripe a bit generic dark fruit. Full bodied, sweet and smooth, showing loads of ripe dark fruit with a generic aspect and smooth tannins. A little heat on the finish. Solid LBV.
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5/19/2019 - Grinner wrote: 91 Points
Danny and Keana (The Lyon Hall): This is a nice sturdy example of LBV and makes you want some Oregon Creamery Blue or a dense chocolate pudding cake...ok, got those! Black fruit, spice and earth/ stone. Decent acidity and moderate tannins all in good balance. Drink now to keep your hands off the good stuff.
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3/22/2019 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pretty notes of tobacco, red and dark berries, some cinnamon too. It's medium-full bodied, with medium+ acidity and some medium+ tannin. Good length. A very pretty LBV, very reliable as always.
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1/22/2019 - Vince_chip Likes this wine: 90 Points
Encore un excellent LBV qui est dans une version plus rondes et fruité que les derniers millésimes. Superbe. Se boit très bien en soi, à mettre en valeur avec un dessert au chocolat et aux fruits rouges.
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