Pretty impressive stuff! Deep, dark, full fruit. Slightly alcoholic note (no surprise here) yet somehow manages to stay elegant to some extent. Almost 45 years old and singing.
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Fine and clean. Decanted perfectly clean as deposit clung to the bottle. Super balance. I had 12 of these and we drank most of them as easy drinking VP of a light vintage. Big Mistake. This last bottle pristine ultra clean ultra balanced and seemed a bit on the young side. Super wine, needs time.
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42 years old and singing. Decanted and ready at pnp but after 2h the wine gets considerable weight. Orange/Citrus peel nose, hazelnuts, black cherry, blackberries, licorice, vanilla, caramel and a very long and pleasant finish. Clearly has the works to go another 10-15 years and it might get "even" better!! Amazing
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pale red to tawny edge; fruitcake spices, orange peel, warmly fruited, fig jam; full & supple; concentrated yet elegant, fig & cherry elixir, spice box, sweet & long.
from a magnum decanted to a .375 ml. & held at cellar temp for six days. saved some immediately from the decant (a mag is a lot of port); enjoyed thoroughly w/remaining stilton, actually feel successful treatment.
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Reds and Ports (Sammamish, Washington): Red fruit and some herbal notes on the nose. Intense mouthfeel with raspberry and chocolate. The tannins are still very much present, but all well balanced. This wine has a rounded mouthfeel, but still showing a lot of youth and fruit. This one needs more time.
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(Blind tasting) Medium-fullish, elegant and balanced nose. Dried red raspberry and cherries. Subtle and mature. Lacks a bit spice. Medium-fullish body, smooth palate. Dried fruit, elegant and balanced. But also freshness. It lacks a bit complexity and spice for higher marks. Drink now, not likely to improve.
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From 75cl, all attempts to remove cork with corkscrew or ah-so failed, so out came the port tongs. Decanted 90 minutes. After 40 years this is still fighting: bright acidity, stiff tannins, slightly closed aromatics only letting the occasional waft of lavender, herbs and dark berry fruit through. This fine, gutsy Port has many years (decades?) in hand; now it is a virile, challenging drink, perhaps best decanted a day or so in advance. 90P(?)
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By pure coincidence I had the good fortune to taste this the very day after cracking open the magnificent 1992 vintage. The key takeaway here is patience. The 1980 is allegedly inferior to the 1992 but is a wonderfully mellow experience right now with the promise of many years of enjoyment to come. The 1992 was a magnificent port but even in 2020 remains a little closed and austere- it’s still to early to drink, come back in the 2030’s. The longevity of these ports never ceases to amaze me. If you are tempted to break into any of them prior to their 30th birthday, please refrain- trust me on this!
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A delicate cassis juice of a wine. Light in aroma and flavor, but cassis and a hint of mint comes through. The alcohol also makes itself known, but mostly in a tingling sensation through the midpalate. If I tasted it blind, I probably would not have guessed it was a vintage port at all, since it has neither the power of most young ports, nor the tertiary notes of many well-aged ports. But it is in a nice place right now. I can't imagine it would get better from here, considering how light it is now.
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Elegant and quite pure nose that is only sligthly alcoholic. Subtle soft, exotic spices intermingles with raisin and red fruit. Medium body. Harmonius, soft and spicy. Very balanced sweetness. Liquorice. Very good length and just a bit fiery. But should have a bit more concentration for being very great.
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Opened 30 minutes in advance. Rich, grippy aroma of tobacco, cassis. Pure, intense, complex, mellow (by Port standards) mix of flavors includes plum, tobacco, berry. Licorice dominates the finish. This was pretty much ready to go upon opening, but does gain some depth and weight with time. Drinking beautifully now, but there's still plenty of time.
Still drinking well. Amber in the glass. Tasting round with almonds and vanilla. Creamy. Nice integrated finish. A nice surprise. I do not think this wine will improve further with age, however it still has years of life.
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This was drunk over a number of evenings, starting on or about Christmas Eve. Rich, raisiny, fruit-cakey wine, elegant, medium weight and with good length. Not the most intense of ports, but very harmonious.
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Vintage Port 1980 (Portvinsklubben 1981): Quite mature in both color and flavor. Very sweet with leather and coffee coming through but also a touch of licorice. Everything seems well integrated and the tannins are smooth. Perhaps a little too sweet with ruins it a little for me. Otherwise a really lovely wine worth seeking out!
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Shared at the wine.woot winemakers' dinner on the 2014 RPM Tour with Ty, PW, and more. This was delicious and went over very well. I enjoyed this more than the previous bottle also. Drink the last one 2018-2022 - would make a great 40th birthday wine according to PW and RPM.
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Taylor Vintage Port Vertical (Los Angeles, California): Shy nose, but very pretty, lots of plum and anise and balsamic notes. Very full palate, nicely balanced, refined tannins, good acidity, just a touch of heat. Persistent and pleasant finish. A nice surprise to me. 10 hours in decanter.
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My first well aged vintage Port. Pretty tasty. A few acetic hints, but overall was in nice shape and was a tasty wine. Some slight spillage through the cork didn't seem to have left too big a negative mark on the wine.
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A better bottle than the last. A healthy medium red color. Still a decent amount of alcohol heat after 5 hours of a double decant. Good fruit flavors. Really good with the Blue Shropshire and Point Reyes blues.
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1980 vintage ports - IWFS Chicago May Luncheon (Columbia Yacht Club): Opened three hours before service. Bright brownish red in color, closer to a tawny in color. Medium sweet with little tannins left. Definitely on the downhill slide, but will hold together at least another few years.
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What a wonderful port. It is like a christmas cake in a glass. We could still remember the taste the next day and talk about it vividly. Nose of spices, raisins, plums, prunes and dates. Silky smooth complex mouth with a long finish. Lovely lightness to the taste also.
Go out and drink some
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The last port that tasted this good was a 1927, some years ago, at a friends. I hoard my Taylor and opened this Christmas Eve. It decanted easily, and no issues from the cork. The nose filled the kitchen with traces of almpst every soft fruit and violets as well. So complex in the mouth; honey, vanilla and of course bountiful layers of fruit. No signs of fading and the tannins are polished to gemstone quality.
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Deepish red. Red fruit, floral and bergamont. Nice red fruit flavours and floral sweetness. A nice tannic finish. Showing a lot more then the others in this flight for drinking now.
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Decanted for about 6 hours, this was immediately appealing. Fresh raspberry, cherry, lightly roasted almonds, vanilla, cinnamon spice and brown sugar caramel all came together on the nose. The raspberry and nuts dominated the palate, with som much freshness in the fruit that it seemed like this wine was 4 years old, not 24. There was just a touch of alcoholic heat on the finish, but the spicy elements just carried on and on. Absolutely lovely & a great match with our simple dessert of raspberry sorbet and home made dried cherry & chocolate biscotti.
A few ounces were left for night two, and the wine did not disappoint. A touch more of the alcohol was poking through, but the red fruit freshness was still there & it continuedto match well with some biscotti.
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2/19/2024 - calypse Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty impressive stuff! Deep, dark, full fruit. Slightly alcoholic note (no surprise here) yet somehow manages to stay elegant to some extent. Almost 45 years old and singing.
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8/2/2023 - john_s Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fine and clean. Decanted perfectly clean as deposit clung to the bottle. Super balance. I had 12 of these and we drank most of them as easy drinking VP of a light vintage. Big Mistake. This last bottle pristine ultra clean ultra balanced and seemed a bit on the young side. Super wine, needs time.
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4/9/2022 - Myman24 Likes this wine: 94 Points
42 years old and singing. Decanted and ready at pnp but after 2h the wine gets considerable weight. Orange/Citrus peel nose, hazelnuts, black cherry, blackberries, licorice, vanilla, caramel and a very long and pleasant finish. Clearly has the works to go another 10-15 years and it might get "even" better!! Amazing
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1/2/2022 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
pale red to tawny edge; fruitcake spices, orange peel, warmly fruited, fig jam; full & supple; concentrated yet elegant, fig & cherry elixir, spice box, sweet & long.
from a magnum decanted to a .375 ml. & held at cellar temp for six days. saved some immediately from the decant (a mag is a lot of port); enjoyed thoroughly w/remaining stilton, actually feel successful treatment.
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11/20/2021 - theportguy wrote: 93 Points
Reds and Ports (Sammamish, Washington): Red fruit and some herbal notes on the nose. Intense mouthfeel with raspberry and chocolate. The tannins are still very much present, but all well balanced. This wine has a rounded mouthfeel, but still showing a lot of youth and fruit. This one needs more time.
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10/29/2021 - Argrath wrote: 92 Points
(Blind tasting)
Medium-fullish, elegant and balanced nose. Dried red raspberry and cherries. Subtle and mature. Lacks a bit spice.
Medium-fullish body, smooth palate. Dried fruit, elegant and balanced. But also freshness. It lacks a bit complexity and spice for higher marks.
Drink now, not likely to improve.
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12/25/2020 - honest bob wrote: 90 Points
From 75cl, all attempts to remove cork with corkscrew or ah-so failed, so out came the port tongs. Decanted 90 minutes. After 40 years this is still fighting: bright acidity, stiff tannins, slightly closed aromatics only letting the occasional waft of lavender, herbs and dark berry fruit through. This fine, gutsy Port has many years (decades?) in hand; now it is a virile, challenging drink, perhaps best decanted a day or so in advance. 90P(?)
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10/17/2020 - HarveyManfrenjensenden Likes this wine: 93 Points
By pure coincidence I had the good fortune to taste this the very day after cracking open the magnificent 1992 vintage. The key takeaway here is patience. The 1980 is allegedly inferior to the 1992 but is a wonderfully mellow experience right now with the promise of many years of enjoyment to come. The 1992 was a magnificent port but even in 2020 remains a little closed and austere- it’s still to early to drink, come back in the 2030’s. The longevity of these ports never ceases to amaze me. If you are tempted to break into any of them prior to their 30th birthday, please refrain- trust me on this!
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3/21/2020 - NateR Likes this wine: 91 Points
A delicate cassis juice of a wine. Light in aroma and flavor, but cassis and a hint of mint comes through. The alcohol also makes itself known, but mostly in a tingling sensation through the midpalate. If I tasted it blind, I probably would not have guessed it was a vintage port at all, since it has neither the power of most young ports, nor the tertiary notes of many well-aged ports. But it is in a nice place right now. I can't imagine it would get better from here, considering how light it is now.
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3/7/2020 - Argrath wrote: 92 Points
Elegant and quite pure nose that is only sligthly alcoholic. Subtle soft, exotic spices intermingles with raisin and red fruit.
Medium body. Harmonius, soft and spicy. Very balanced sweetness. Liquorice. Very good length and just a bit fiery. But should have a bit more concentration for being very great.
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11/24/2019 - wineshlub wrote: 93 Points
Opened 30 minutes in advance. Rich, grippy aroma of tobacco, cassis. Pure, intense, complex, mellow (by Port standards) mix of flavors includes plum, tobacco, berry. Licorice dominates the finish. This was pretty much ready to go upon opening, but does gain some depth and weight with time. Drinking beautifully now, but there's still plenty of time.
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7/7/2019 - JTNapa Likes this wine:
Still drinking well, but it has definitely peaked
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12/25/2017 - Whidah wrote: 98 Points
2017 now and my last bottle. Superb and perfectly balanced. It just keeps getting better. Too bad that I shan't get to taste it again.
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12/15/2016 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank in London
It has been a couple of years since my last bottle and this is still rich deep and young. Lovely.
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1/3/2016 - egroves Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still drinking well. Amber in the glass. Tasting round with almonds and vanilla. Creamy. Nice integrated finish. A nice surprise. I do not think this wine will improve further with age, however it still has years of life.
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12/24/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 92 Points
This was drunk over a number of evenings, starting on or about Christmas Eve. Rich, raisiny, fruit-cakey wine, elegant, medium weight and with good length. Not the most intense of ports, but very harmonious.
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8/28/2015 - canan wrote: 93 Points
Vintage Port 1980 (Portvinsklubben 1981): Quite mature in both color and flavor. Very sweet with leather and coffee coming through but also a touch of licorice. Everything seems well integrated and the tannins are smooth. Perhaps a little too sweet with ruins it a little for me. Otherwise a really lovely wine worth seeking out!
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8/5/2014 - klezman wrote:
Shared at the wine.woot winemakers' dinner on the 2014 RPM Tour with Ty, PW, and more. This was delicious and went over very well. I enjoyed this more than the previous bottle also. Drink the last one 2018-2022 - would make a great 40th birthday wine according to PW and RPM.
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3/1/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
Taylor Vintage Port Vertical (Los Angeles, California): Shy nose, but very pretty, lots of plum and anise and balsamic notes. Very full palate, nicely balanced, refined tannins, good acidity, just a touch of heat. Persistent and pleasant finish. A nice surprise to me. 10 hours in decanter.
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3/1/2014 - klezman wrote:
My first well aged vintage Port. Pretty tasty. A few acetic hints, but overall was in nice shape and was a tasty wine. Some slight spillage through the cork didn't seem to have left too big a negative mark on the wine.
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1/22/2013 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Davy's
Wonderful stuff and universally liked at the table. Highly drinkable now but was last for a long long time.
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12/24/2012 - Border Boss Likes this wine: 89 Points
A better bottle than the last. A healthy medium red color. Still a decent amount of alcohol heat after 5 hours of a double decant. Good fruit flavors. Really good with the Blue Shropshire and Point Reyes blues.
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8/14/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at Davy's
Not as nice as the last bottle but still very good. All the full Christmas Cake in a glass.
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5/2/2012 - Border Boss wrote: 86 Points
1980 vintage ports - IWFS Chicago May Luncheon (Columbia Yacht Club): Opened three hours before service. Bright brownish red in color, closer to a tawny in color. Medium sweet with little tannins left. Definitely on the downhill slide, but will hold together at least another few years.
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5/2/2012 - jlgnml wrote:
IWFSC May luncheon (Columbia Yacht Club): Very smooth, very clean color, bright, old classic port. Group #2, my #4
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4/25/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at Davies
What a wonderful port. It is like a christmas cake in a glass. We could still remember the taste the next day and talk about it vividly. Nose of spices, raisins, plums, prunes and dates. Silky smooth complex mouth with a long finish. Lovely lightness to the taste also.
Go out and drink some
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12/26/2011 - HamishR wrote: 91 Points
Still good colour, cherry, some grip and still showing some youth. Very pleasant right now.
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12/26/2011 - Whidah wrote: 95 Points
The last port that tasted this good was a 1927, some years ago, at a friends. I hoard my Taylor and opened this Christmas Eve. It decanted easily, and no issues from the cork. The nose filled the kitchen with traces of almpst every soft fruit and violets as well. So complex in the mouth; honey, vanilla and of course bountiful layers of fruit. No signs of fading and the tannins are polished to gemstone quality.
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12/13/2011 - David J Cooper wrote: 92 Points
Deepish red. Red fruit, floral and bergamont. Nice red fruit flavours and floral sweetness. A nice tannic finish. Showing a lot more then the others in this flight for drinking now.
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2/26/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 95 Points
Opened 24 hours before drinking. One of the better Vintage Ports I have had. In perfect balance. Nice and sweet as Taylor´s are. Looong aftertaste.
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3/26/2010 - Tartiflette wrote: 93 Points
Very typical Taylor. Lots of fruit and a long aftertaste. Went well with desert (tiramisu) but even better alone.
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11/22/2009 - JDBwine wrote: 90 Points
Decanted had lots of sediment took only 20 minuets was very good nice layered flavor
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10/4/2009 - ed-d wrote: 90 Points
Very sweet & very hot. Showing much younger than it's age.
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11/13/2004 - Rieslingfan wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for about 6 hours, this was immediately appealing. Fresh raspberry, cherry, lightly roasted almonds, vanilla, cinnamon spice and brown sugar caramel all came together on the nose. The raspberry and nuts dominated the palate, with som much freshness in the fruit that it seemed like this wine was 4 years old, not 24. There was just a touch of alcoholic heat on the finish, but the spicy elements just carried on and on. Absolutely lovely & a great match with our simple dessert of raspberry sorbet and home made dried cherry & chocolate biscotti.
A few ounces were left for night two, and the wine did not disappoint. A touch more of the alcohol was poking through, but the red fruit freshness was still there & it continuedto match well with some biscotti.
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