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Old Ports with Roy Hersh
Zucca, LA, CA
Tasted March 5, 2010 by WetRock with 1,073 views
Introduction
Roy Hersh rolled into town again with his traveling Port roadshow. Andy set us up at Zucca for a night of dinner, companions and old Ports along with some other treats with a six course meal in our own room. Again we had some bottles way under perform but some others over performed making up for it most notably the 1875 "Port" from Cucamonga that Frank brought. This great treat turned into a real surprise performer drinking like a well aged Port from Douro. A very rare bottle and a head turner. Other high light wines for me are the 05 F Haag Auslese, 2004 Charme, 1940 Quarles Harris, 55 Cockburns and the 70 Niepoort.
Flight 1 - Greeter with Bruschetta (1 note)
White
N.V. Broadbent Vinho Verde
Light spritz with a clean mouth coating tart character. Reminds me of Chenin or Riesling.
Flight 2 - Ausleses with Foie Gras (2 notes)
White - Off-dry
2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #9
Complex floral nose with notes of green apple and fruit blossoms. Clean palate that shows very light sugar behind a sappy character. Tart green baked apples. This showed great balance and acidity. Terrific wine.
White - Off-dry
2005 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
Nose of peach and apple. Clean palate showing no sugar with apples and a sappy character. This was much rounder and flatter than the F Haag not carrying the acidic finish. I think this might have been in a closed phase.
Flight 3 - A Singular Treat (1 note)
Red - Fortified
1875 Louis Lewin & Co Port
More than being merely alive this was quite good. Big fruited from the start and fading within a half hour or so this never really showed old or past its prime. Aromas of perfumed fresh fruits start drifting into smokey spiced oranges then brandy and maple with notes of smoke. Later on it changed yet more showing coconut, vanilla and coffee. Palate shows big fruited peach and apricot, rich and sweet adding some pumpkin spice later on. Clean and balanced. We knew it was giving up the ghost when the spearmint and menthol notes came about. A real treat this drank very well surprising all of us with its life and expression at an age when we felt it would be most likely gone. Thought to be bottled around the nineteen teens. Awesome.
Flight 4 - Colheitas with Gnocchi (3 notes)
White - Fortified
1964 Krohn Porto Colheita Branco
Decanted 12 hours prior to consumption. Nose was much more reserved than when decanted showing toffee and coffee with buts later on. Drank like a dry wine. Palate lacked some expression being on the short side. We did coax some buttered toffee, butterscotch and vanilla out of it later on. I'm wondering if maybe it was decanted too long.
Red - Fortified
1966 Krohn Porto Colheita
Initially this showed wood and shoe polish aromas but those faded and the wine really picked up. The nose became more about roasted fruits with spice and maple. Mint and eucalyptus came out later. Sharp palate with some heat. Rich and juicy showing nuts, coffee and sweet cherry. Very good.
White - Fortified
1952 Dalva Porto Golden White Colheita
This had a medicinal chemical and polish quality that I couldn't get to subside. Some nuts underneath of nuts and apples. Palate has a dry wine feel, clean and juicy. Plenty of acids and a slight grip becoming sweeter alter on. The chemical note was too much to get around ultimately.
Flight 5 - Quinta do Vale with Pappardelle (1 note)
Red
2004 Quinta Vale D. Maria Douro
Decanted 6 hours prior to consumption. Young ripe nose showing some raisined fruit. Brings in some lava rock/wet brick notes later on. Palate is on the tight side though shows good balance with plenty of acids. Richly fruited with a touch of heat. Some nice potential here but a youngster.
Flight 6 - Dry Reds with Beef Tenderloin (3 notes)
Red
2004 Niepoort Douro Charme
Decanted 6 hours prior to consumption. Nose is still very primary showing thick rich fruit with notes of flowers peaking out later. The palate is very expansive in the mouth seeming as if it fills my entire palate at once. Pretty with lots of length, great balance and a primarily cherry expression right now. This is excellent and due to be better with bottle time.
Red
1990 Château Angélus
Touch of brett on the nose with cedar and wood. Smells like a basic old Cali Cab. Tight, clean and acidic palate. This showed very simply and plain on the night.
Red
2006 Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines
Primary nose with notes of cranberry and flowers. Tight palate is juicy and acidic. This showed bigger and more primary than my last go around maybe because it was in a magnum. Needs a few years but is a very good wine in waiting.
Flight 7 - Old Colheitas (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1940 Quarles Harris Porto Reserve Colheita
Bottles in 1989. Showing its age some this had aromas of wood, root beer and brown sugar. Nicely balanced with juicy cola and roasted nuts. I really liked this . Very good.
Red - Fortified
1934 Niepoort Porto Colheita
Bottled in 1983. Dark nose of cola, wood and figs with a touch of heat. Rich up front and juicy on the back. Apples and fig flavors. Good but seemed to be chunky.
Flight 8 - Oldest Vintage Ports (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1955 Cockburn Porto Vintage
Big bright ripe cherry aromas initially the nose becomes more complex adding sap, herbals and a bit of pepper. Bright and juicy palate, balanced and lean feeling. Bit syrupy in the middle with plenty of cherry across the palate and some chocolate covered cherry flavors. This was great and would compete for one of my favorites on the night. Excellent and young drinking.
Red - Fortified
1963 Cockburn Porto Vintage
Woody nose with some cherry and mustiness. Nose is a bit stunted and some of us suspected slight TCA. Dark and rich but not expressive. The musty woodiness seems to be holding the wine down. Suspect it was corked.
Flight 9 - Taylor's Flight (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1970 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage
Nose of chocolate, cherries, wood and heat. Big but not expressive and showing lots of heat. Damaged?
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Red - Fortified
1967 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage Quinta de Vargellas
Nose is tight initially showing some cherry and mineral adding some meat and spice later on with with a bit of mustiness. Lean feeling palate, juicy and balanced. This was pretty good but seemed limited.
Flight 10 - Two More 1970's (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1970 Graham Porto Vintage
Chocolate covered cherries and wood show on a rich nose. Bright cherry and musty wood later on. Rich and thick palate on the short and syrupy side showing heat. Much like the Taylor's this didn't step up on the night though it didn't seem flawed.
Red - Fortified
1970 Niepoort Porto Vintage
Decanted 7 hours prior to serving. Rich and dark nose with fat fruit though on the tight side. Balanced, dark and pretty with fat fruit in the midpalate. This was real good and one of the high lights on the evening.