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Fortified Evening with the TWS North London Group
Must & Lees, Warren Street
Tasted December 8, 2023 by oenanthe with 99 views
Introduction
A left-field suggestion from Ed that whilst terrifying worked very well, sustained by vast quantites of blue cheese, ham, biscuits, dried figs, stollen and water. A laugh a minute, and a unique opportunity to explore house styles alongside each other. The concept of 'reserve' bottles was once again made a mockery of....
All VPs double decanted the night before or in the morning.
Flight 1 - Andre's Sherry Lesson (3 notes)
White - Fortified
2023 Emilio Lustau Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 3 en Rama Jerez de la Frontera
87 points
Some notes from a Sherry novice. A littly nutty, nice kick of spice, nice acidity. Quite fresh and balanced and reminded me of a full-bodied white Rhone, a Roussane or something. Too easy to drink, and at 15% I feel I would be better off with something from the southern Rhone at, er, 15%....oh hang on a minute.
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White - Fortified
2023 Emilio Lustau Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 3 en Rama Fino de El Puerto de Santa Maria
87 points
Much darker than the Jerez, and more on the sherry spectrum versus my limited understanding. This is more nutty, and has leesy elements of mature champagne, and a far more oxidative nature.
White - Fortified
N.V. Emilio Lustau Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda En Rama Spring Release 2023
88 points
Somewhere between the Jerez and the El Puerto, and of the three my preferred one, with a pleasant balance between acidity, oxidation, and nuttisness. Quiet charming in a way but I don't see sherry as becoming a go to tipple. I don't think I'm old enough to appreciate it. More research required perhaps.
Flight 2 - White Port because (1 note)
White - Fortified
N.V. Niepoort Porto Dry White
87 points
Kind of sweet and sour. Orange dominates for me, a bit like Irn Bru with a dash of Fanta, but sophisticated as opposed to naff. Far too easy to drink, rich and sweet, but without either element being too off-putting. Excellent with dried figs somehow!
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Flight 3 - 1970 (1 note)
Red - Fortified
1970 Graham Porto Vintage
88 points
Quite clear, browning. Brown sugar and christmas cake, strongly acidic, low register fruit now. High-toned, sweet, svelte, little left of any richness it may once have had but quite finessed.
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Flight 4 - 1985 Round 1 (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1985 Croft Porto Vintage
86 points
Nose a bit Madeiran, almost no fruit. On the palate I find it rather shrill, there is fruit present, excellent succulence, but it takes a clear back seat. Definitely prefer richer styles is what this is telling me.
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Red - Fortified
1985 Graham Porto Vintage
90 points
Huge contrast with the Croft and Taylors, this has a real depth of dark fruit, and herbal quality I cannot place, almost green, that sets it apart from the others. Quite rich, alcohol-infused fruit cake, very nice indeed, I appreciate the extra body that this has.
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Flight 5 - 1985 Round 2 (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1985 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage
89 points
Quite light in colour, pale and very long. This is decent, classical you would say, a good balance between rich and plummy, and sweet and long, but whilst it starts well I don't enjoy the finish as much, the alcohol heat seems to get up my nose in a way that the others didn't, and we are *not* at that stage of the evening yet! I tried it a little later with the same effect, not sure why this should be.
Red - Fortified
1985 Fonseca Porto Vintage
93 points
The darkest of the 1985. Now *this* is Port I found myself saying. It has dialled up the richness and unctuousness of the fruit, it is fuller bodied, like a dark christmas pudding. Wonderfully silky and smooth. Morphs into something a little medicinal, like cough mixture. Real presence. Excellent, one to look out for. Group WOTN by a huge margin. My #2.
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Flight 6 - 1994 (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1994 Graham Porto Vintage
92 points
Sweet and savoury, like a spiced rum cake. Also ribena and some fresh green herbs. I quite like the Graham's style I am finding, it is perhaps not as opulent as Fonseca but the restraint matched by power is rather nice.
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Red - Fortified
1994 Warre Porto Vintage
93 points
Less giving on the nose than the 1994 Graham, but I find it more complete. An earlier bottle was a bit thin, perhaps there was something wrong with it, but with is much fuller and pretty sexy stuff. Gets better in the glass (and this is after a 12 hour double-decant, something that all the VPs had had I think). I get plums, spices, and the fruity sweetness outweighs the acidity which is what I think I want from Port. Half the bottle retained for a second evening.
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Flight 7 - 2011 (1 note)
Red - Fortified
2011 Graham Porto Vintage
94 points
Rich and deep, plush and balanced sweetness. Dark, superb fruit and spice, silky and lithe but with trememdous reserves of power. There is orange peel, liquorice and boiled cherry sweets sitting atop a liquid pudding. This is how you envisage a quintessentially classic Vintage Port to taste like. Or I do at any rate. The youngest of the evening (1970, 1985, 1994) by a huge margin and yet my WOTN, what is this telling me?
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Flight 8 - Reserve wine ahem (1 note)
Red - Fortified
N.V. Niepoort Porto 20 Year Old Tawny
91 points
Brown-toned orange, dark amber perhaps. Nose remiscent of a school stationary cupboard, pencil eraser an amazingly accurate suggestion from Peter, and I also come up with those squeezy bottles of school paint. We have now reached this stage of the evening.... Almost like a Madeira on the palate, delicious and will go on forever probably.
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Closing
So what did I learn? Well, that I can be restrained. I felt fine the next morning, genuinely. I did pour and spit quite responsibly, and half a kilo of Stilton, hand-fed by Andre, no doubt helped my cause. What did I learn about Port? I like it younger and fruitier, and of the house styles from the evenings offerings I had a preference for the younger Grahams and the Fonseca. Am I going to go and look for some? Maybe. I just wonder whether it is better to let other people pay for storage and then buy it when you are ready for a bottle, but let's see how that pans out.
Thanks to Ed for the suggestion, to Chris for hosting, To Nick and Rui for cheese and figs, and to everyone for bringing such great bottles.