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Unfortunately, I have a prior family commitment that means that I will not be able to make it along on the 8th. Is anyone else who is able to definitely be there able to take over the organising of Oscar's evening?

I had a terrific night and it was a real pleasure to see a few folks I've not seen for a fair while. My thanks go to Christian for a lovely bottle of red wine; Dirk Niepoort for providing a bottle of the 1955 vintage that was impossible to find; to Axel for helping with the venue arrangements; to Ju...

To find a claret that was able to stand up for itself after 8 impressive ports was a real surprise.

This was a delight to drink and a wonderful accompaniment to a delicious steak & kidney pudding.

What a great list. I have to make do with the 1955 horizontal tonight. 1955 wines from Adam, the Factory House, Fonseca, Ferreira, Noval, Martinez, Gonzalez Byass, Taylor, Graham, Dow, Sandeman, Niepoort, Offley, Mackenzie and two others I can't remember. Life's tough, but someone's got to do it...

The Niepoort bottle is -as usual- a beauty and ready for airtravel. Alex, if you may allow I would like to approach the scene earlier to deliver and then be gone. Axel I won't be arriving at the venue until close to 18:00, but there should be competent persons there from around 16:00 who would be c...

And I've just stood up the Buckingham Palace blend, the Fonseca and the Martinez.

Warre 1958 - not sure who the bottler was. Perhaps Derek can identify the bottler.

Rich red colour, 90% opaque. Floral tones on the nose, over a warm mulberry and fig; very slightly off-putting. Lovely entry, sweet and with lots of sweet cherry. Big layering of flavours; lots of sweet fruit; big palate with multiple layers of flavour. A real delight to chew on - even a slight hint...

Corked - and how! Yuck! Not rated. Opened 25 September 2010.

Pale barley-sugar orange with a watery rim, only 10% opaque. Sweet licorice and nutmeg on the nose - really very nice. Sweet entry, full of honey. Huge heat from the acidity, full of grapefruit and lime, showing just a hint of rosemary from its age. A hot aftertaste, then a lingering grapefruit and ...

Ex-cellars from VNdG but stored for a summer in the cellars at Vesuvio. Deep red, dark and opaque. A floral nose, clean and attractive, full of fruit. Strongly acidic entry. Gentle tannins and lots of spice. The fruit is dominant, mostly primary but with a bit of secondary softness. A lovely afterta...

Butterscotch orange in colour; 30% opaque. Smelling of figs and quince and caramel. Nice balance on the palate of sweet citrus, burnt sugar and cleansing acidity. Generous depth, which reveals more and more orange. The butterscotch dominates the aftertaste, and slowly changes to a more burnt sugar f...

A half bottle; from a quinta recently purchased by the Symington family as part of the Cockburn deal. Murky and cloudy in appearance, very brown in colour and totally opaque from the sediment despite being filtered through unbleached coffee filter paper. Very rich smelling on the nose, full of Chris...

Almost as dark in colour as the Gould Campbell 1970 drunk alongside. 60% opaque. Hot on the nose, some VA giving a slightly varnishy tone. Sweet and thick entry; but with a harshness that unbalances and dominates. Eventually the harshness fades and allows the mature fruit to the fore, showing as lot...

Brick red and looking mature; 40% opaque. Red licorice on the nose, bright and vibrant, with lots of white pepper. Acidic and peppery initial impact, with the fierce acidity bringing lots of juniper and cranberry. Strangely dusty. A hot aftertaste, medium length finish of bitter chocolate. With more...

Deep purple and opaque. An elegant and floral nose, full of blueberries. Sweet and juicy fruit on the palate - massively fruity - with a lovely spicy and peppery core. Hot aftertaste, dominated by sour blackcurrants. The finish is spicy and full of dark chocolate and blackcurrants. Lovely and elegan...

Young red colour, young pink rim, 95% opaque. Violets all over the nose, full of baby fruit. Thick entry, masses of fruit and huge tannins that grip without mercy but never manage to dominate the sweet blueberry fruit. A numbing aftertaste, tingling the lips and covering everything with blueberries....

Solid red in colour, right into the rim; 95% opaque. Bottle ages nose, full of primary blackcurrants but not showing any baby fat. Good entry, medium bodied with lots of fruit, lots of acidity but a slightly watery texture. Tannins strong, but integrating well; the fruit is dominated by blueberries ...

Red / brown colour with an orange rim; 70% opaque. Petrol on the nose, perhaps almost a yeast extract element. Thick and luscious in the mouth; rich and enveloping; full of fruit and structure with the acidity and sweetness in perfect balance. Even some primary fruit still showing. A warm aftertaste...

Red / brown in colour, 80% opaque. Hot on the nose with lots of white pepper. Lovely texture in the mouth; structured entry with tannins and acidity but plenty of sweet dates and perfume. Good balance. Huge aftertaste, very very long and with lovely flavours. Served blind, I guessed this to be an LB...

Red / brown in colour; 60% opaque. Hot nose, with little coming through other than some cinnamon. Some heat on the palate from good acidity, with lots of green apples and dried dates. A big, long finish of dark chocolate; really big a full of bitter orange marmalade. Served blind, I guessed this to ...

Very young, the bright purple of a new release. Typical nose of a new vintage port with youthful blueberries and violets. Beautiful texture, with good body and weight and dominated by pure primary flavours. The tannins are mostly hidden by primary fruit - an incredibly sweet blueberry. The aftertast...

1970 Offley Boa Vista vintage port Pale brown colour, with a modest pink-tinge on the core. Mature nose, lots of rose perfume and sweet redcurrant jelly. Medium bodied; lots of brown sugar, a touch of tannin and plenty of sweet strawberry. Decent layers of flavour, but not a huge amount of complexi...

1963 Offley Boa Vista vintage port Chilled, slightly cloudy; pale red with distinct bricking. Stewed nose, with fresh mint clearly showing. Sweet brown sugar impact; hot mid-palate and a sweet late palate full of stewed plums. Big levels of acidity. Very hot aftertaste. Gentle finish of dry espresso...

Ex-cellars. Rich orange colour, 20% opaque. Huge nose full of typical colheita combination of oranges and honey. Massively thick texture; big lemon acidity cutting through the sweet honey and tangerines. Massive aftertaste, unbelievable finish. This is an astonishing wine, truly incredible. 95/100. ...