A mini 77 horizontal at home

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RAYC
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
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Joined: 23:50 Tue 04 May 2010
Location: London

A mini 77 horizontal at home

Post by RAYC »

Returning from my 54th consecutive day of toil in 2013, i was delighted to discover a care package containing three samples of 77 port (Dow, Graham, Warre) had been delivered courtesy AHB. Labels indicate that these were opened on Thursday, meaning a 48-60 hour decant.

Making use of coloured headbands, these ports were decanted unsighted into three glasses for a semi-blind tasting.

Initial thoughts

all quite similar in colour, none obviously corked on the nose...none particularly spiritous...so no immediate way of picking the Dow and Graham.

Detailed notes

Port 1 - Orange headband: Some age to nose, though still lovely and fresh red fruit. Initial impact on palate is sweet but - if critical - slightly hollow and flat, though flavour builds thereafter with a citric mid-palate bite leading to a long cough mixture finish full of pleasant heat. This is good port. Combination of heat and sweetness make me think Graham.

Port 2 - Blue headband: smells like mature port, hint of sweet strawberry fields makes me think Warre. Really very inviting. mid-weight, with flavoursome red liquorice and cranberry dryness and at finish (actually...is this Dow?). Disappears a bit at end, though in a way that invites another sip. Glass soon emptied. Not as strong overall as Port 1, but the nose was beautiful. Warre / Dow.

Port 3 - white headband: similar to Port 2....both in nose and flavour - same dryness - but this seems somewhat bigger with much more complexity and persistence at the finish, lovely peppery aftertaste that leaves a long tingling in the tongue and cheeks. Yum. WOTN. Blind i could imagine guessing this as Taylor.

Port 1: revealed to be Graham
Port 2: revelaed to be Warre
Port 3: revealed to be Dow

Conclusions: I'd be more than happy to have any of these in my cellar - particularly the Dow if it could reliably taste like this! I didn't get the feeling with any of these that they need a massive amount of extra time. That said, i'm sure they'll continue to drink well for two or three decades.

Very many thanks to AHB!
Rob C.
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jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
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Re: A mini 77 horizontal at home

Post by jdaw1 »

RAYC wrote:54th consecutive day of toil in 2013
Stop before you damage your ’elf.
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Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
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Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
Location: Berkshire, UK

Re: A mini 77 horizontal at home

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

Just for clarification, these were opened on Wednesday, and the "TH" on the label meant that they had been poured from a Tappit Hen into the care package bottles on Friday. By the time you got to drinking them, they had had a 72 hour decant and seem to have been showing very well indeed!

Incidentally, I tried them all again this weekend and the Dow is my clear favourite - and could, perhaps, be my first non-TCA tainted Dow 1977!
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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Chris Doty
Graham’s Malvedos 1996
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Joined: 12:30 Fri 29 Jan 2010

Re: A mini 77 horizontal at home

Post by Chris Doty »

AHB wrote:my first non-TCA tainted Dow 1977!
I remember my first non-TCA tainted Dow 1977 like it was yesterday! The fourth Dow 77, and was finally able to understand the bottle's reputation. 77 is a hugely variable as a vintage, and, aside from the Smith Woodhouse, is not something I am keen to purchase. A pity, as bottles showing well almost always show VERY well.

Sounds like a good little event!
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Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
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Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
Location: Berkshire, UK

Re: A mini 77 horizontal at home

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

Image
The evening after the New Douro Tasting at the Portuguese Ambassador's residence in London, three Tappit Hens of vintage port were opened. This was as much an excuse to see how large format bottles affect the aging of port as it was an excuse to just drink the stuff.

As as added bonus, there was also a small glass of the soon to be released 5G muito velho port and a glass of the 2012 bottling of Niepoort's Vinha Velha.

Links to the tasting notes are below. These are the same bottles which RAYC posted about earlier in this thread.

Image

NV 5G Muito Velho
1977 Dow from Tappit Hen
1977 Graham from Tappit Hen
1977 Warre from Tappit Hen
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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