Mixed tasting, Weingalerie, Berlin, 23 Nov 2012

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djewesbury
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Mixed tasting, Weingalerie, Berlin, 23 Nov 2012

Post by djewesbury »

Apologies for the time-lag between the date of this tasting and the date of this posting. Life intervened, in many interesting and unexpected ways. I thought it was probably still interesting enough to post. The notes are nowhere near as comprehensive as those by other great minds at :tpf: - for instance, we haven't attempted to score these, and clearly our stamina began to flag by the end (the notes seem to become less comprehensive). A first effort.

The tasting was organised at Weingalerie, Weine aus PORTugal, Berlin. It was a good date for me as it was my 40th birthday. I was accompanied by Ms RAB, whose notes I have appended to mine. The tasting was a broad spread of growers and vintages, as well as some Tawnies (Tawnys?):

Tawny:
1. Kopke 10 yo
2. Burmester 20 yo
3. 1984 Kopke colheita
4. 1937 Moreira

Ruby:
5. 2008 La Rosa LBV
6. 2000 Warre LBV
7. 1996 Dow Quinta do Bomfim
8. 1997 Dow
9. 2010 Dow Quinta Senhora da Ribeira
10. 1970 Delaforce
11. 1970 Warre
12. 1985 Fonseca


1. Kopke 10 yo
DJ:
Thin nose, slightly harsh. Quite alcholic to taste, no great finish.
RAB: Amber to eye. Smooth taste, almond notes.

2. Burmester 20 yo
DJ:
Rounder and smoother; perhaps a thin or one-sided taste. Sweet.
RAB: Very smooth and fruity. Not complex. Dry fruit to taste - apricot, with molasses or honey.

3. 1984 Kopke colheita
DJ:
Strong on the nose but not thin and alcoholic. Round but also full, more complex. A good texture in the mouth, notes of spice, dried fruit (apricot).
RAB: Brown to amber on the eye. Raisins and spice, dried fruit to taste.

4. 1937 Moreira
DJ:
Leggy. A duller brown, with no red. Very earthy in nose. Enormous woody taste; deep but fiery. Flaky, crisp, dry, with bitterness. Complex with a good finish.
RAB: Pale brown, almost yellow. Very earthy to nose - compost, truffles. On the palate, burnt caramel, figs and raisins.

5. 2008 La Rosa LBV
DJ:
Very heavy aroma, not too jammy however. Not too thick, but with damson and plum. Good depth and body, tart but not too tannic.
RAB: Heavy alcohol to nose. Sweet red grapes and berries. Jammy.

6. 2000 Warre LBV
DJ:
Less aroma, but a very similar taste. Lighter, and thinner, still with good tannins.
RAB: Not so harsh as the La Rosa but not so robust either. Smooth.

7. 1996 Dow Quinta do Bomfim
DJ:
A slightly muddy colour, good legs. Delicate nose, fruity, but too sweet. Structure and body good, with an edge, some complexity, spice. Well balanced - mellow sweetness and tannic dryness; almonds.
RAB: Orangey brown. Drier than expected from the nose - almonds. Dried apricot sweetness.

8. 1997 Dow
DJ:
Brown with a trace of pink. Slightly heavier nose, chewy fruit. More jammy taste. Less complex, less dry - quite sweet.
RAB: Orangey brown. Smoother than the DQdB. Honey sweetness, not balanced by tannins.

9. 2010 Dow Quinta Senhora da Ribeira
DJ:
Very dark. Very heavy to nose, cherries and jam. Less full than expected to taste: slightly granular?
RAB: Pink or purple to deep red. Baking jam on the nose. Heavy and complex. Tastes of black fruits: berries and currants.

10. 1970 Delaforce
DJ:
Tan. Light. Earthy to nose, like whiskey. Very light but with good dry notes.
RAB: Tawny colour. Earthy smell and taste - smells of scotch. Very complex nose. Honey in the finish.

11. 1970 Warre
DJ:
Darker, reddish. More robust, hearty - red wine to taste, grape.
RAB: Deeper ruby shade. Honey in the finish.

12. 1985 Fonseca
DJ:
(notes are mysteriously incomplete at this stage but perhaps a suggestion that this had some taint?)
RAB: Ruby with brown tinge. Smooth. less a vintage character than the Dow SQs, not complex.
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jdaw1
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Re: Mixed tasting, Weingalerie, Berlin, 23 Nov 2012

Post by jdaw1 »

djewesbury wrote:our stamina began to flag by the end (the notes seem to become less comprehensive)
That happens to many of us.
djewesbury wrote:A first effort.
And a very impressive ‟first effort”, too.
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