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The final red wine was something a little bit special, with a suggested retail of circa £230 per bottle. Occasionally, the winemaking team at Noval discover a parcel of grapes which has performed extraordinarily well in a year and decide to vinify and age them separately. The first time I discovered...

The next flight was the red wines. Happily, all four of these had made it successfully through customs. Most of the red wines were from the 2022 vintage. This was a viticultural year which was exceptionally dry, similar to 2020. The advantage of a very dry year was that there was little disease pres...

The wines came in flights, with the first three wines being the white wines from 2024. (Sadly, UK customs managed to intercept and hold up the samples of Cedro do Noval Branco 2024 so the intended 4 wines became 3.) The 2023-24 viticultural year started with a mild, wet winter which refilled the aqu...

Shortly after announcing that they will be releasing three Vintage Ports from 2023, Quinta do Noval arranged to show their wines to press and buyers. This year the chosen venue was a (rather dark) room at the Connaught Hotel, Mayfair. IMG_3039.jpeg The wines were presented by Christian Seely and Car...

You emailed me about the shippers I was providing and I responded with a query. Let me have an answer when you can as it affects what I will deliver and when.

Please can mine be updated to:
No starter
Burger & thin chips (with no bun)
Roasted carrots
No dessert

I have been told definitively that the blend in C da Silva, Dalva and Presidential is exactly the same. The only difference is the brand name, which is related to the intended sales destination.

A t-stopper doesn't mean for certain the wine was filtered before bottling, but it's a 6 year bottling and I think Churchill these days are normally 4 years.

How much sediment is there in the bottle?

I'm not sure what time I'll be able to get away from the Excel Centre on Thursday next week, but sometimes it's been as late as 6.30pm. It'll then take me 40 minutes to get to the B&F.

If there's a decanter waiting for me when I get there, I'll decant on arrival.

Not me, much as I love the vintage.

Noval’s declarations have been added to the list. The press release reads as follows: QUINTA DO NOVAL DECLARES 2023 VINTAGE PORT Christian Seely, Managing Director of Quinta do Noval, comments: “I am very happy to be able to announce the declaration of three exceptional Vintage Ports from Quinta do ...

IMG_2006.jpeg NV Tío Pepe fino Sherry, by the glass from the Alfonso XIII hotel in central Seville. Lemon yellow colour. A little gentle flor on the nose. Nicely balanced palate, the flor is restrained with the mineral and marmite dominating. Dry without being searing, the mid-palate is full of fla...

Justin K wrote: ↑18:36 Thu 24 Apr 2025 Another great destination, I think this might have been the place you recommended us visiting next time we come over?

It's well worth a visit

NV Wine Society Crusted, bottled 2013. From Symington Family Estates. Dark red with an opaque centre. Jellied black fruit on the nose, bramble jelly. Bramble jelly on the palate with charcoal tannins. Smooth, satin texture, with some tannins creating a brushed cotton effect. Hibiscus aftertaste, lin...

Ramos Pinto 1977. Slightly cloudy, full of fine sediment. Attractive mature fruit on the nose, a touch of red pear. A little red pear on the palate, along with dried plum — wonderfully mature. Dried cherry, damson and brown sugar. Wonderful complexity on the palate, multiple layers of subtle flavour...

Niepoort 1977. Bordeaux bottle. The most mature and developed of the wines being tasted this evening. Brick red, 30% opaque. Sweet, hints of orange blossom honey. Exquisite texture on the palate; Dead Nettle nectar, fabulous mature fruit. Stunning mature, spiced and honeyed fruit on the aftertaste a...

Taylor 1977. Mature appearance, approaching brick red and 40% opaque. A little sous bois and restrained fruit on the nose, much less expressive than the Fonseca. Dried red fruit, redcurrant jelly on a wonderfully expressive palate. The redcurrant and cranberry aftertaste holds long into the finish. ...

Fonseca 1977. Mature brick red, 40% opaque. Gorgeous mature fruit on the nose, sweet and ripe yet with a little redcurrant jelly. Jellied redcurrant on the palate, elegant and refined but with an underlying bitterness giving structure. Fabulous lingering redcurrant jelly with a birch sap undertone. ...

Sandeman 1977. Mature brick red colour, 50% opaque. Slightly musty cardboard on the nose, unpleasant. Similar tainted palate, but not as badly as the Dow. NR.

Smith Woodhouse 1977. Dark red, not as dark as GC but darker than W or G. Fresh cut red plums and red pears on the nose. Nicely balanced mature fruit, sweet and jellied. Bright green tannins grip drily and rather dominate the jellied fruit. Bitter citrus finish, great length. Very good Port. 90/100.

Gould Campbell 1977. Dark - intensely dark - red but with a centre that is still opaque. Black fruit, bramble and pipe ash. Exquisite palate, dominated by the ripe black cherry. Slightly green tannins still sit in the middle of the fruit. Green tannins give a chew to the aftertaste and finish. Long ...

Graham 1977. Dark red, very similar to the Warre. More attractive on the nose with sweet and ripe redcurrant fruit. Elegant fruit, fully expressive on the palate with a lovely acidic structure. Delicious red and bramble finish. Great length. A really fine wine. 92/100. I didn't notice the heat that ...

Warre 1977. Mature but dark red, 70% opaque. Lovely ripe and sweet redcurrant fruit in the nose. Wonderful concentrated fruit, surprisingly youthful with some tannin still on the palate. Some heat on the aftertaste. Long finish of red liquorice. Young, fresh. Delicious. Still needs lots more time. 8...

Dow 1977. Cork fell into the bottle when touched by an Ah-So. Pop and pour. Dark brick red. A little aldehyde on the nose, just a tiny bit of TCA. Some fruit on the palate, then a wave of metallic taint and wet cardboard. Dry core to the finish. Better finish. Much worse later. Yuck.

Could I have your food orders please. Special steaks availability: - Tomahawk (900-1000g) to share £82 - Fillet 230g £46 - Sirloin on the bone 600g £60 - Chateaubriand £86 All include two sides and two sauces If people are sharing then I'll take this into account with the seating plan. Will aim to ...

The Fladgate Partnership have just announced the release of a Taylor Sentinels 2023 Vintage Port. That’s added to the list. The press release reads: Taylor’s Celebrates the Second Release of Sentinels Vintage Port with the Launch of the 2023 Vintage In keeping with tradition, Taylor’s makes its decl...

Cockburn 1950, Raby Castle stock. Decanted 3 hours. Mature brick red colour, 60% opaque. Gentle spiced baked redcurrant on the nose, delicious mature fruit. Medium weight on the palate with the spiced fruit dominating; redcurrant with multiple layers of complexity shining through the fruit balanced ...

Thanks gents, it's nice to know people read what I write!

I've just added a tasting note of the Première Cuvée Rosé to the restaurant description. Once I've had chance to try the Blanc de Blanc I'll add a tasting note to this thread.

After lunch we made a quick visit to the cellar door shop, which is currently upstairs between the wine bar and the tasting room while the new entrance is being finished. Once the new entrance area is ready, the wine shop will move into its larger space and will continue to offer the full range of H...

There was no sense of urgency and Simon was happy to stay with us while we chatted to our fellow tour visitors, finishing the wines and asking questions but eventually it was time for us to move to the other end of the Visitor's Centre and have lunch. The new owners have made no secret of the fact t...

IMG_1888.jpeg The tour ended by returning to the Visitor's Centre, turning right and going into the tasting room. We sat at a large round table and had 3 wines poured for us to taste and discuss. These were the Classic Cuvée NV, the Première Cuvée NV and the Classic Cuvée Rosé NV. The estate also m...

After chatting about all things vine and vineyard, and answering all our questions even those about why birds don't eat all the grapes (apparently there are several birds of prey living nearby, so the pigeons are never seen in the open) we walked around to the winery. The winery was opened for its f...

More on the Visitor's Centre later, when we return from our tour for lunch. Vineyard tours are available Wednesday to Sunday at either 11am or 2pm and must be pre-booked on the website to be certain of a place. From 3rd May through to the end of the summer, there will also be a 5pm tour available on...

As you can see from the pictures, the weather was perfect for a vineyard visit! Sir Guy died in 1985. In 1999, Sir Guy's family sold the vineyard to Ian Kellett, who revived the relationship with Pol Roger. Working together, they surveyed the vineyards, the soil and the bedrock and concluded that th...

Earlier today - Thursday 17th April 2025 - I had the fun of being invited for a tour and tasting of the vineyard, winery and wines of Hambledon Vineyard. The name might be familiar because this is the vineyard which is now owned by a 50-50 joint venture between Berry Brothers & Rudd and the Symi...

Churchill Gricha and Ramos Pinto Bom Retiro added to the list - unapproved cask samples of both tasted at the BFT earlier this year.

I’ve just seen my first announcement for a 2023 Vintage Port. Churchill Quinta da Gricha O Port Unidade Quinta do Noval Quinta do Noval Quinta do Noval Nacional Quinta do Passadouro Ramos Pinto Quinta do Bom Retiro Symington Family Estates Cockburn Quinta dos Canais (delayed release) Dow Quinta da S...

IMG_1879.jpeg I’ve just walked into my local Waitrose and found this is happening again. Hey ho, more White Port for the summer heading home. Those $@*%#! forced your hand...at least that's what I would say to my wife if I came home with another case or two of Port. Of course I still might have to ...

: That was a surprise; IMG_1879.jpeg (83.53 KiB) Viewed 1797 times

I’ve just walked into my local Waitrose and found this is happening again. Hey ho, more White Port for the summer heading home.

Re: Emergency, Mon 14 Apr 2025 I’m running about 15 minutes late. Apologies.

I’m running about 15 minutes late. Apologies.

As it is, Neil is potentially the only vintage which will appear at both this tasting and at the post-war Taylor tasting George is organising.

1908 is the oldest Taylor that I have knowingly tasted to date. There might be some older unknowns which were Taylor, but who knows. I don’t.

Yes please. I rather like Taylor’s Ports.

Please could I bring 1963?

First post updated.

Sorry Mike.

To get a seat at the table would now require a 1906, 1904 or older wine. (And I’ve never tasted either of those!)

Oh very well. I've been bottle-shamed and will join the herd.

How would people feel about me rolling the dice and bringing a Dow 1977 that we can pop, pour and consume before the terrible TCA swamps the wine?

With 8 places at the table and with places being allocated on the basis of the age of the bottle(s) that can be offered for inclusion in the line-up - the older the wine you can contribute, the higher your place on the list - the attendee list changes with Cliff's generous offer. Ian, apologies, but...

nac wrote: ↑10:55 Tue 08 Apr 2025 One post says I’m (potentially) bringing 48, another says 66. Confused.

The first post is the definitive list. Other lists are just workings-out.

So you’re down for the 1948.

cem wrote: ↑01:35 Tue 08 Apr 2025 If you feel able to fit one more in, I am over in the UK in October and can provide two Taylor legends, the 1908 and the 1912.

That definitely gets you to the table. I’ll rework the list on the first post later today.

No starter, cote de boeuf (medium-rare) which I am willing to share if someone wants to. Skinny chips and green beans please.

No sauce - they are all “not bearnaise”.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑17:14 Mon 07 Apr 2025 (For which, @Alex, what is the bottling date of the Pink?)

Cellar records suggest it was acquired in April 2021 so, perhaps, 2020?

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