Trafalgar day 2021

Anything to do with Port.
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uncle tom
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3518
Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Near Saffron Walden, England

Trafalgar day 2021

Post by uncle tom »

Trafalgar day 2021

My initial assessment of the 2019 port vintage, its inclusion in my rolling evaluation of the sixty most recent vintages, and my updated full vintage rankings.

When I first attempted a relative scoring system for vintages, over a decade ago now, I was hampered by the scarcity of wines and information generally, on many vintages from the 1950s.

My first vintage ranking tables therefore spanned a 48 year timeline, to exclude these little reported years.

More recently I have been able to extend the timeline to 60 years, as only one vintage, 1959, was left among the ‘forgotten’ years, and despite that I had enough information to give that year a placing.

Now it’s time to say goodbye to 1959, a vintage I think was more neglected than poor. It now joins the second tier of my rankings as a one star vintage.

The reportage on 2019 is very mixed. It was a vintage that worked for some producers, but clearly not all, and reports from the front line during harvest indicated difficult decisions on the timing of the picking.

After a run of good years, 2019 had a mountain to climb to impress. However, even if it had followed a run of poor years, I think it is unlikely to have passed muster for declaration.

It joins other years that are mostly characterised by single quinta vintage ports, but with a small number of declared blends, such as 1978 and 1995.

I therefore give it an opening ranking of D

This slightly raises the overall quality of the vintage ports in my 60 year window, and to keep the relative scoring consistent, two ‘no fault’ demotions are required.

Accordingly, I am demoting 1990 to E+ and 1968 to D-

Other changes

Last year, due to Covid, I gave the 2018 vintage a provisional ranking of C+, the same as the outgoing 1958 vintage. A year on and I do not find any compelling reason to revisit this score however.

1997 made its debut into my home drinking this year, and after some concerns a decade ago, I now have renewed confidence in this vintage.

1994 is a cause for concern as it currently receives very few good notes, but I have been reminded that the vintage took an unusually long time to close down after release, so its maturation roller coaster may be on a long cycle.

1975 continues to show better than anyone dreamt possible fifteen years ago, whilst 1985 continues to disappoint, with only a handful of respectable wines to show from the year that was the first vintage to be mass declared.

These two vintages are currently only one notch apart, and whilst I am in no hurry to drop the score of ’85 below its current level, the possibility that ’75 might be elevated is prominent in my thoughts.

The nearest candidate for demotion in favour of ’75 is 1983, however I am hesitant at this point as my most recent encounters with ’83 have shown some emerging serenity of age.

I have therefore decided not to make any other alterations this year.

Listings

Below are my balanced adjustable rankings, Alpha plus (A+) through to Zeta minus (F-) for the current sixty year window of 1960 – 2019. The number of years assigned to each rank being fixed to avoid grade creep.

Following are my rankings for the next 64 years back to 1896, judged on a zero to five star basis, and are based, as best I can; on the standing of each year when it was sixty years old.

Prior to 1896 are the star ratings given by the late Michael Broadbent, going back to 1811. In those listings, a ? indicates a year that he passed without mention and a () indicates a year that he recorded, but did not afford a star rating.

60 year adjustable rankings

2019 D
2018 C+
2017 A -
2016 B +
2015 B -
2014 E -
2013 C
2012 D -
2011 A +
2010 E
2009 B
2008 D +
2007 B -
2006 F +
2005 C
2004 C
2003 A -
2002 F
2001 D +
2000 A
1999 E +
1998 E +
1997 B +
1996 D
1995 D
1994 A +
1993 F -
1992 B +
1991 C +
1990 E+
1989 F
1988 E
1987 C
1986 D -
1985 C +
1984 F +
1983 B
1982 C -
1981 F -
1980 B
1979 E
1978 D
1977 A -
1976 E -
1975 B -
1974 E -
1973 F
1972 C -
1971 F -
1970 A +
1969 F
1968 D-
1967 B
1966 A
1965 E
1964 C -
1963 A
1962 D +
1961 F +
1960 A

My star rankings continuing back to 1896

1959 1
1958 3
1957 1
1956 0
1955 5
1954 4
1953 1
1952 3
1951 0
1950 3
1949 2
1948 5
1947 4
1946 2
1945 5
1944 2
1943 2
1942 4
1941 3
1940 2
1939 0
1938 2
1937 4
1936 1
1935 5
1934 4
1933 3
1932 3
1931 5
1930 0
1929 1
1928 1
1927 5
1926 3
1925 1
1924 4
1923 3
1922 4
1921 2
1920 5
1919 2
1918 1
1917 4
1916 1
1915 0
1914 1
1913 0
1912 5
1911 3
1910 3
1909 0
1908 5
1907 2
1906 1
1905 0
1904 4
1903 0
1902 0
1901 3
1900 4
1899 0
1898 1
1897 2
1896 5

The Broadbent scores

1895 ***
1894 **
1893 ***
1892 *
1891 *
1890 ***
1889 ()
1888 ()
1887 ***
1886 ?
1885 *
1884 *****
1883 ()
1882 ()
1881 ***
1880 **
1879 ?
1878 *****
1877 ***
1876 ?
1875 ****
1874 *
1873 ***
1872 ***
1871 ()
1870 *****
1869 ***
1868 ****
1867 *
1866 ?
1865 ()
1864 ()
1863 *****
1862 ?
1861 ?
1860 ()
1859 ?
1858 ***
1857 ?
1856 ?
1855 ?
1854 ***
1853 ****
1852 ?
1851 ****
1850 ?
1849 ?
1848 ?
1847 *****
1846 ?
1845 ?
1844 ()
1843 ?
1842 ?
1841 ?
1840 ***
1839 ?
1838 ?
1837 ***
1836 ?
1835 ?
1834 *****
1833 ?
1832 ?
1831 ?
1830 ?
1829 ?
1828 ?
1827 ?
1826 ?
1825 ?
1824 ?
1823 ?
1822 ?
1821 ?
1820 ***
1819 ?
1818 ?
1817 ?
1816 ?
1815 ****
1814 ?
1813 ?
1812 ?
1811 *****

THRA

21/10/2021

Links to 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
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Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
Posts: 14880
Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
Location: Berkshire, UK

Re: Trafalgar day 2021

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

Thanks Tom. Always interesting to read your thoughts on the relative vintages.

If I get the time, and with your permission, I’ll hunt down and add links to your previous Trafalgar Day vintage rankings.
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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jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
Posts: 23613
Joined: 15:03 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: London
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Re: Trafalgar day 2021

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