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This post to hold plans as dn wen agreed.

When: four minutes to six o’clock, on Wednesday 23^rd October 2024.

Location: Green Room of the Boot & Flogger.

Theme: Blind Emergency for Rob Coombes (1961–’70).

Attendees:

1. Rob C.
2. Julian W.

Food order.

Current draft of the placemats.

Rob Coombes, a former regular at ThePortForum tastings, whose attendance has been much lessened by his moving to the western Caribbean, is in London, and in his honour there is to be an emergency, Wednesday 23^rd October 2024, in the Green Room of the Boot & Flogger.†

By WhatsApp, Rob Coombes wrote:I always prefer to taste blind initially and have a guess!

So blind it is.

† This sentence is too long, with too many clauses.

Sadly can’t make as will be away.

Sorry can't make it either as flying back into London on the 24th of October.

Regards
WS1

Stood up are two bottles, which have 1½ things in common.

Thanks JDAW!

I had good fun raiding my Big Yellow stash of VP last week after too many years away, so have a couple of promising candidates!

Glad to see Boot and Flogger is still a reliable and willing host.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:51 Sat 19 Oct 2024Stood up are two bottles

RAYC wrote: ↑21:58 Sat 19 Oct 2024have a couple of promising candidates!

So far we are only two people, on a school night for me. Unless there is a significant risk of a bottle being bad, two + a couple ≫ sensible.

Gutted I can’t make it! Glad you’re well Rob! It’s been about 13 years since the East India Club tasting including the elusive Dalva Golden White.

I haven't had a glass of port in at least 48 hours so may I join in ?

And more to the point can I also bring a friend who's name is also Martin please

mcoulson wrote: ↑15:48 Sun 20 Oct 2024I haven't had a glass of port in at least 48 hours so may I join in ?

Yes.

FYI, by WhatsApp:

JDAW wrote:You pick a decade, and I'll pick a bottle from the same or an adjacent decade.

RAYC wrote:1961-70 inclusive covers all the options I had in mind. If you are low on stock for that decade, don’t feel any pressure though!

JDAW wrote:That works, and a bottle different to the earlier selection has been stood up.

Do with that as you please.

mcoulson wrote: ↑17:20 Sun 20 Oct 2024And more to the point can I also bring a friend who's name is also Martin please

Initials please.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑17:21 Sun 20 Oct 2024

mcoulson wrote: ↑15:48 Sun 20 Oct 2024I haven't had a glass of port in at least 48 hours so may I join in ?

Yes.

FYI, by WhatsApp:

JDAW wrote:You pick a decade, and I'll pick a bottle from the same or an adjacent decade.

RAYC wrote:1961-70 inclusive covers all the options I had in mind. If you are low on stock for that decade, don’t feel any pressure though!

JDAW wrote:That works, and a bottle different to the earlier selection has been stood up.

Do with that as you please.

I have made a selection that fits the criteria

mcoulson wrote: ↑19:45 Sun 20 Oct 2024I have made a selection that fits the criteria

Have you also selected for MDP, or will he act for himself?

Food pre-order please, from the menu.

JDAW:
• Soup of the day;
• Pie of the day (if meat);
• Welsh rarebit;
• Bramdean Pudding.

Duck pate and a burger please.....

jdaw1 wrote: ↑12:12 Sat 19 Oct 2024Food order.

This document has problems with header and footer, caused by Word crashing when I edit either. Being worked.

smoked salmon
pie of the day (if meat; if not then bangers and mash)
Bramdean Pudding

Many thanks!

Martin p would like Duck Pate and Sausages & Mash please.

Sorry about this but for a long and complicated set of reasons I and my guest have to bow out of this evening .. really sorry about letting the side down ...

Not sure if a tasting-for-two deserves its own review thread, but many thanks to Julian for providing great company at my first TPF event since 2015 (assuming it counts as a TPF tasting by virtue of being posted....).

A fine selection of ports were tasted:

• 1963 Sandeman (BBR bottled)

• 1970 Smith Woodhouse (Oporto bottled)

• 1985 Graham

1970 Smith Woodhouse was the universal WOTN (or perhaps the B&F manager went for S63 - JDAW has the score sheets). That was a fabulous showing of a port that felt right in the zone and would be a WOTN contender in many line-ups. Alas I believe the last of JDAW's bottles from that particular stash (many thanks ).

The 1963 Sandeman was a distinguished elderly port. Inauspiciously pale when first decanted, but put on weight and showed nicely. I have a few more bottles of this that I won't feel bad killing off over the next 5 years or so, and perhaps will be most appreciated if drunk outside the company of a burly 70 and 85.

Graham 85 seems to be trucking along nicely (first time revisiting in nearly 9 years), but while it offers great no-nonsense pleasure, I'm not confident it's going to fully live up to the best of G55/60/63/66/70 that I have tasted. Then again, strange to think that in 2024, this is now an older VP than when I first tasted G70 in 2008. Certainly doesn't feel that way, so maybe just needs more time to develop (and certainly seems pretty reliable - don't think I can recall having had any bad bottles...). Only pause for concern (for this particular stash at least) was whether the cork would survive in reasonable condition over the next 15 years (in stark contrast to the wonderful condition of the BBR 63 cork with 20+ extra years of age).