Vintage Port....how long?
Discussion
I've got a couple of bottles which are quietly doing their thing.
One is 1981 and the other is 1985 (the year i was born) I was going to drink the latter on my 21st but wimped out so now it will be my 30th....or should I leave it longer? Just be a bit gutted if they are spoilt when I do open them! How old is the oldest bottle a PH has opened and enjoyed?
On a sidenote I bought my stepdad a 1973 bottle for his birthday....still hasn't opened it! I've joked that if he pops his clogs before he opens it then i'll have it back!
One is 1981 and the other is 1985 (the year i was born) I was going to drink the latter on my 21st but wimped out so now it will be my 30th....or should I leave it longer? Just be a bit gutted if they are spoilt when I do open them! How old is the oldest bottle a PH has opened and enjoyed?
On a sidenote I bought my stepdad a 1973 bottle for his birthday....still hasn't opened it! I've joked that if he pops his clogs before he opens it then i'll have it back!
My rule of thumb for vintage port is: 20 years in bottle, then drink over the next 20 years. So the 81 and 85 could be drunk now or could be kept a little while longer.
I have had the privilege of tasting ports that have been 40+ years old, but to be honest I could not tell much difference between those and 20 - 40 year old specimens. If anything, the power and intensity seemed to die away after 40 years. They felt more like novelties than drinks to be enjoyed. I am sure that this varies depending on the quality and the vintage, but personally I would not keep a bottle beyond 40 years.
As for the 73, I would be tempted to crack it open, decant it and enjoy a glass or three with your stepdad...
I have had the privilege of tasting ports that have been 40+ years old, but to be honest I could not tell much difference between those and 20 - 40 year old specimens. If anything, the power and intensity seemed to die away after 40 years. They felt more like novelties than drinks to be enjoyed. I am sure that this varies depending on the quality and the vintage, but personally I would not keep a bottle beyond 40 years.
As for the 73, I would be tempted to crack it open, decant it and enjoy a glass or three with your stepdad...
I opened a '70 Offley Boa Vista back in 2006 and it was still fantastic. I'm sure if I'd opened it a little earlier it'd have been more subtle than the intense raisins without much else it offered. Still bloody good though considering the age and my indifferent storage method at the time.
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