Originally Posted By: michael_d
The 2003 Taylor Fladgate vintage port is incredible. I wish I would have bought more when I had the chance…….

You know, i've never gotten into a bottle of Taylor Fladgate that i've enjoyed.
There have been very few Portugese ruby ports that i found at all appealing and all but one were not the major brand labels (Warre's, Taylor Fladgate, Grahams, etc.). I think the one that we found quite luscious was a Quinta do Noval LBV (late bottled vintage) 2002 or 2003. I never did buy one though my fellow sippers bought one each.
They haven't opened theirs yet the cheap bastards.

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Sounds like a heck of a meal Chess.

Every New Year's we usually do a dinner and a blind wine tasting somewhere. The number of attenders is down this year but i plan on doing another tasting with the Vinturi, if a fellow oenophile remembers to bring his.
We do try to of course pair the food selections with the wine as best as we figure will work.
Since the appetizers feature a cheese fondue, we'll probably go with a chardonnay for that portion. The first round may be a viognier or the pinot blanc or pinot grigio with crackers and other cheeses.
Main course red meat with the merlot (and whatever other reds are brought to the table).
Dessert with the creme caramel to be served alongside a late harvest vidal and finish with a port.
After the port is complete, we may have a chocolate fondue. Never serve a dessert or meal that is sweeter than the paired wine otherwise the wine will only taste bitter, and you won't want to go back to sipping it.

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I opened my 97 Haut Brion a couple weeks ago. I was devastated; it sucked. Nothing but green pepper and dirt on the nose (although it was a ‘good’ green pepper smell). The pallet had a hole in the middle and the finish fiddled to nothing way too quick.

I hear things like this and though i don't cringe, i do await the day i'm seriously disappointed with a cellared wine. It is a gamble in the cellaring process that it gets better over age and that the proper year/time is chosen to uncork the bottle.
I've had this Marynissen merlot in the past though not one of this old vintage. It is normally a good bottle from year to year with variation, always has been great with a red meat dinner so i'm going with history on this one.
If this bottle fails, i have a few 2002 reds, one Chilean, one Aussie, that we could dip into.

The next oldest bottle in our cellar is a 1999 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cab unfiltered. Last i checked it was drinking now and worth about $90 resale, originally bought for $30 Cdn. It is unlikely we will open that one this year but probably next season.

"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."