Amongst the rarest of wines in my cellar (i.e., Her Ladyship found it on her own and paid for it), I approached this bottle with considerable curiosity after a ten-hour decant on 16 June 2020.
In the glass, the wine was deep purple and entirely without visual or creative merit – much like the band, Deep Purple. However, in keeping with its single quinta origin and current age, this port is starting to show a touch of maturity: whilst very much fruit forward at the nose - with blackberries and forest fruits, along with a hint of citrus, all readily discernible – the expected smell of damp forest floor, which the colour of the wine foreshadowed, was not in evidence. The palate proved to be a bit uneven: cherries were easily discerned at the front, giving way to a very thin mid-palate at which I could identify nothing in particular, with the cherries returning at the back, coupled with a touch of orange zest. The finish was long and deliciously warming, though not redolent of complexity. The aforementioned deficiencies noted, one suspects that this perfectly balanced port, of medium sweetness with impeccably integrated aguardiente, is likely to show a good deal better in a decade. More to the point, the tannic backbone which became evident at the finish is sufficiently strong to afford the palate of this wine enough time to mature around the rich fruits so evident at the nose. Given the very modest price at which this vintage port can be purchased, those with space in their cellars might consider throwing a half-dozen bottles into a corner where they can be forgotten safely for a decade.
-88.5 points