A bottle with the level well into neck and a cork that came out in excellent condition. Almost every bit of the heavy sediment stayed in the bottle-bravo.
+ 30 minutes
Looks mature- a rich cranberry-juice red, paling at the rim. At first, delicious redcurrant nose with some mint. Later, a little tobacco. Rich palate of poached red fruit. Long warm finish, resolved tannins, a steadying note of spice, fading to candied orange peel with chocolate, figs, mirabelles. Beautiful balance. Smells great, tastes good, absolutely sensational finish.
Lovely lighter-weight port. Entirely ready to drink now with fairly minimal (sub-one-hour) decant.
+24 hours
2/3rd of the bottle being preserved with almost no air gap in a sealed half-litre bottle in the 'fridge for drinking with a friend today [whose wedding day it was supposed to be today- another set of plans that were a Covid-19 casualty].
More tobacco on the nose, some darker fruits on the palate, more chocolate on the finish. Smells great, tastes great, sensational finish.
Maybe slightly better yesterday, but palate possibly improved, and still good enough to cheer up said lovesick friend.
Consumed 08/09/20 and 09/09/20