A bottle from the Blenheim Palace cellars, recently liberated after a fifty year sleep.
Ellis, Son, & Vidler bottling.
One of those 70s thick plastic capsules, popped off with the aid of steam. Good long cork extracted pretty much whole.
Decanted clean to the last quarter glass. Heavy sediment in the bottle though - which didn’t move.
+ 0 hrs - 40% opaque garnet. Vibrantly alive and aromatic. Nose of macerated strawberries. Palate remarkable for the Black Forest gateau effect - complete with a a hint of cream. Fully mature but no sign of fading.
+ 24 hrs - gained colour, weight, and power. Nose still red fruited, cranberries and a hint of mint. The cranberry note continues on the palate. Not overly sweet. A hint of dark chocolate orange, late. A little prune. Still a hint of the cream.
A wonderful bottle of a wonderful port, and an advert for those occasions when you get to drink port that hasn’t moved at all and you decide it’s about 10% better than any other bottles you have drunk.