30 minute decant, then considered over 90 mins.
Lots of very fine sediment. 75% opaque, red rim. Spearmint on the nose, but with a deep substrate of dark fruits. A wash of lush red fruits on the front palate, darkening to blackcurrant. A hint of tobacco, late. I really like the way the fruits flow congruently from palate to gratifyingly long finish on this wine.
While, due to lack of tannic oomph, without stuffing to be a hundred-year wine, it is one of the most successful (perhaps fourth, or at worst fifth best after Vesuvio, Dow, Fonseca, and Taylor) ports from a very very good port vintage, drinking now and over the next couple of decades- and still available retail for about £625 a dozen - at which it is (a) preposterously cheap for those of us weaned on burgundy (b) less than half the price of the much-vaunted Fonseca and Taylor. Such is the nature of the wine market...
Consumed in part (with co-taster) 13/9/20