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Pop and decant and pour.

A mid red, no opacity, yellow rim, fully mature colour

Red cherries and almond blossom on the nose

Honey, redcurrants, raspberry licorice on palate.

Finish fairly dry. Tannins largely resolved. A little dry tickle at end.

Truly lovely port.

Ex Blenheim cellars.

Yes please

+ 48 hrs, refrigerated but not vacuvined.

Still very pleasant wine but not much above good generic LBV level. Very much one to finish at a sitting with friends.

@ flash - I am keenly awaiting the report on your Croft 82. I have had it five times. And every time it has been an undrinkable. It is the obverse of the Croft 91 for my money.

1 hour decant

80% opaque

Plums and chocolate prominent on the nose, with a bit of prune

Palate darkly fruited - confit black berries and blueberries on sourdough toast.

Some nice redcurrant sweetness and then a little marzipan late.

Arguably fully ready.

15 ports, 3 of which are Fonseca 1985, and 12 of which are 4 x 3 bottles of others…

And thus an idea for a tasting was born…

This was a remarkable bottle of port. Cork came out cleanly and was of the highest quality. 80% opaque juice. Nose redolent of violets. 'Taylor's!' you would say, if you didn't know what it was. 'A really good bottle of the 1970'. And then on the palate, concord grape and blueberry. 'Fonseca!' you w...

‘Loud and brassy nose’ is a splendid title for a vinous autobiography.

From half. Three hour decant. 95% opaque, purple rim Nose strong on the violets and chocolate with more dark cherry fruit showing than I remember, it’s really fragrant. Palate VERY sweet on opening, brief flicker of black cherries and then a brief hit of dark chocolate and VERY dry tannins. Currentl...

At 150 minutes, the Agen prune notes starting to appear.

Yes they are. Full disclosure- I am the immediate past president of the ‘wine label circle’ - the international society for the collectors of such things. Silver wine labels have quite significant value as a record of contemporaneous tastes. If anyone ever says to you something sweeping like ‘ of co...

I should add- all credit to Neil for decanting and sending out the samples for that tasting. It was all a bit Covid and bonkers and we had a wonderful time.

2 hour decant One of a number of bottles purchased after a delightful online tasting with Sophia Berqvist in 2020. 80% opaque Blueberry nose. A little prickle of ginger if you work for it. Very rich and smooth entry, layers of milk chocolate, silk velvet and summer pudding. Not much left in the way ...

Both Bucelas and Carcavelos were widely acclaimed in the UK in the C18th and C19th. There are silver decanter labels for both in a delicious variety of spellings.

Regret unable to attend due to tedious conference out of town.

That decline in the decanter is why for me this is pretty much a pop and pour port, albeit one of true deliciousness. Four hours in decanter about optimal.

Can’t join you alas. Have fun!

What Ho. No snarkiness detected… South African plums are those largely spherical imported ones that you use primarily for cooking. They are a different variety to the more teardrop shaped fruits commonly grown and sold in the UK. There is a note, deriving from the fairly robust skins I think, that i...

@Mike J W - that offers a very fine dollars per point ratio…

I recommend visiting in the morning- they often run out of the hand raised version by early afternoon.

A puzzling bottle. 3 hour decant. Nose heavy on the tobacco and tuberose- could only be Fonseca. Palate a bit mute for my liking, other than the chocolate and blackcurrant. Definitely not corked, not even slightly, but a bit dumb. Certainly under-decanted, but also in a closed period? Served at a di...

Ditto

+ 48 hours: less interesting than it was when first opened. Not, I infer, one for the very long haul.

P’n’d’n’p

90% opaque red juice

Nose strongly redolent of South African plums and star anise.

Palate has plums and chocolate and then a little nutmeg and a little orange marmalade warmth at finish.

Very pleasant drinking.

SFE estates, recorked. QH at a guess.