I have had occasion elsewhere to liken Burmester vintage ports to reliable, second-label clarets. Aside from Burmester’s 1984 and 1985 bottlings, which show an extraordinarily-high propensity towards cork taint, Burmester vintages, colheitas and tawnies tend to make for agreeable imbibing at reasonable tariffs. The 2000 Burmester vintage port which constitutes the focus of this tasting note constituted no exception to the general rule.
Following an eight-hour decant on 12 April 2020, the wine remained entirely opaque, though the dark purple hues of the formative years were in the process of giving way to the burgundy-brown of early adulthood. The rim was clear, as might have been expected, and the wine was a touch cloudy in the glass, which was suggestive of nothing more than the fact that the bottle ought to have been set upright a day or two prior to its consumption. Whatever quibbles which the eye may have had, these were negated by the profuse expressions of delight which wound their way from the olfactory nerve to the cerebral cortex. The nose on this wine was truly wonderful, featuring as it did all manner of dark fruits, not least prunes and mulberries, with cloves and a modest earthiness likewise being in evidence, the latter being redolent of the relative youth of the wine. At the mouth, the first assault wave was composed of the aforementioned dark berries, which together overran the fore-palate with not a hint of malicious intent. Under the circumstances, surrender to the sensation was the only option. The mopping up waves consisted, first, of hints of dry forest floor as well as soothing spices, with gentle tannins making their first appearance at the back-palate. Whereas the finish was of only medium length, it commenced with a calming warmth which was coupled, after a spell, by a modest encore from the aforementioned dark fruits.
I cannot recall having ever consumed a vintage port in which the characteristics of the nose were so closely aligned with those of the palate. I note this purely as a curiosity. Of more relevance are the facts that the wine displayed remarkable balance and was, in keeping with the Burmester style, a touch on the dry side. It would be unfair to compare this wine to one of the stars of the classic 2000 vintage – the output of Taylor’s, Fonseca, Niepoort, Graham’s, Vesuvio and the like – though the 2000 Burmester really is a great deal better than the expectations expressed upon its release by the great and the good of all things port wine. Whilst drinking very nicely at the present time, this wine might be expected to peak only in ten to fifteen years; in the meantime, enjoy it.
-90+ points