Consumed on 30 April 2020 after a nine-hour decant, with other theportforum.com stalwarts joining online, I found this port to be at its peak.
In the glass, the colour of the wine was redolent of an older burgundy; more generally, the rim was clear and the port semi-opaque. Advancing on the nose, I expected to encounter a strong measure of chocolate, having encountered as much whilst passing earlier through the room in which the port had been decanting. Whilst the said chocolate was most certainly in evidence, the more dominant notes were those of lemon zest and red cherry, with a hint of ginger and, I concluded after a great deal of indecision, a dusting of cinnamon. Honey and semi-sweet chocolate dominated the fore-palate on entry; and the chocolate hung on bravely through the mid-point, notwithstanding on onslaught from the combined forces of orange peel and sweet chili pepper. I found the back palate to be a touch astringent, although there was no burn on the finish; rather, it ran upwards from the palate through the nose in a most-agreeable manner, ultimately giving rise to a final sensational-whiff which reminded me of the soft white mints which were ever present next to my grandmother’s sitting room chair when I was a very small child.
The 1977 Sandeman is a relatively dry port and this bottle was nicely balanced, notwithstanding my quibble with respect to the back-palate. I also found it to be a rather genteel wine, not least given the absence of any discernible tannins: whilst hardly the Ferreira of the same year, this port is a great deal closer to that style than a Fonseca fist to the face.
-90 points