For The Love Of Port

Thanks Glenn. The surprise for me today is that, revisiting the remains in the decanter (kept at 15C), there was no obvious sign of decline. If anything, the aromatics seemed to show a touch more complexity, while the strength of flavour on the palate was undiminished. I'm not suggesting that there ...

At 4-5 hours after decanting. Broad band of paleness at the rim. The wine shows tawny when viewed through the side of the glass, but there is a distinct red hue when the glass is upright. Obvious spirit on the nose at first. Underlying fruit on the follow through which shows caramel, aniseed and ros...

At 4 hours after decanting. Colour very dark red: very slight paleness at the rim, followed by a band of red (no attenuation) and shading to black at the core. Gently spicy on the nose with hints of eucalyptus. Open and accessible on the palate with bright, youthful fruit. The good concentration of ...

Wine Society bottling. Bright medium dark red with slight paleness at the rim where there is clear attenuation - quite a full colour for its age. On the nose, very spirity to begin with, but gradually settling down and after two days perfectly composed. Darkly fruity and very persistent with walnut ...

Deep dark red, nearly to the rim, where there is slight paleness and attenuation. At 7 hours: Ripe, rich and woodily spicy on the nose -very persistent. Sweet, pure fruit on the palate with moderate acidity and medium weight. Noticeably dry and tannic on the finish. Next day: Vanilla and licorice sh...

Bright dark red with a band of paleness at the rim where there is clear attenuation. At 8 hours: gently persistent on the nose where there is some characteristic florality alongside notes of dark fruit, molasses and eucalyptus. On the palate, age has fined down the once vigorous fruit leaving a core...

Bright dark red with a blackish core and slight paleness at the rim where there is definite attenuation. At 2 hours: on the nose there is deep dark fruit (my wife suggests chocolate and raisins), but not a lot of top notes. Quite intense mouthfilling flavour on the palate where the quality of fruit ...

Dark red, blackish at the core with slight paleness at the rim where there is red with no hint of tawny. On opening, persistent dark plum on the nose. Beautifully pure and composed on the palate, intense with a liqueur quality, but no trace of heaviness. After 22 hours, showing some spice over the d...

On decanting: medium dark red colour. Darkness at the core with a band of paleness at the rim which shows red/purple (no hint of brown). Initial aromatics are relatively subdued showing gentle dark fruit with some underlying spice. With air and warmth, a musky undertone emerges overlaid with distinc...

On opening. Colour is opaque black red nearly to the rim where there is the merest hint of paleness and attenuation. On the nose there is brooding, deep dark fruit which gives up hints of damson and is overlaid with a rich woody spiciness. Gradually, walnut and menthol emerge from the mix. On the pa...

At 4 to 5 hours after decanting. Bright dark red with slight paleness at the rim where there is some attenuation. At first on the nose, the main elements are raisin on top and walnut underneath. But there is a spicy tail from which there gradually emerge medicinal notes and perhaps a hint of burnt o...

On opening to 2 hours: bright dark red colour, slight paleness at the rim where there is the merest hint of purple. At this stage, not specially complex on the nose. A gentle persistent fragrance can be teased out showing some dark spice with a hint of incense. On the palate, the wine is exceptional...

Andy's right about "maturing". This was the first bottle of Fonseca 1985 I have had which has shown some real development. Previous bottles have been relatively unyielding, but with this one the fruit had moved beyond the primary stage. Likewise with the colour, there was just a hint of gi...

On opening: colour very dark red, nearly to the rim. No real attenuation. On the nose, first impression is of black treacle, but it is possible to discern elements of violet, truffle and eucalyptus. Palate is full, warm and round, the fruit underpinned by sinewy acidity and moderate tannin. Quite a ...

Six hours after decanting: blackish dark red colour showing slight paleness at the rim where there is a hint of attenuation. On the nose, walnuts up front and, beneath, a rich seam of brambley fruit with a touch of euycalyptus. Complete wine on the palate. Wall to wall flavour. Maturing dark fruit w...

Hi Roy, what I had in mind by "lightness" was probably a combination of two separate thoughts. The first concerns colour. The second concerns impact on the palate. I should say that my experience of Taylor is mainly of the vintages 1980, 1983 and 1985, which may be too slender a base from ...

3 hours after decanting: Reddish tawny with darkness at the core. Quite pale at the rim. Noticeable glycerine tears. Sustained complexity on the nose. Top note is slightly floral, perhaps a hint of the Vargellas violets. Underneath is some caramel and below that a dark woody spiciness rounded off wi...

On decanting to 2 hours: tawny reddish colour with some darkness at the core. Quite pale at the rim. Gentle fruit on the nose with licorice hint. On the palate, all the primary fruit has gone. What remains is a relatively intense ethereal fruit flavour underpinned by very good acidity and a dark tan...

At 24 hours (stoppered decanter at 16C): medium dark red colour with some paleness at the rim, where there is clear attenuation. Shy on the nose initially, but, with warmth, gradually developing spicy dark fruit with a eucalyptus hint - well sustained. Nice round, even, gently sweet wine on the pala...

Good luck with the auction, Eric. It might be worth mentioning that the bottle to which my note relates was the last of the ones bought from a traditional UK merchant back in 1998. I suspect they were stock remaining from the first release of the 1980s, which I seem to recall was not met with great ...