1987 Souza Vintage Port

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Glenn E.
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1987 Souza Vintage Port

Post by Glenn E. »

Another bottle from a recent FTLOP buying opportunity. 1987 is our Anniversary year, but our first official date was the year before on Valentine's Day. So since they're a nice ~6 months apart, we celebrate both. :D

The cork extracted in one piece, but I was worried from the moment I started inserting the corkscrew. The cork was very soft and felt like it was going to crumble to pieces and the screw would pull clean out of the center leaving the edges in the bottle. But nope, it came out with some careful handling. The neck was sealed but the cork was fairly loose - I was able to easily let air in while extracting the cork in order to alleviate the pressure, which I think helped in getting it out in one piece. I was immediately suspicious that the bottle would be oxidized, but it turned out to be quite nice.

1987 Souza VP

Color: Medium tawny-red. In a weird way, it looks a bit like a faded 10-yr old Tawny. It could also pass for an even older VP than it is... like a 1960 or something, but with tawny notes instead of pinkish notes.

Nose: Odd, but pleasant. Some strawberry mixed with non-tangy dried apricot. A bit of faint, sweet tangerine and similarly sweet red raspberry. Also some faint coffee-like notes. Even the alcohol has a weird note to it... almost like nail polish remover, but NOT in a way that makes me think VA. It's clearly the alcohol. Like I said, odd but pleasant.

Palate: Soft tart red cherry, strawberry, and a hint of sweet black cherry as well. Very faint black pepper on entry. It feels more than tastes like it might be very slightly oxidized, but that might also be my brain playing tricks on me due to the cork. Very good acidity. The tannins in this bottle are weak, but present - prior bottles have had better structure. The tannins don't detract, though; they feel appropriate in this instance. Medium to medium full body - it's got some weight.

Finish: Where the palate seemed mostly like a fully mature Vintage Port, the finish echoes back to the nose. It's odd but pleasant. Some of those strange tawny-like notes reappear here along with more normal VP-like notes. Appropriate length. The acidity from the palate starts the finish off fairly dry and clean, but it rounds out nicely. Some creme brulee, especially the toasted sugar, and some ripe raspberry. Only a tiny hint of green apple on the tail, and no skin or stem.

Score: 89 points. While very different than the bottle from 1/27, this was almost as tasty. As I said about this bottle, this is "drinking" Port. It goes down easy, tastes great, and always has you reaching for the glass to get another sip. I suspect the cork in this bottle was nearing failure so there's probably some very slight amount of oxidation going on, so I won't try to project where the Port is going from this experience.
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Eric Menchen
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Re: 1987 Porto Souza Vintage Port

Post by Eric Menchen »

Glenn E. wrote:Even the alcohol has a weird note to it... almost like nail polish remover, but NOT in a way that makes me think VA.
Ethyl acetate. It can be produced by stressed-out yeast, but sometimes is the result of oxidation.
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Roy Hersh
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Re: 1987 Porto Souza Vintage Port

Post by Roy Hersh »

Not typical to this Port though.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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