1953 Royal Oporto Colheita Port

[Andy Velebil]

1953 Royal Oporto Colheita (bottled 2003)
The color here reminds me of Coke, but a very off-putting nose of dirty band aids in a diaper with some sulfer was very distracting, bottle stink??? The palate on the other hand was a totally different experience. Searing acidity, cedar, lipton tea, some slight menthol that leads into a long sweet finish. 91 points.
1/30/09

[Dave Johnson]

HAAAA.. Andy ... "off-putting nose of dirty bandaids in a diaper"

I don't think you will be offered a job in their marketing department anytime soon !

thanks for the great laugh,
Dave

(HAAAAA, oh man....)

[Andy Velebil]

I call 'em like I see 'em....er, smell 'em Dave

I've been unlucky enough to have had a handful of bottles with unbelievable bottle stink and this was one of them. I was glad the palate was a far different experience, that's for sure.

[Glenn E.]

Yeah, that bottle was a weird one. I wasn't quite as harsh as Andy - "Puzzling scent of sneakers - Converse rubber? It's not a dirty/musty/foul odor, but it's certainly strange" - but the nose was obviously off. As Andy mentioned the palate was significantly more pleasing, and my notes indicate that it probably would have taken wine of the flight if the nose had only matched the palate.

[Eric Menchen]

I missed out on the bottle stink, or got lucky, or had had too much to drink by then. My notes:

Very clear, more red than some. Alcohol hot on aroma; spicy – Christmas cinnamon, etc. Very nice body, fruit, raisin. Not overly complex.

[Glenn E.]

... or had had too much to drink by then.

Bah, even I wasn't under the table yet! Off the top of my head that was only the 2nd flight of the night (though it might have been the 3rd) so I doubt you were so far gone that you'd have missed it.

I recall it being distinct, but not overpowering. For me it was just enough to knock it off the top rung, but wasn't so bad that I'd turn down another glass.

[Eric Menchen]

Then again, I like funky beers too, where one of the aromas of Brettanomycees is often characterized as "horse blanket."