For The Love Of Port

This bottle committed the cardinal sin of dripping onto my cellar floor (via five other bottle necks on the way down... )

Despite this, the level was only just below b/n.

Bottled by Hedges & Butler, with handwritten slip label only (but i.d. confirmed by the cork) Bottle had been sealed with a very hard black pitch that did a good job of dispersing itself round the kitchen as I chipped it off..

Decanted at 1.50. Decanted fairly cleanly, but looked a little syrupy. Very similar colour to the Delaforce '50, with the same slightly matt colouration in the decanter.

First sip -

Very sweet! A little sharp and without obvious Taylor identity - the Apricot overtone that I noted in the D. '50 also present.

More anon

Tom

5.20 - A glass proper.

A golden amber colour, quite pale - almost orange - not perfectly bright and clear.

Not much bouquet - big tears down the side of the glass.

Taylor hallmark now showing through - sweet for Taylor though - little bit hot on the finish.

As this is my birth year, I should wax lyrical, but so far I am not greatly wowed.

Hope it comes together a bit...

Tom

Now 30 hours after decanting, this wine is much improved. The bouquet has developed and the rough edges are gone.

Thinking about the older wines I've drunk, I'm beginning to sense a pattern..

Could it be that old wines from robust vintages open, blossom and fade within a relatively short period after decanting, while those from lesser years need more time - but last longer?

And what about wines from top years, but less prestigious shippers?

I don't have experiance here, as wines from the lesser shippers seem to get drunk to extinction at a relatively young age, and are extremely hard to find before 1970.

Any thoughts?

Tom