For The Love Of Port

Jose Maria da Fonseca Alambre 20 Years Old Moscatel de Setubal [b. 2005]
Half bottle with a driven cork, the box this came in also contained a T-cap stopper for use after the drive cork was extracted. I opted instead to throw this into a decanter.

A rich deep yellow with amber hues. A light touch of caramel brown. Clear meniscus.

With raisins dominating the nose, this wine poured like light maple syrup. Some maple nuances were identifiable on the complex nose, with light floral notes and a sharp citrus tang. I thought I caught a glimpse of wood, cedar or freshly-sawn fir coming in and out of the nose along the way.

Less sweet than the aroma promised, first impressions on the palate are caramel, raisins, a hint of figs with the finish containing a trace amount of citrus that was present on the nose. The 18% abv was well integrated and did not stick out although as time wore on, an acidic component, grapefruits or limes perhaps, kept creeping more and more into sight.

Unlike a 20 year old tawny, I felt that although this wine had complexity, it did not blow my skirt up to make me a repeat customer.

Did you have any left to try on the 2nd or 3rd day that the bottle was opened. A recent bottle I enjoyed saw the wine gain considerable weight and depth and although the nose never changed the length of the finish did, big time.

Somehow had missed your response when I was browsing through here the other night Roy...

I did have some left for small samples on nights 3, 4 and now 5. Each time I had it, it seemed to get better.

It took on a bit of a flavour profile of a Muscat. The weight really didn't get much more developed, but it certainly lost the citrus flavours that were not exactly turning me on in the original tasting.

I would likely but it again if it were a better bargain, but for $50 for the half bottle, I have much better Ports that I know I will love a lot more (the 2003 JM da Fonseca and Van Zeller VP is $48 and is a helluva Port. I have already bought over a half case for the cellar and will be steadily making the local stocks of this Port decline over the next few weeks. I caught a break and found one store in the local chain selling them off for $35 each. Helluva bargain!)