For The Love Of Port

Dark mahogany in colour, with a distinctly green rim. Sour toffee on the nose, soured by a streak of unsweetened cranberry. Quite a thick texture in the mouth, full of fruit, with cranberry and golden sultanas and a fierce streak of pure lime acidity. The development of the flavours as this is held on the tongue is wonderful. Eventually the flavours overflow and the madeira is swallowed. A fierce acid burn immediately on swallowing is followed by a big and long aftertaste that just keeps the saliva flowing as the flavours roll around the cheeks. Ever lasting flavour. Drunk 19 September 2009 after 10 days in the decanter.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know when this was likely to have been bottled? From appearance, I would have guessed that the bottle was at least 50 years old, but could have been much older. Unfortunately, I don't still have the bottle so can't provide a better description than this.

I don't know enough about this particular wine to say when it may have been bottled. I really enjoyed your TN on this one Alex and am happy to read how much you seemed to enjoy it.

One question for you: Do you find that superb old Vintage Port or bottles of similarly stunning old Madeira provides you with the impression of greater overall complexity?

Personally, and probably because I know vintage port far more than I do madeira, I find that vintage port at its peak gives me more enjoyment and offers me more complexity than madeira of the same age.

But by the time you get to comparing the wines when they are 100+ years of age, I think that madeira edges it. A madeira from, say, 1820 will offer more complexity and be a more enjoyable drink than a port of the same age (to my palate).

So, I guess it depends on the level of patience you have. If you can wait 60-80 years before drinking your purchases, then drink vintage port, but if you want to buy something that you can still enjoy another 100 years later then buy madeira.