For The Love Of Port

2-14-2010
Decanted at 1:30 PM Sunday
Well into the neck fill; slight seepage under the inner silver foil capsule.
Used the Durand for the first time on an older cork; worked well; cork cracked 1/4 inch above base, but all was extracted.

Sample taste was somewhat closed up; still, mouth-filling; a bit hot.

Drank after dinner at around 9:00 PM.
Smoothed out by now; even a bit flat. I think 8 hours is way to much time with air. I wish I had done a 2, 3, or 4 hour decant.
This is the second time I have over-decanted this wine.

Poured the rest back into cleaned bottle. We will finish this at Carnivale on Tuesday.

For some reason this particular vintage of Dow's seems to have had some major cork issues. I've seen lots of bottles with minor seepage issues and between my own experience and others there seems to be a very high incident of corked bottles as well. I've also experienced some bottles of this that were like you described. But when you get a good bottle of this, and I've had a number, this is a rock'n good VP.

I think in future I will try to set this port up so I can sample it slowly beginning directly after decanting. That way I can drink more of it when it seems at its best. Maybe decant at noon before a long available afternoon and evening, and then make very short pours until it seems best to pick up the pace. I really hate thinking I may have missed the prime drinking hours.

BTW, Eva was unimpressed; "Well, if you like it, go ahead."

Peter W. Meek wrote: BTW, Eva was unimpressed; "Well, if you like it, go ahead."

Very nice of her to let you enjoy the whole bottle

I have read reports of "bad" 1977 Dow's. I bought most of mine many years ago when the price was $34 and these were about 10-15 years old and I have always thought it was in the top handful of the vintage. I really like its youth and power. I also think it needs a full 8 hours of decant time and from bottles I've had, that amount of time, allows this particular bottling to gain a LOT of weight from when it was first opened. It always showed better with an extended decant and I just don't think 2-3 hours would be enough.

Re: decanting time

I tasted both these bottles of 77 that I have had when freshly opened and then at the longer decant. I liked both best when freshly decanted. It may just be a matter of personal preference.

I really regret missing the change over that 8+ hours to see when it changed. Now, I have no more of these, so it will be a while before I get another opportunity.

I will get a chance to have one final taste on Tuesday (56+ hours), and will edit the original note when I do.

My experience with the 1977 of which I had a case of 12 since the early 1980'ties, is as follows:
Waiting 18 years to open the first bottle at New Years Eve 2000: a terrible disappointment, much too tannic and hard, but it was only opened and decanted for a short time.
Considered selling it all.
Tasted it around 2005, still rather tannic, but next day much improved.
Tasted it May 2009 after 7-8 hours of decanting and now it turned out to be really good.
It needs that much time unless you are a lover of tannin, which I am not.

Dunno.

Maybe next time I get a chance at this, I will open it and drink a tiny sip each hour for a day or three.