First, allow me to thank Roy, Stewart and Mario for this effort: Good luck, men!
I opened a recently bought bottle of Passadouro '94 yesterday night, just to have a sip, and, though I did not take notes, I found it a bit closed and inexpressive, still quite tannic annd light coloured. I doubt whether the wine is just like that or that it is passing through a dumb phase.
I did not taste the Passadouro 94. It could be in a dumb phase. I noticed you said that the bottle was bought recently. Was the bottle on the shelf since its arrival around 1997 laying on the bottom exposing its cork to dry? This could explain the light color. At my liquor store they do not lay on the side much of the Port bottles. After 2 years the cork begins to dry out exposing the wine to more oxygen.
Fred, I bought it from Paco Berciano, one of the most reliable Port (and any wine's) dealers in Spain. The cork was perfect and the (relatively) light colour is due to quite a lot of sediments. BTW, it is a half.
Today I retasted it and, unless it improves significantly in the next days, definitely this is not a highly enjoyable VP IMO: alcohol too obvious, cherry brandy, lack of tobacco nor fruit aromas. 85 pt.
I don't like to buy half bottle except when you want to drink them young(1-2 years after release). I never had a great experience with half bottle of Port except with the 2000 I drunk in their youth and a Warre's 94 drank 2 years ago.
Dow's 80, Churchill 94, Warre Cavadinha and Dow Do Bomfim both 88 were all deception recently. So I stopped buying half bottle for medium term aging.
I've tasted the Passadouro 94 two years ago (from full bottle) and back then it was still very young, primary and dark in colour.
Perhaps you had an off bottle?
