TN: 2003 Croft Vintage Port

[Al B.]

Decant: 24 hours - Deep ruby red, but centre surprisingly transparent. Pure blackcurrant juice on the nose, smelling slightly dry. Soft and balanced initially in the mouth but the tannins show through strongly and a harsh tone reveals itself in a briefly hollow centre. The fruit is not in balance with the structure of this wine at present, not as focussed as a year ago. There is a long, long aftertaste which is first dominated by the acidity, and then moves into a warm afterglow. Not as impressive as this has been in the past, I suspect that this wine is now shutting down and the early drinking window has closed. 88 points