TN: 1947 Rebello Valente Vintage Port

[Al B.]

Decant: 1 hour - Mid-shoulder fill, UK bottled by Robertsons, weeping slightly. Very light in colour with a very pale rim. Very smelly on the nose with not much coming through other then the bottle stink. Hollow entry, perhaps a bit of lifein the mid-palate, but really not very much at all. After a lot of work and with mixing with air, some red jelly bean comes through . The aftertaste is the best feature of the wine, starting with a burst of fire that fades quickly and leaves a long and lingering taste of candied fruit. Even extended decating failed to bring this wine to life. Clearly dead, but the question is whether from age or over expsoure to air from an ullaged bottle. 84 points