1997 Quinta do Passadouro Vintage Port

[Jay Hack]

I just wrote an extremely detailed and comprehensive note on this wine that took 30 minutes and then accidentally hit the escape key that erased the whole thing. I do not have time for a rewrite, so here is a summary:

Decant 3 bottles for a desert wine at a conference last week through multiple layer cheesecloth - lots of sediment, pour back into bottle and open 3-1/2 hours later.
Really good, light without being shallow and without missing any components. Compare positively to the 1985 Q. do Noval, but which is light because there are things missing.
Excellent red fruit and that flavor you get from Touriga National even in dry wines. Maybe a bit of nuttiness if you look for it.

Four days later had definite cocoa/chocolate notes and a bit of mocha/coffee. Complexity had definitely increased with negligible fruit loss.

Something in the back of the palate (acidity) that avoided the wine tasting syrupy and gave it good balance.

Finish longer than most dry reds but not as long as a full more VP like Taylor or Fonseca or Dow.

I initially said 91 points - low side of outstanding, but based upon the additional flavors that developed after a few days, I might move it up to 92 pts or even 93 pts. I still have about a half bottle left and will revisit tonight - 8 days after opening.

[Roy Hersh]

Thanks Jay. I hope the rest of your group appreciated it too. Looking forward to the final tasting note from 8 days a week.

[Jay Hack]

Nine days out. It's been in the refrigerator. Very interesting. More chocolate and cocoa and less fruit, but there's still some very sweet cherry. Overall flavor is much lighter. However, there is an interesting citrus acidity on the finish. Non-specific citrus, but definitely some kind of fruit, not just acid. I can't decide what it reminds me of. Still a pleasurable port. Back in the refrigerator and will taste again.

By the way - the other people who tried it generally liked it a lot. One guy said it was the best port he had ever had, but I do not know what he is comparing it to. A lot of other people asked for second pours. For the money, this was a great deal. AND I have 3 more bottles that we did not open!

[Roy Hersh]

Thanks for the follow up Jay. Great to hear the others really liked it, that is what counts when it comes to sharing fun bottles of wine/Port. The fact that you have another 3, is a very good thing. Enjoy!

[Eric Menchen]

And the fact that it is still drinkable after a week is nice too.