2000 Sandeman's Vintage Port

[Lamont Huxley]

The cork seemed pretty solid but the bottom 1/3 of it broke off while extracting and had to be pushed into the bottle. Only a tiny bit of sediment was evident while decanting. This has now been decanted for 50+ hours. It was drinking nicely right from the start but was better on day 2 and even better now on day 3.

The color is a solid royal purple with only a very slight burgundy rim. I've really been enjoying the nose on this one. The first thing that hits me is coffee grounds - like sticking your nose into warm grounds right after the coffee's been brewed. There is also some kind of earthy spice to it - cardomom? coriander? It's hard to place exactly but very pleasing. There's dark cherry/blackberry fruit and cocoa there too but it's less prominent than the coffee and spice. Round and ripe purple fruit on the palate - medium-full bodied with good depth and the coffee aspect from the nose coming through on the mid-palate and adding complexity. A touch of warm spirit appears on the back end and gives way to very fine tannins on the fairly long finish. Elegant but solidly structured with plenty of potential for aging. Great nose and great balance. Delicious! 93+ pts, Tasted 1/11