For The Love Of Port

Decant: 1½ hours - On inspection, I could see the "cork particles" evidence of some cork weevil appearing from under the sealing wax. Since the bottle level was around mid-shoulder, I decided to open the bottle rather than to attempt a recorking. Opening the bottle gave me hope. Although cork weevils had clearly been at work, the cork came out with a satisfying pop to show that it had done its work and maintained a seal.

Tasted after 1½ hours in the decanter but drunk over a period of about 5 hours, followed by a couple of glasses each of the following two evenings, this is my tasting note. I did not find that the wine changed substantially enough over the 5 hours it was being drunk to merit a new note. Deep centre the colour of red mahogany, clear and transparent rim with definite brown present. Very little on the nose except spirit, perhaps a little high toned fruit carried on the spirit. Acidic impact into the mouth, slightly unbalanced heat from the spirit but then the flavours recovered the balance in the mid-palate. Minty tones, plenty of mature fruit, leather and some sweetness. Aftertaste was huge and long with flavours of coffee and dark chocolate.

This was a real pleasure to drink and a wine that I really enjoyed. 93 points