For The Love Of Port

I have never seen an Osborne port from this well known sherry producer. This was a real curiousity for me as it was very reasonably priced at $20 at a merchant I know well who seems to have some surprises in a very low key way. This is very good. A nice mint, nutmeg nose. Good mouth entry , ripe raspberry, nice rich buttery pastry crust flavors, great color, if not full depth on mid-palate, a nice lingering finish. A real pleasant surprise. I give it 88 points and will buy some more.

I have not had the 2001 but I have been using the 1994 as my house port. I purchased it in Jan 2000 and was impressed then and started drinking it frequently from 2006 until now. Mine has been garnet with an orange rim, clean sweet cherry and currant nose with mulberry, mocha, and raisin flavors, integrated with still a hint of tannins to resolve. Unfortunately, of late, I have seen some bacterial contaminants with such things as cardboard, cooked fruits, and cough syrup showing up so I will be drinking them up shortly.

I was a little surprised that this 2001 had held up as well as it has. It had a very short cork and I would nto think of it as something to age very long. That is not alwyas true of LBV's as many such as Smith Woodhouse 1992 is holding up quite well.
I bought this Osborne where things are not bargains, I bet this can be had quite reasonably priced, if it can be found.