1987 Souza Vintage Port
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 7:09 am
Opened 3/7/14 and consumed over the next day.
Chipped away the wax capsule. Cork came out cleanly and was soaked about half way through. Color was a sort of red-orange with a narrow clear rim. Decanted cleanly with a small amount of sediment at the end of the pour.
Initial aroma was a little spirity and a little medicinal. This caused me some concern at first, but it quickly blew off in the decanter.
First sip was a little hot, but not overwhelming. There was an earthy undertone mixed with some tart fruit (think prune). I set it aside for later.
Decant +2 hours: The earthy flavor is gone, as are the medicinal aroma and heat. This really came together after a couple of hours. The fruit is still on the tart side, but the tannins are smooth and the heat subdued.
Decant +14 hours: Still very well integrated, and the fruit is more on the sweet side (think raspberries). There is also something there that my palate is not refined enough to identify. It is almost like strawberries sprinkled with dark brown sugar ... but that is not quite it. Not as sweet as that, but I cannot figure it out. Perhaps that is what Roy refers to in one of his notes about secondary characteristics.
Overall, this is a really nice "young" Vintage Port. On day 1, I would have given it a 90-91. On day 2, a solid 92 pointer.
-- Gary
Chipped away the wax capsule. Cork came out cleanly and was soaked about half way through. Color was a sort of red-orange with a narrow clear rim. Decanted cleanly with a small amount of sediment at the end of the pour.
Initial aroma was a little spirity and a little medicinal. This caused me some concern at first, but it quickly blew off in the decanter.
First sip was a little hot, but not overwhelming. There was an earthy undertone mixed with some tart fruit (think prune). I set it aside for later.
Decant +2 hours: The earthy flavor is gone, as are the medicinal aroma and heat. This really came together after a couple of hours. The fruit is still on the tart side, but the tannins are smooth and the heat subdued.
Decant +14 hours: Still very well integrated, and the fruit is more on the sweet side (think raspberries). There is also something there that my palate is not refined enough to identify. It is almost like strawberries sprinkled with dark brown sugar ... but that is not quite it. Not as sweet as that, but I cannot figure it out. Perhaps that is what Roy refers to in one of his notes about secondary characteristics.
Overall, this is a really nice "young" Vintage Port. On day 1, I would have given it a 90-91. On day 2, a solid 92 pointer.
-- Gary