such a treat!
I was handed a glass and told nothing about it, besides that "I would remember this day forever"
this was just totally wonderful. The nose reminded me of chocolate raspberries, but with a rootbeer character that made me feel like I was in a 1950s soda shop. The palate had a madeira-like nuttiness to it, and all together it was so smooth, and so lingering, we kept smelling the glass even hours after it had been emptied. Yum, yum, yum. This is why port is aged.

On scoring: I never give anything 100 points, because it seems so definite. But this was the absolute perfect port experience, so for that, I'm going to go there. Take my scores for what they really are - a personal wine journal, nothing more.

tasted next to the 10 year old, this was more alcoholic and less balanced. However it did posses more nutty flavors, and more citrus than the 10 yr old, due to the extended aging of the blend, no doubt. Still, I wouldn't buy this, especially if it was next to the cheaper 10 yr on the shelf!

tasted next to the 20 year, this was the winner (!) for all three of us. The nose was dusty, with red fruit character. The palate was cherry-like, with sweet tannin and some caramel at the end. I liked it.

nose: woodsy, charcoal, really beautiful ont he nose
palate: vibrant fruit, nice weight, but a short midpalate and finish to me. Good. I would drink this again.

nose: herbal, pine needle, minty, chocolate eucalyptus...it was really wild, and not like any other port I've smelled (not that that is very many). Captivating, but not necessarily delicious on the aroma.
palate: the herbal aromas don't necessarily show up on the palate, though they are hinted at. This tasted like dates to me, but it was a little odd/disjointed in comparison to the others in the flight. Not rated because the nose was just wacky.

This flight was really intriguing.
nose: a little more barbequed than the 1987 vintage, this had a tomatoey taste to it initially. Later, it developed a really obvious black licorice smell to it.
palate: some licorice, again, and lots of red fruit that at times tasted barbequed. Also wacky, but more friendly than the regular 1987, to my palate.

now, this was my flight favorite. the nose was chocolate and caramel, almost dessert-like, hinting at thick, syrupy promise.
the palate was mostly blackberry, but altogether delicious. Not jammy, with good acidity and solid tannin. Not a lot of secondary flavors of note now - needs some time for those to appear, I believe. Wish I had a bottle to keep to try this out...

nose: drippy red fruit
palate: a little barnyardy at first, this was very fruit-driven, with a long finish and hefty tannin. obiscoito's note is pretty spot on, for me. Delicious. of the 3 in this flight, I liked this best, though it was a toss up between the 2003 and the 2000 Martinez VP.

nose: kind of a stinky feet sensation, with smoke and a bit of greenness, maybe some metal (?)
palate: red fruit that's a bit brambly, thinner mouthfeel, shorter finish than the others in this flight. My least favorite of the 3 in the last flight, I don't know if I would purchase this.

nose: cigars were very prominent, and behind it was a little bit of fruit. Both Chris and Dorene got grapefruit, which initially I couldn't understand, but over time, the thought grew on me, and I decided there might be a bit of that in there too. I also got some caramel, though overall, it was not a pretty nose.
palate:thick, red and black fruit with intensely powerful tannin. The taste was far and away better than the nose. Pretty good stuff in the end.