January 12, 2024 - Only one glass remained in the bottle for more than two weeks; an impressive deep, ripe and vivid colour, a complex bouquet with spicy wood, a whiff of vanilla and something like cinnamon. The taste is super smooth with ripe fruit and a ripe citrus backbone. The alcohol becomes covered by the concentration of the wine and the balanced aftertaste hardly disappeared. Not an eternal live, but be sure, there is still 100% live in this wine.
April 18, 2023 - A private dinner with friends (Amsterdam, NL): Double decanted. Consistent with my previous note.
April 4, 2023 - Not decanted, poured with great care so as not to disturb the sediment. In short: a fine 1985 Vintage Port of classical proportions. Mature but lively appearance; attractive and lifted nose, red cherries and berries, notes of warm spices and cedar, milk chocolate and white nuts, hint of spirit; delicately sweet palate, medium body, energetic and fresh, firm but well integrated tannins; orange and lovage on the complete finish with very good resonance and length. Jolly good VP! Drink now and over the next 10-20 years. Fourteen bottles left.
November 4, 2022 - Open the bottle and you will be a bit disappointed; wait a day, or wait some days (the fridge or a cool corner seems me the best place) and you will become rewarded with a very elegant nutty, ripe citrus and red fruit & wood bouquet followed by an ethereal and superbly balanced taste. Not a power port, but a port with persistence into the long and refined finish, and you can still buy this still modestly priced Port.
September 19, 2021 - Decanted. This bottle is on fine form. Mature but energetic, rich and spicy, slatey minerality, broad and mildly sweet but fresh and lively, black cherries and a hint of lovage, firm tannins, drying but long finish.
November 5, 2020 - With wines of this age there is bound to be bottle difference, and compared to the bottle tasted in March, this is sweeter, softer and rounder, but not as cedary but also not as clear and precise in expression. It is lively and fresh, with nuts and small red berries, spices and gentle tannins. Mature but youthful, certainly with time in hand. Holds up with ease over three days in the open bottle (double decanted).
October 2, 2020 - See my previous notes; as before, super gentle and with a refined bite.
July 1, 2020 - See my previous notes; this one was maybe a tad less expressive.
March 29, 2020 - First bottle from a full case purchased at auction recently, together with a friend. Showing very well once again, fully mature but perfectly fresh and lively at 35 years of age, relatively dry and cedary style, crushed red berries and warm spices, aniseed, well integrated spirit, silky style with medium weight, hint of bourbon vanilla, good definition and tannic grip, Grand Marnier on the finish. Eventually this will dry out, but there is absolutely no hurry. A lovely drink, an outperformer by Kopke's VP standards. Drink now - 2030. (92) Holding up very well on the second day, in fact I like it even better, it is richer and rounder and more expressive, without losing its grip, precision or freshness. It also looks like it may last longer than I thought - until 2040 perhaps? (93)
March 14, 2020 - See my previous notes, again a sheer delight, silky persistence.