May 1, 2024 - Very spicy nose, dark fruit
Powdery tannin, dark chocolate, black cherries, floral.
In a great place.
April 28, 2024 - #1 of 11 half bottles I won at auction. Let stand upright 3 days after delivery then tasted without decant. The cork came out in 2 pieces otherwise ok. There remains lot of bright fruit, so I think this could age yet 2-3 decades? There is alcohol on the back palate - not unpleasant but that hint a great port can give. Long finish with subtle classic raisin note. I like it, and 10 more to try over time.
April 4, 2024 - Another Wine gathering at RJ’s; 4/4/2024-4/7/2024 (Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina): Nice mature nose displaying dry sweet blue and black fruit, blueberry liqueur, black cherry, dry fig, cigar, leather , milk chocolate, baking spices and earth. Very good concentration, nicely layered generous blue and black fruit, warm, soft and round, medium acidity, earthy mineral, and a medium to long ripe blue and black fruit driven finish. This is drinking nicely.
February 6, 2024 - My mother's father sent to each of us surviving grandchildren a bag of shelled English walnuts from the tree in his backyard in the year before he died. Until tonight I wondered why. I had some English walnuts with a glass of this wine, as with previous notes from a 375. Good Stilton is often said to be a great pairing with vintage Oporto But, Stilton changes the taste of Oporto. English walnuts are in perfect harmony with Oporto but do not at all intrude in the taste. I am certain my Grandfather Thomson never tasted vintage Graham Oporto or any Oporto. But he knew how good English walnuts tasted. He taught me a tasting lesson.
February 5, 2024 - PnP, from a split, last glass - threw tons of sediment, filtered to new glass. Appearance: Slightly cloudy with fine sediment, light-medium tawny. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with stewed red/black fruit, leather, tobacco, and raisins. Palate: Medium-dry, low acid, medium- tannin, medium+ intensity, full body, 20.0% abv leaves a gentle burn with flavors of stewed cherry and plum, brown sugar, and raisin with a medium+ finish.
January 11, 2024 - From 375ml. This seems to be really coming into its own, but still needed some air to truly shine. Would hold full bottles a while longer.
January 6, 2024 - Bob's cellar. Still a deep red, age showing through. Has barely changed since the last bottle, perhaps showing a little more age but still the prunes, raisins and a warm sweetness. Beautiful again.
December 25, 2023 - Stood up two weeks in advance. Decanted for five hours. Drank over four days. Medium ruby in the glass. A powerhouse of a Port that required at least a day to settle down. This is a delight - it’s deep, brooding, and heady with raisins, marzipan, muscovado sugar, and crushed cinnamon sticks all wrapped in bitter dark chocolate. Texturally unctuous with great balance and harmony; the richness expertly offset by the acidity. An absolute joy.
December 25, 2023 - Very nice…great fruit and depth!
December 25, 2023 - Delicious full rich blackberry and mulberry. Notes of marzipan and amaretto. Quite open already, an early drinking port. Long and complex. Beginning to drink now. Has got 30 years infront of it.