December 29, 2023 - Decanted for four hours which I felt was too long as the wine felt slightly more detailed and focused early on. Massively intense on the nose with loads of macerated dark berries, mainly blueberried and blackberries, with some floral tones. On the palate the sweetness is there but it is very well balanced and it comes off as youthful for its age. There is a lot of intensity and depth to this, it’s most obviously of very high quality.
August 11, 2023 - Guys' Port Weekend - Seattle; 8/11/2023-8/13/2023 (Seattle, Washington): Fantastic nose of violet, chocolate, and rich dark fruits. The palate has complex waves of intense dark fruit and blueberry, showcasing impeccable balance and richness. An outstanding wine with a fantastic, enduring finish.
May 27, 2023 - Colorado Memorial Day Tasting; 5/26/2023-5/27/2023 (Longmont, Colorado): Dark Ruby in color with some bricking. Black current and some light herbal notes on the nose. Rich entry with cranberry and good acidity. There are some nice, fresh-crushed blueberries on the mid-palate, and a lush, long finish.
April 29, 2023 - Guys Port Weekend - LA (Claremont, CA): Crushed blueberry and blackberry with floral notes and just a hint of mint. Entry is powerful, lush, and mouthcoating waves of blue fruits, and a rich texture and complexity. The mid-palate sings with an intricate dance of fruit and tannins, and the very long finish just underlines how powerful yet balanced a wine this really is.
January 14, 2023 - From 75cl, short skinny inferior Port cork (why do they still use these miserable dry stoppers?) extracted with a bit of sweat and plenty of cork shavings into the bottle using my ah-so, decanted 2 hours. So different from the Warre Vintage 1994 opened on 30.10.2022 and much enjoyed for a week or so thereafter. Where the Warre was delicate and nuanced, this is almost brutally powerful: from nose to tail it’s a rough customer delivering strong primary fruit/aroma/tannic impressions. But in its way it is just as enjoyable. Recommended for a cigar-smoking, stilton cheese-eating, exuberant late-night binge, rather than genteel sipping. Or perhaps just leave it well alone for 10 years? 93P
December 31, 2022 - Clear deep purple; clean medium plus nose of alcohol, stewed blackberries/plums and baking spices; sweet; medium plus acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; full body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate follows nose; long finish; drink now or in 10 years; disappointed with how the alcohol dominated the nose and palate - tough to pick up much else; part of Treadwell’s NYE tasting menu
December 28, 2022 - Holy sediment, Batman! That dealt with, there was plenty to enjoy from the rounded, sumptuous, musky nose and rich, spicy palate. Quite a 'hot' Port, with a slightly roasted feeling and waves of warming spice through the midpalate and onto the finish. Some sensual floral notes, too. Second half of the bottle saved for the next day, and tasted much the same as the first.
December 8, 2022 - Huge colour, deeply impressive wine. Ripe full and sweet, powerful but fine quality tannins, this is still a baby but given how often I leave bottles too long before opening them the vibrant fruit here was a joy as was the quality of the tannins - delicious from now for another 30 years?!
November 18, 2022 - FTLOP 17th Anniversary; 11/18/2022-11/20/2022 (Seattle, Washington): Almost opaque in color. Expressive nose of chocolate, violets, blueberry, and cassis. Full-bodied and well-balanced, the palate has milk chocolate and luscious blueberry notes. The amazing structure carries the complexity and richness through the very long finish.
June 4, 2022 - A Fond Farewell (Sammamish, Washington): Decanted for eight hours. This wine is dark amber-purple in color, and has a nose of violets, mint, and some herbs. There is amazing balance to the wine, although I feel like this wine may be missing a little of the “power” and intensity that I am used to experiencing with this wine. This could be because of the extended eight hour decant time. However, it is still a stellar wine with a long, complex, and beautiful finish.