Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Saturday, November 11, 2017 - Lots and lots of deposit with some semi-solid, jellied globs. It goes without saying that decanting is heartily recommended.

Deep, completely opaque black cherry color. Somewhat restrained, but also quite attractive and nuanced nose with ripe aromas of perfumed floral tones, overripe boysenberries, a little bit of alcohol, a hint of ginja cherry liqueur and a touch of sweet bilberry. The wine is smooth, sweet and full-bodied, yet surprisingly fresh and playful on the palate with rich flavors of youthful, jammied dark berries, some bittersweet dark chocolate, a little bit of raw cocoa, a hint of freshly picked ripe boysenberries and a subtle touch of aguardente. Structure-wise the is very balanced with medium-to-moderate acidity and quite ample, yet also quite mellow and round tannins. The finish is quite sweet and nuanced with intermingling flavors of ripe blackberries, some blackberry jam, a little bit of sweet boysenberries, a hint of cooling herbal notes of mint or eucalyptus, a touch of fresh black raspberries and a gentle touch of alcohol warmth.

A very lovely and tasty little Vintage Port from a generally undeclared - yet still quite good - vintage. IIRC, this was a rather hot vintage, which necessitated rather early harvest, which might explain the flavor profile of this wine - somewhat more fresh and perfumed rather than unctuous and raisiny, that is often the style of universally declared Vintage Ports. Perhaps this wine won't age as good as the best VPs and it might lose its playful freshness with age, but now the wine is drinking very beautifully and I can imagine it will still develop easily for years. A lovely effort and remarkable value at only 31,39€.

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