The cork was dry at the top and fell into the bottle when I tried to remove with an osso. It was clearly sound, though. Decanted the wine and started poured a glass immediately. The nose was soaring, complex, and intense from the first whiff with aromas of mint, eucalyptus, cranberries, tobacco, Asian spices, figs, and hot iron. Wow. I expected a free-for-all on the palate but instead I got a beautifully balanced, even graceful, intense, rich, fruity, and elegant palate impression. Wow, again. The finish was long, at least 45 seconds, with more iron and fruit and just a hint of fine tannin remaining. These impressions staid pretty much unchanged for 2+ hours of drinking. What really struck me in the end, though, was that the alcohol was never a feature. I've had more powerful, more complex, and more intense ports in the past but I've rarely had one that balanced all of those traits so gracefully. Purchased on release and stored in my cellar since.
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Opened at Christmas and drank well for a month. I kept a few dregs until now and forgot to take it out of inventory. Notes are largely lost to time but I remember a still quite primary but delicious deep fruit and chocolate wine.
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Purchased on release in fulls and halves, 750 bottle #6 of 12. No ullage, cork crumbled a bit. Forgot to decant before serving, yet still had super length, complexity, nose, forever finish. Rich yet drier Dow style works very well. This wine has been firing on all cylinders for the last half-decade, halves may be showing a bit more maturity than fulls. Not a drop left after the dinner party! If had decanted would probably been 96 or higher.
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My second half bottle was not nearly as good as the first. I rated the first 100/100. This one had a bit more fire on the pallet from the high alcohol content. Not as smooth as my first bottle. The bottles were purchased from the same case and aged together.
Good, but not exceptional like the first half bottle.
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Wow - what a wine. Paired with mature, goat, and blue Dutch cheese at 3* De Librije in Zwolle. Intricate, bright - in a fantastic spot with alcohol and tannins nicely integrated, with smoky and raisiny notes emerging, but with very lively and bright fruit - cherries and raspberries above all. Nose of figs and dates. Fantastic wine in a great - but still relatively young - stage.
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Beautiful. Complex. The house style is evident but it is not overly dry or austere. Christmas cake, red fruits, surprisingly fresh, a very high quality spirit has been used.
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PnP Magnifique bouchon de liège blond, dense, parfaitement homogène, entré à toute force dans le goulot, et à peine taché sur sa face inférieure : aucune coulure. Les Sociando-Mallet devraient en prendre de la graine - certes, il est plus facile de trouver du beau liège au Portugal que dans la forêt landaise, mais le diamètre du bouchon joue un rôle important
Pourpre-brun sombre, opaque, s'éclaircissant et tournant, à l'oxydation, à un brun plutôt clair et légèrement translucide. Au nez, pruneau, cerise noire et autres fruits noirs, terre... schiste ? En bouche, attaque très souple avec le doux arôme du Nacional. Un velours... puis un volume massif emplit la bouche, avec des tannins ronds mais bien perceptibles. Aucune lourdeur, du sucre juste ce qu'il faut, et l'alcool ne se sent guère : un très bel équilibre. Bien meilleur en bouche qu'au nez (mais la température de service n'excédait pas 15°).
Le vin évolue avec les heures et donne une finale très longue, violette, violette... Après deux jours dans le verre (oui oui), équilibre exquis, presque aérien par comparaison, entre corps et une étonnante fraîcheur, avec des parfums variés d'épices inconnues, quelque chose de magique - essayez ! 'C'est une expérience passionnante que de remplir de jour en jour un verre après l'autre et de les laisser évoluer l'un à côté de l'autre en goûtant de temps en temps l'ensemble ; on se fait ainsi une sorte de verticale qui illustre la splendeur du porto. Même la teinte évolue de jour en jour.
De ce test je retire l'impression que, sans décantation, ce vin est à son apogée (en termes d'équilibre, non de puissance) vers le troisième jour (J+2) dans un verre, et après plus d'une semaine dans la bouteille ouverte. Mais il ne fait actuellement que 15° chez moi. Il me faudrait beaucoup d'autres bouteilles pour aboutir à des conclusions fermes - avis aux mécènes éventuels... (I think that to have a chance of being heard I'd better write this in American English)
À boire ou à garder selon l'âge - le vôtre, j'entends. Ce vin a encore une décennie au moins devant lui, surtout si tous les bouchons sont de cette qualité, mais il est déjà excellent. Décanter largement, la veille voire l'avant-veille si possible. Mais pour ma part je l'apprécie aussi beaucoup en PnP. Donc le meilleur conseil serait peut-être de se donner une semaine voire 15 jours pour déguster peu à peu une bouteille comme elle le mérite. Et si on est pressé, on peut éventuellement décanter les 3/4 de la bouteille seulement et goûter le reste en PnP.
À apprécier seul, je trouve. Je veux dire... en compagnie si l'on peut, mais sans plat ni même carré de chocolat.
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NYE 2023: Initially opened this 2 weeks ago on the 16th of December 2023. The note I'm writing tonight is from the same bottle 2 weeks later on NYE. Not a ton of change in this bottle over that time period, just a bit softer/turned down 2 weeks on.
Color is medium to dark purple. Nose of fig, warm caramel, fresh paint. A lot of concentration here, sweet dark berries, milk chocolate, raisin. Finish lingers there for a long time and gives you layers and layers of good stuff. Little too sweet is the only criticism on N1. N2: more balanced. Tongue coating, not cloying.
Update 2 weeks later: Not much has changed! Nose a bit more subdued but still pretty nice on the palate. Many decades of life left.
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Clear pale garnet with notable sediment; clean medium plus nose of plum cake, baking spices, cocoa and figs; sweet; high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate follows nose; long finish; feels like it’s beginning to decline - drink now; still beautifully balanced and elegant
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Clear pale ruby; clean medium plus nose of figs, raisins and leather; sweet; high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate follows nose; long finish; drink now or in a few years; throwing massive amounts of sediment; very lean and elegant
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OMG #105 (Ann Arbor, MI): I gave this 3 hours of air, which this beast seemed to scoff at and ask why I bothered. This is very serious and structured for its age. Not tasting all that sweet either. Still fantastic with Stichelton cheese, less successful with dark chocolate.
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Brought by MK. Lovely aromas of figs and honey, herbs. Palate with figs, tart blackberries, baking spices. Medium tannins. Full body with nice acids. Really nice, elegant balance here. Sweet but not over the top with nice balancing acids. Very enjoyable but prob not at peak yet.
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Drinks and Cards (London): Black-red, quite evolved aroma of currant, rose and tar. Lovely deep blackberry fruit, treacle, toasted nuts, light caramel, and a good acidic note of apple. Elegant, delicately sweet and spicy. Very fine.
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Opened upon arrival (5:30) and consumed at 9:00. (3 !/2 hour slow O for those keeping score!)
I love ports, but one glass is enough! I should bring these to bigger tastings or decant and consume over a few days! This was drinking quite well! Fruit was still present to hide the alcohol, mostly dark and red fruit with a slight prune and Chambord flavor. Also, plenty of mint, tobacco, earth and vanilla notes. Rich and decadent, and in a good place, IMO. I would probably decant rather than slo O for 3-4 hours. Easy 94 for me!
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Quinta do Bomfim, Pinhão: More secondary than primary, with some tertiary elements. Dark chocolate (in all forms), carob, baking spices, liqueurs, coniferous forest floor, mushroom, mint, wintergreen, sweet pipe tobacco, and dusty loam.
Compelling poise and smoothness. The wine tastes like it smells. It packs medium plus acid and powdery tannins, which make their bracing presence known at the back and throughout the long finish.
Likely to enter peak form in three to five years. The wine's overall presentation indicates that it has twelve to fifteen years of life ahead. A treat! 95-96.
Colorado Memorial Day Tasting; 5/26/2023-5/27/2023 (Longmont, Colorado): Ruby in color. Chocolate and some wonderful dried fruit notes on the nose. Interesting rich profile on the palate with ripe blackberry and blueberry. Great structure and balanced tannins. Good acidity on the finish. The tannins need to settle down a little bit on this wine, but otherwise, this is a fantastic wine.
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Tasting at Graham’s (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal): Maturing rim. Powerful, backward, almost sweaty nose with a bit of herb. Moderately sweet but dry and stern in comparison to the rest. More concentrated than the Warre, uplifting citrus, long finish. Outstanding potential but needs at least another decade.
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Decanting from 375ml for 5+ hours now. Classic Dow’s…not super sweet and has a nice, dry finish. I love the 94 vintage. This is a good one that’ll probably age for another decade or longer.
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Dark and stormy in the glass. Spirity nose of marmalade, dried fruit and cloves. Absolutely lovely, even delicate palate of raisin, prunes and chocolate with good acidity keeping the sweetness in check. Warm, intoxicating finish of christmas cake soaked in brandy. I really enjoyed this, but it feels like it's right on the cusp of morphing into something absolutely stunning in the next 10 years. Can't wait to see it in it's final, tawny form.
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Deep ruby colour. Pronounced and developing nose with cassis, red cherry, blackberry, cinnamon, liquorice and black pepper. Pronounced taste of cassis, blackberry, licorice, black pepper, forest floor, tobacco and cinnamon. Long and sweet finish. High acidity. Medium tannins. Full body. A very good and well matured Vintage Port. Drink now or over the next ten years. Goes well with blue cheese or chocolate.
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Library release. "Porty" noses are often difficult to describe. Medium-full bodied, this is certainly not nearly as sweet as Grahams, but packs in flavors of purple childhood cough syrup and spice. Still somewhat tannic, this is structured but not very forthcoming. A nice hint of coffee bean comes out after a bite of 90% chocolate. I wonder if a bottle purchased at release would be better? Youthful, this has years left ahead of it. I'd give it a few years more then drink through age 40+ 91
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Stood up and decanted off substantial sediment. Deep ruby, clear; aromatic, blackberry, black fruited, some figs; palate is rich, full bodied, still quite a bit of youthful sweetness, primary black fruited, high alcohol (20%) showing slight sweet heat but not too much, fades a bit through the midpalate; finish is medium length. Just opened, showing a bit simple but balanced for now and this may need some air to open more. 91+ for now. Decanted 4 hours: Showing a bit more spice, a touch of red fruit on the nose; palate is well integrated, midpalate fleshed out a touch but still relatively straightforward in complexity. Easily has another 2 decades of growth ahead of it as it still seems young. 8 hours: largely unchanged Day 2: Well balanced, perhaps a bit better integrated, perhaps a tad more complex overall. I think this will develop nicely with another decade of age.
2022 Port Harvest Tour; 9/22/2022-10/2/2022 (Porto, Portugal): Exhibiting a dark amber-purple hue with garnet edges, this wine has some spirit on the nose, transitioning into a palate of blueberry, blackberry, light chocolate notes, and a touch of herbs. The very long finish is accompanied by a touch of heat.
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Drank with the wine group. From my cellar, pre cellar tracker purchase. Black raspberry, oak spice, spirit and chalk on the nose. Mouth filling yet seemless on the palate with flavors repeating the scents. Finishes long and smooth with a touch of oak, raisin and brandy flavors. Very nice and seemingly mature.
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Dark red color. Plum and spicy oak Aromatics. Medium to full-bodied bodied, it is soft and ready to drink. Typical Dow’s style, moderately sweet and a bit lighter than your average vintage Port. Delicious now, it may hold a few more years but definitely mature, Purchased upon release and stored in my cool cellar. Decanted for 4 hours before serving.
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Something disjointed about it; corners and even spikes. A little better after the bottle had been open two full weeks. It's delicious stuff, but--at least at this phase in its evolution--doesn't compare to the '07 (Dow) or the '94 Graham's. Don't toudh until at least 2029.
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This is a very fine maturing port. The balance is fantastic as far as port goes. The fruit is beginning to fade, but the secondary notes are not yet very prominent. This will last many, many years. I would suggest waiting at least another 10 years. Likely 94-95 once fully mature. General opinion here - for my money port just does not reach the same heights of elegance and complexity that a Botrytis-laced sweet wine, such as Sauternes or Riesling regularly shows.
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Dark red color. Super concentrated Port, young. Massive wine in adolescent Stage with 15 to 20 years development ahead. Intensive flavors of dark berries with a delicious sweetness but not simply sweet - complex aromatic profile. One of the best ports I had.
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Glass: Zalto Universal Popped and poured, drank over three days, not decanted. Clear, deep garnet color with orange rim. Only very few and fine sediment. Clean, pronounced and developing nose. Lots of fine red fruit, cinnamon and other spices, espresso powder, dark chocolate, figs. Surprisingly fine and elegant. Sweet (sic!), lean 20% abv 😊, wonderful high acidity that handles the alcohol quite well. High, velvet tannin, medium+ body, never fat or broad. On the palate an orgy of red fruit and spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cacao and espresso powder, fresh figs. Very complex. Surprisingly elegant and balanced, cream on the palate, very harmonious. Very long, complex finish that becomes hot if drunk too warm. Almost indestructible, potential for another 5 decades or more. Will certainly still improve but makes fun already. 94+
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An excellent port from Douro valley. I tasted it after decanting it for an hour. It has excellent structure, good sweetness which is balanced by the grape spirit added to this fortified wine. Overall, very enjoyable with notes of cherries, berries with a few tannings towards the long-lasting ending. I paired it with some chocolate truffles and fresh figs.
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Prior bottle was 20 months ago (Nov 2019) and my notes were quite consistent. Soft and pretty black and red cherry notes as well as a raisin quality on the nose. Full bodied with red and black cherry upfront, moving to massive deep, dark black cherry, black raspberry and plum through the mid-body. Mid-body has immense depth, but still feels quite accessible due to the sweet background notes and the excellent tannin, acidity and spice notes on the backside. As much richness, fruit and density as the mid-body shows, the tannins, acidity and spices keep up neatly and leave the wine feeling quite well balanced. As this wine continues to be available, I'll certainly be purchasing some more as it easily has 15 years still ahead of it (and probably more).
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Pristine bottle, purchased at auction in 2003. Last tasted in November 2019, when I opined that it should be followed closely, because the tannic structure was melting away fast. Some 18 months later, there is no abrupt development to report, but this bottle does remind us that 1994 Vintage Port was by and large produced with an emerging US market and its preferences in mind. A quarter of a century later, there are clearly recognisable upsides to that approach. The cherry fruit is succulent and pure, there is lovely balancing acidity, and the wine feels youthfully fresh with lots of spicy, minerally energy. It's completely ready, with only a hint of nuttiness, and just a tad simple. Very nice, but for a traditionalist like me, this is not when the case should be finished, this is when the game begins! Over the next 20-30 years, the tertiary development will take place which will elevate a fine Vintage Port to true greatness. To that heavenly state where the great wines from 1963, 1966 and 1970 are today. Will this wine get there? I am not sure, for a very simple reason. The fruit needs protection from oxidation to go through this very gradual process, and we are faced with a fundamental lack of tannins here. Acidity and alcohol are helpful to protect the wine (the wine is sweet for Dow but not very sweet), but essentially we need firm tannins to oxidise before the fruit does. And they're just not there. I will be old and grey in 30 years' time, but I fear that this may wither before I do. I do hope that I will be around to prove myself wrong though. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying, And this same flower that smiles today, Tomorrow will be dying." (Robert Herrick, 1591-1674).
Short but clean cork. Plenty of depth to the colour. Nose evolves with plum, prune, orange peel and icing sugar. Concentrated. Sweet for Dow. Maybe just a little soft and short on the finish but still a monumental wine.
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Complex nose, Dark berries, caramel, nuts. Palate is showing it age in a good way, some caramel again, semi grippy tannin, nice fruit, sherry hints, long finish. Very enjoyable
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Wow, this young wine is a thing of beauty! It is loaded with dark red fruit, red plum, fat cherries, and plenty of Port spice like peppered spice cake. As Port goes, this one was quite fluid, light bodied for what it is, with a full and rich mouth, and a lovely swallow. Bought this for 66 bucks on release.
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1994 was called the best vintage since 1927 with a textbook weather pattern and bottles that should not to be opened for 25-30 years. We're now in the heart of that drinking window.
Deep ruby with minimal bricking at the rim.
Nose is austere and slightly oxidized with strawberry, cherry, oak and wood notes.
This port is still tannic with a big body and lots of structure. Viscous, dense and beautifully integrated alcohol.
Rich flavours of strawberry and candied plum.
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It's good. But again for a declared year, and a fine year at that, it's underwhelming. Very very slight bricking, a bit oversweet and lacking that clarity that accompanies the finest vintage ports IMHO. Not a lot of nose, but what there was was cassis-ish. Initial taste was rich with cherries.
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Une poigne d’acier à l’ouverture, il a un grand besoin de carafe (sans surprise). Profond, droit, l’alcool ressort. On croque le fer! Le lendemain, plus civilisé, encore puissant, on apprécie davantage la longueur et la profondeur. Reste quand même un brin alcooleux. Revoir idéalement dans 5 ou 10 ans, sinon carafer longuement.
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Probably the fifth or so time I've enjoyed Dow 1994 over the years. This bottle was decanted ahead of time. Flavors were smooth and balanced. Not the most complex Port around, but definitely a nice one.
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Out of 375. I decanted this bottle about 6 hours, and unsurprisingly it showed much better than the last bottle. A little more sweet than I would prefer. Not sure if that's a characteristic of the producer or just something I'm picking up on this vintage. I recall loving an '85 on our trip to Portugal, so maybe the latter.
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Overnight in wide bottom decanter, it was open, and just right for this age. Plenty of years ahead of it, but also perfect with enough air and a tangy blue cheese. Ages ahead of it. highly recommended
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We finally had some time to finish the leftovers from last month's tasting, which have since been stored in the fridge. Dark fruit, a bit ripe and bordering on raisiny but not crossing that line. Full-bodied. Nice depth and complexity on the palate. Blue fruit, plum, violet liqueur and chocolate flavors. 93+ pts.
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Second Sunday Group: 1994 Ports (Zoom): Double blind. Florals, plum and black fruit notes; a bit ripe and raisiny to start. Ripe plummy fruit on the palate. Opens in the glass adding spice and red fruit qualities. Lingering finish. Somewhat rustic; not as expressive as others in the flight, and shows more ripeness and alcohol.
My #8, Domino's #8 Group #7, 83 pts
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Pop n' pour, which is clearly not ideal. Quite reserved. Not especially sweet, but gave the impression of powdered sugar over under-ripe berries. A 1990 Quinta Do Vesuvio showed far better a couple nights later under similar conditions. Not going to score, as I have more and want to give it some air next time.
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Nose of black plum and dates. Super rich palate of black fruits, blackberry, chocolate and then a dried herbal note. Super smooth finish with pomegranate syrup, herbal notes, and pepper with long leathery tannins.
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Decanted for 3 hours until the spirit abated, had with apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream. I don't really enjoy port and brought it thinking I'd leave the remainder with staff but I ended up drinking most of it. Blue/purple plum type fruit, really fresh and cooling even, great match with the spiced apple and vanilla. No prune/fig/christmas pudding/cooked fruit type bullshit going on.
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Carafé six bonnes heures. Un vin droit qui fascine par sa jeunesse, sa fraicheur, avec une longue finale harmonieuse. Il parait en fait encore très jeune et n'a pas développé encore une grande complexité aromatique, ce qui n'empêche qu'il donne beaucoup de plaisir en l'état, avec cette structure et ce côté minéral évoquant presque bordeaux. Très bon et deviendra meilleur encore. 93+ pts
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I am always impressed by how Vintage Port tastes after close to 25 years of ageing. There is so much freshness to this along with the classic black fruit, cassis, chocolate, smoke, liquorice, dense palate the structure is amazing along with a fine finish. Everything is coming together yet I know this can still keep going another 20 years without a sweat. Wow!
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Still surprisingly tannic. Almost primary in its development. On the dry side for port. Rustic. Laid back. Restrained dark fruit. A bit of Christmas spice. Has another 15+ years.
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Decanted and filtered, put back in bottle 10 hours early. fresh, balanced, spice, raisin. I expected a lot, and although excellent, it fell short a bit. Served with fruit, but deserved a matched dessert.
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I opened this wine last night, decanted for 2 hrs. I must say it's the best port I've ever tasted. If you can find this wine don't hesitate to buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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Although it’s drinking fine now, it’s still very youthful. It needs at least another 5 years before tertiary notes become more prominent. Black fruit aromas, some raisins, cloves, and prunes. Tannins are balanced. It was less complex than I’d hoped. I don’t intend to open another bottle for 7 years to see how it develops further.
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Double decanted and left the dwindling bottle open, no cork, for two weeks. At 8 days it had fully softened and very minty with black pepper, chocolate sauce, grape jelly, and clove. The pinched and squeezed top gave way to a long, gentle, rocky-road finish. Better with dessert than on its own.
Update two weeks open no cork. This relaxes and gets better every day. Increasing “with dessert” score from. 92 to 94.
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This port is still youthful and delicious! No score because it remains at the same level of my past score range of 95-98. Plus, no specific notes because I completely agree with RGCM Gananda’s review in November, 2019, so look to that one for excellent tasting notes.
Very highly recommended if you can get your hands on a well kept bottle. I’ve had mine since release at 55-56 degrees. Storage conditions will, obviously, impact the evolution of this wine.
No detailed notes. Recall its having a clear ruby-garnet color with no purple remaining. The nose was complex but light, with aromas of figs, spices, and plums. On the palate the wine was very silky and, as another reviewer noted, no sign of heat. The finish of coffee and tar lasted at least 30 seconds. All in all I remember thinking it a delicious port somewhat lacking in complexity and depth given the vintage. Drank from 375 ml bottle stored in my cellar since release.
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Prior bottle was almost 6 years ago (February 214) and the wine has improved markedly in that time. Lots of very aromatic spices on the nose, along with a mix of red and black fruit, trending more towards the red end and even some dried raisin. Full bodied with balance that has improved significantly with time. Continues to show black cherry, black raspberry and plum and the concentration is still really impressive. But it has rounded out quite a bit through the middle, making the fruit feel more accessible. Red fruits notes (especially red berries) are starting to creep in as well, bringing additional complexity. Tannins and spice notes on the backside, while still showing significant power, are much more balanced than previously. At 25 years young, this wine is quite enjoyable and should easily have another 15+ years ahead. May open my next bottle as soon as July or November 2020.
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Pristine bottle, purchased at auction in 2003. Last tasted in 2014 and 2015, when it was still pretty backward. Development since then has been rapid, and the tannic backbone has melted away pretty quickly. The fruit is pure and ripe and fresh (crushed red berries and cherries), the whole aromatic profile is still quite primary, with floral lift, spicy depth and lots of mint, and intimations of nutty development. Good complexity, delicate sweetness, excellent length. On its plateau, not built for the ages, but should last another 25 years. On the second day, it seems fully mature, with ample black cherries, dark chocolate and warm spices, supple and juicy, with a creamy texture and mild tannins, balanced and attractive but completely ready for business. To follow closely.
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With desert at Schwa and easily held up to the rich multicourse desert. Similar notes to previous bottle. Very enjoyable. Still a baby. On second night did not change much. Curious to retry in a week.
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First bottle of a case of 6, impeccably stored. Tried after decanting for 2 hours. The first impression is a knock out punch, with so much intensity, flavour and structure. Tasted over 3 days, and it continually to get better on each successive day. I suspect that the complexity will come with further aging.
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A nice bottle this time, suppler and smoother. Not as complex as the 1994 Taylor, but plenty of fruit and well made, good balance, quite easy to drink. Softens and mellows with a decant, even into the next day. Recommended.
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Not surprisingly dryer in style than the Graham‘s 1994 tasted next to it. Pretty massive and structured. Notes of sweet red fruit, also some darker berries, sweet spices, licorice, cinnamon, some cedar wood, also some tobacco, violets and dark minerality. It‘s full-bodied and dense, with medium+ tannin and medium+ acidity providing nice freshness. Very good length. A superb Dow that is just hitting its early drinking window and will probably age nicely for another 20-30 years. Excellent. (94+)
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Sehr druckvolle, rotbeerige Nase. Gewürze ohne Ende, Bananen, Kardamom. Eine Dampfwalze auch am Gaumen, sehr strukturiert, stark in der Säure, perfekte Balance.
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At the Wolf in Oakland. 3 hour decant. Dark crimson in color. Sweet compote on the nose. In the mouth, I get cassis, plums, raisins and some figs. A touch of cocoa. VERY youthful, but it's a quarter century old. Excellent vintage port.
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More densely fruited than the Warre's with more upside. Not quite there but not far off. Maybe a couple more years until it is right in the zone? It should have a long graceful evolution, for sure. I'd re-load on this if I found it at a good price. Note that the cork deteriorated on opening. I've had this problem with too many mid-90s bottles.
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The cork crumbled while being extracted. Decanted for about 3 hours. A nice deep purple/dark garnet coloring when poured. Then it got really good! Lots for dark fruit, a hint of chocolate and a rich sweetness only a mature port provides. A very long finish, incredibly smooth.
Wow, what a killer port! Drank it chilled at noon with a bit of chocolate, it was SUCH a treat. Smooth as a baby's bottom, sweet with a long finish. Lovely nose, maybe a touch of brick in the color. Plums and sweet prunes with some cherry. This is what vintage port is all about.
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Deep garnet color with a bouquet and flavor of plum liqueur, cotton candy, and dust. Very big and concentrated wine with mostly integrated tannins. Very unctuous with great nuance, good balance, and a very long finish. A wonderful wine, which will probably be even better when I drink some more today. This is a WOW.
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plenty of raisin and fig paste. Surprising amount of red and black fruit to balance the darker fruit profile. Seems like it will last for many more years.
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WSET Level 2 Class; 9/13/2018-11/4/2018 (The Texas Wine School): Very good quality Port that is clear, deep ruby in color, bordering on garnet. On the nose, it's clean with a pronounced intensity. It has aromas and flavors of raisins, prunes, dried red cherry, strawberry pie, cinnamon, coffee, smoke, charred toasty oak, tobacco, and alcohol. On the palate, it's sweet with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body, and a long finish.
Definitely one of the better Ports I've had but I haven't had many. Definitely let this one breathe for about a 1-2 hours before you partake as the alcohol is a little intense on the nose before then. But once it's opened up, it's wonderfully complex with great length and intensity. It could still use another few years but still very very good!!
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Wish I could have spent more time with this port in my glass. Too good not to take your time to sip on it carefully. Great and classic vintage port. Only negative is that it had a touch more of prune on the finish than I prefer. Need a shade more to give it a formal review.
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Napa Cabernets + SQN + others (Home): Smooth plum, camphor, and soil notes. A little bit of animal and bear paw fur on the back end. Not completely barnyard, but definitely some mammalian tinges on the finish. Still, this maintained its level demeanor, pairing quite nicely with homemade chocolate chip cookies! Drink ‘em if you got ‘em, as I think this is on the downward slope. It was good, but as a standalone, there wasn’t much of anything epic to be found here.
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Decanted 12hrs and not great to be honest. A slightly grubby nose, good fruit and stuffing but then a hot alcoholic finish. All a bit disjointed. I can't believe this is how it's meant to taste. Drinkable but certainly not memorable.
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Bue hier avec Sylvie et carol. Le bouchon s'est désintégré même avec le bilame!!! Décanté et filtré, en carafe pour 30 minutes. Est apparue plus léger et sur la retenue mais tout à fait délicieux et complexe, excellent.
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SAQ N° 10320534 87$ Avec dessert fondant chocolat. Robe avec quelques signes de paleur de vieillissement. Un nez très beau sur l'anis et les caramels tuffy/sucre d'orge. Bouche liquoreuse, encore très fraiche, sur un moca et des arômes secondaires multiples. L'ensemble m'épatte par l'aspect vieilli au nez mais si jeune en bouche. Ma prochaine (celle de Champlain Charest) sera ouverte d'ici 5 ans. Pas mal bon, en rabais ça vaut la peine, mais plus la. ***
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Very dark core. Blueberry, gingersnap cookies, molasses and soy sauce on the nose. Primary and monolithic on the palate: medium sweet, relatively low acidity, with a solid core of fruit (blueberry, plum) and a chewy, almost yeasty (baked bread) component that is presently evolving into something beautiful, which should blossom in a few more years. Hold!
Update: On day 2, this is much improved. I find the acidity has asserted itself a bit more, and the yeasty component has disappeared. The core of dark fruit has blossomed, and a lovely bitter chocolate note has made a welcome appearance. In Quebec, the Trappist Monks make a wonderful treat consisting of fresh blueberries covered in dark chocolate. The wine reminds me of this now, and I love it. Rating has been adjusted accordingly.
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Never been disappointed when opening one of these. Incredibly youthful. Ripe plum, jam, milk chocolate. I get a chocolate covered raisin vibe going on. The sweetness is balanced by the acidity. Nice lingering finish. Such a marvel and pleasure to drink. This will outlast me. It's 20+ years old now and still performing Act I. I'm not sure what Act II holds in store on when it will get here, but I'm looking forward to it.
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Maintenant à son 23 ans! Bel équilibre entre les fruits séchés de son enfance et le côté noix de Grenoble. Belle longueur en bouche, aucune chaleur perceptible, belle douceur. RQP **** À boire d'ici 2024
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Intimate Dinner Series: Cabernet Sauvignon (G&R's): From 375ml. Lovely bouquet of black fruits and licorice, with a subtle chocolate-covered-cherry thing going on in the background. Medium tannins with dark fruit dominant on the palate. No hard edges or alcohol that stands out. Lengthy finish. Terrific.
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Inky dark in color, but minimally viscous in texture. Not as sweet as Grahams. Lots of fruit, balanced tannins. Beautiful wine. Drinking well now, although some oenophiles I shared this bottle with felt it was still a bit young and would improve further. Definitely should last another decade and probably much more than that.
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Generously fruited and perhaps a touch warm. tasted of raspberry licorice. Not particularly long, nor is is a wine of finesse but it does have some good flavour
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Opened to pair with a to-die-for dark chocolate and salted caramel cake. Decanted for five hours prior to dinner and minor sediment removed. Wasn't sure a '94 would seem as ready as this was. Plummy and rich with heady aromatics of Christmas spices, sandalwood and bergamot.
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I am not a vintage Port connoisseur, but I was surprised by how young, simple and linear this is, after more than 20 years. Hot alcohol and cough syrup.
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Very pleasant, rich and not heavy. Not a lot of complexity with good mouthfeel. Balance between sweetness and acidity -- not too sweet. Not too hot. Dark fruit. Simpler and not too complex, with interesting mix of flavors.
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Black cherry liquor, anise, dark flavors, moderate length. High alcohol interferes with the medium fruit and complexity. A bit hot without enough fruit to carry it off.
The last bottle, in December, benefited from an overnight decant. Much smoother, deeper the next day.
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Not as rich, sweet or deep as I expected. Delicious, but not exactly my favorite style. Certainly can last, but I prefer a more nutty and aromatic style.
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Rather young. Driven by rich fruit at the moment. No fig and caramel yet. Lots of plush jam and fresh fruit. Not a great deal of complexity at present, but at over 22 years old I wonder whether there ever really will be. Delicious but perhaps less than expected.
Pale garnet that lightens considerably at rim. Creamy fruit, anise and blood orange meld beautifully into a classic and exciting wine. There certainly Dow's sternness on the palate but there is much gorgeous fruit that one can't help to think of this as a yin / yang wine. Fantastic. Lots of tannin suggests a long life ahead. Has come a long way since the last bottle. Not nearly as much tobacco but you really do get the layers of tension. A great bottle of port for Santa. (96)
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Bu au réveillon du jour de l'an...ouvert en PM et mis en carafe...beaucoup de dépot et bouchon désintégré avec le bilame...donc filtré en le mettant en carafe! Mis quelques onces dans la sauce et dans la farce(veau, pancetta, poires et canneberges) de l'escaloppe de dindon au prosciiutto et sauge. Nez fragrant dur les raisins de corinthe, les dattes, la mélasse et les herbes. En bouche, très suave et savoureux, les dattes reviennent avec des prunes, du tabac, de la muscade et des herbes. Extrémement long et persistant. Excellent.
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Last bottle we tasted was about a year ago. This is just a crazy good wine. It is so silky smooth and balanced. There is a slight bit of heat on the finish but you really would have no way of knowing this tips the scales at closer to 20%. This bottle had a tinge of funk on the otherwise big nose with blueberry, plum and cassis. Palate was pure silk. Herbs, spice, blueberry, chocolate, orange rind. Really wonderful. This is the type of Port that makes you rethink when is the right time to open a bottle - this is easy accessible and versatile.
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deep color in glass. nose had some funky dotes, but showed youthful dark fruit with some herbal notes. palate is well balanced, with fresh and dried black fruit, blueberry, and a long, delicious finish.
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Very glad that to say much better than previous one. Great vintage port nose, alcohol present but well balanced. Fruit well integrated but I think it may well last and turn into that lovely Madeira like richness that the truly great vintage ports do. Long long rich wine
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A little hot on the nose, good fruit, obviously well built, long finish, but... this was just so magnificent at release. Judging by this bottle, this is not at a great stage right now, the fruit isn't nearly what it was, and the secondaries aren't peeking out yet. I doubt I'll look at another bottle for another 10-15 years, if I live that long. It'll get better, and built for the LONG haul.
Initially decanted for about eight hours, then finished most with friends. Had the last glass four days later.
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Well-balanced, rich and decadent, showing well at this age. Right out of the bottle this was a little muddled, thin and overly sweet, but by the end it was thick, unctious and well-integrated. Had at Thanksgiving.
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1994 Vintage Port Horizontal (Trific): Cherry red. In the nose, it's clear and airy, but with a firm core. Raspberry, black cherry, slight floral notes. In the mouth, this is quite sweet with notes of Marzipan, brittle tannins, not much acidity. Great length with raspberry candy notes in the finish.
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Different to my last time... this had been open a day at least. So concentrated and full... come back in 5 years...impenetrable but incredible potential
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Bu au 50ième de Guy...WOW, tout un porto...mieux que mes autres bouteilles. Similaires aux autres notes mais encore plus complexe et long en bouche...vraiment belle cette bouteille. GRAND VIN!
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Game of Thrones Finale (Roger's place, San Francisco CA): From a 375. Open for a few weeks by the time I tried this. Aromatic integrated nose with red fruits, slight plum, slight heat; palate is rich, full bodied, high alcohol but it holds it well, plummy fruit; medium finish. Good, but not a stand-out at this point, though it is still primary and very youthful. 91 for now with the caveat that the bottle has been open for weeks already.
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This was incredibly smooth, integrated alcohol didn't seem like a port at all, but a lovely red wine. Violets, purple flowers, a hint of anise, dusty herbs, and incredible silky mouthfeel with silky tannins made this a highlight tonight. B&J's
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Bu le weekend dernier. Encore une fois superbe porto bien équilibré, ample et franc de goût, excellent! Un beau nez suave sur les fleurs, les épices, le chocolates, les prunes et le tabac. Bouche grasse et massive, beaucoup de fruits, des prunaux, des dattes, des figues des raisins de corinthe et de la réglisse. Hyper complexe, de beaux tannins amples, sucré mais pas trop. Finale interminable et persistence incroyable avec encore une légère impression de chauffe. Grandiose et pour longtemps.
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• decanted and had first taste at that time • pleasant on the nose • very sweet - too sweet, almost like a dessert in itself • raspberry is the strongest, most predominant flavor • good - nice • double-decanted after 5 hours, and corked • the sweetness seems to have mellowed, making it nicer to enjoy • some king of “effervescence” seems to have developed - not fizzy, but of some acidic nature, which seems to affect the first inch or so of my tongue. • there is a gained mellowness in the overall impression, pointing towards a more balanced wine • tasted after 24 hours from double-decanting and corking • less sweet - the quality of the sweetness seems to be less “harsh” • a lot more mellow overall • no “effervescent” sensation on tongue • no acidic sensation on tongue • tasted after 48 hours from double-decanting and corking • the finish seems to be more on the bitter side(?) Had some cheap red wine an hour before (did that alter taste buds? Had some Stilton before tasting the Port. • the sweetness is still mellow, like at 24 hours • not acidic, nothing of the “effervesce” mentioned above • nice - just not sure about that bitter short finish • NOTE - have been tasting daily, for test purposes, but under normal circumstances, would not have it every day. Too deserty, too full bodied, too much of an impression, as lovely as it may be. • tasted after 3 days from double-decanting and corking • possibly my favorite tasting • the sweetness has mellowed out incredibly - no comparison with “at opening”, or after the 5 hour decanting • the balance has improved tremendously • the bitter aftertaste from yesterday was not present, however, • there was a gentle bitter finish to it, for a short time, but a pleasant one, not like at 48 hours • today, the wine is more approachable - one could drink a bit more - due to less sweetness and a mellow bitter, which brings it into a beautiful balance • Tasted after 4 days from double-decanting and corking • just like day 3. Lovely! • the sweetness subsided • perhaps alcohol increased a bit? (not sure - did not eat) • all around mellow, sweet, fruity • does not take much to satisfy senses • I shall stop here, unless detecting changes over the next few days (still have about 2 days’ worth left) • Tasted on day 11 after double-decanting. • to me, still niece • very mellow • more flavors detectable • there is a gentle hint of cherry pits (slightly on the bitter side, but nice) • although day 11, to me - nothing off • had last about 6 weeks after opening • magnificent! • PERSONAL NOTE • It’s more like a liqueur, due to sweetness, body, fullness • paired beautifully with Stilton • very raspberryish, berryish • very sweet at opening • sweetness mellowed out after one hour of decanting • also, gained a bit of acidity after one hour, to me, almost an effervescent quality on the tip of tongue, but without bubbles. It did not last long.
Dark cherry and fig. Amazing depth and complexity. Although quite young for a port, the fruit and tannins are definitely becoming integrated and this wine is approachable now but will only get better over the years.
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Decanted about 3 hours. Deep, virtually opaque ruby-garnet color with tinges of purple. The nose was much more subdued tonight than in the past, with the usual, in my experience, aromas of figs, graphite, plums, and hot iron coming through with swirling. On the palate the wine still tastes quite young, though no longer grape-y, is beautifully balanced and long, and hides its alcohol nicely. A delicious and elegant, if still very young, Dow. Drunk from 375 ml bottle stored in my cellar since release.
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24 hour decant. Dark cherry, flowers, cassis, and the breath-stealing warmth of a blazing fire; creme de menthe; sharp bark and ink; dried peppermint, szechuan at the back of the tongue, mocha, butterscotch creme.
7 days in the decanter: still exciting but beautifully softened in texture and most of the edges have been shaved off the flavors too. The nose, while a tad oxidized now also hints of new books and rolled tobacco. This is in an ideal place now for a cigar.
Wines on a Snowbound Saturday Night (Our House (2033 Brandywine St.): My first bottle of the case and a half we've accumulated over the years. The nose is amazing here. Plum, cassis, mint, thyme, cedar, loads of pepper, clove, spice, anise, citrus zest. It just keeps coming at you the more you swirl the glass. It will be fascinating to see how the nose develops over the years. The palate is so incredibly primary still 20 years after bottling. Dominated by chocolate cover cherry and well balanced sweetness. Nice blue fruit. This easily has 30-50 years ahead of it. 94 is a classic year in Port and this is one of my first tastes from this vintage. Just a remarkable wine. Hopefully they all bring this kind of complexity.
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Superbe en ce moment et bon encore pour des décennies. 1994 étant un très grand millésime déclaré, ça aide et ça parait. Un nez juvénile, sur les prunes et la menthe, c'est massif mais assez frais tout de même. En bouche, la magie opère encore une fois, que c'est bon! Ample et large mais assez bien équilibré avec une belle fraicheur, le sucre est assez bien dosé et on goute des mures et du cassis avec un peu de dattes et de chocolat. Les tanins sont assez fins et la longueur interminable. Un superbe Porto raffiné et complexe...pour moi,tellement plus intéressant que ceux qui ont une masse d'alcool et de tannins, style Smith Woodhouse par example!
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Powerful nose of blackberry, booze, chocolate, and black fruits. Huge mouthful of blackberry, black fruits, and blue fruits that shows incredible vibrancy. Big finish of tannins, sweet fruit, and deep dark secrets.
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Very satisfying - good depth of flavor (prune, blackberry, dark fig, caramel), baking spice notes and with a very fine, persistent finish. I also picked up the coffee notes described by TexasBob.
Balanced - the intensity of flavor is somewhat surprising given the medium-weight body. If there is a nit, it is that it is slightly rough and warm on the finish. However, consistent with a few other CT notes, this improved by Day 3, especially on the finish.
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Vraiment un porto très sec.Pas habitué ici d'en boire d'aussi sec.Il parait tellement pas son âge !! D'une jeunesse insolente !! Bien boisé et chocolaté quand même.Réglisse noire et fruits noirs aussi. Va tougher tellement longtemps.Je vais crever bien avant lui. Le salaud. Mal de bloc ce matin mais avec 3 advils et un petit jogging sur le bord de l'eau (Notre-Dame quand même, faut pas virer fou!) Tout va bien :) 17.5/20 +
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Black as night and has lost nothing in color. Sweet coffee and blueberry juice on the nose. Intense blueberries with distant coffee. Very sweet with lead pencil shavings and a wonderful tannic backbone. The sweet blueberry and coffee and strong spicy cedar lasts forever in the finish.
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Ap: Brick red with a good potion of sediment Ar: prunes, sweet cherries, figs, raisins. Basically dried fruits and berries. Initially a touch of cress that disappeared quickly. Very good intensity. Full bodied, structured and balanced. Clean palate. Very good length
50+4+13+18+9
Semi-mature vintage port. I guess, many years left.
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Nez sur l’anis, légère torréfaction (chocolat noir) et douce pointe de sucre. Bouche sur la réglisse noire, c’est bien sec et le fruit confit est très présent (prune). Le côté sec lui confère une signature bien particulière à laquelle je suis peu habitué avec les portos, toute une surprise!
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Un beau Porto pour célébrer une réunion avec des potes qu`on avait pas vu depuis 40 ans dans certains cas. EN bouche, c`est puissant et massif mais sans excès, cerise au Kirsh et chocolat noir...c`est infiniment long…WOW, du bonbon sophistiqué!
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deep rich plums and raisin bordering on syrupy, savory and complex, much better on day 2 and even more on day 3- give it a 10+ hour decant at least- needs it at last for the alcohol to blow off. 92 points- delicious and hard to Put down but didn't blown me away.
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Weekend in CT: drank over 2 days. Needs time - best sip was the last sip of the second night. one the first day the alc showed and there was a hint of amarone but by the second night this was true port with ripe black plum dominating, sweet smoky vanilla-bean notes, mid is ripe but a good balance of sweet and savory notes. looooong sweet plum and chocolate finish. delicious and young !
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Pop and pour... très beau bouchon, un peu racorni côté col. Nez de cerise à l'eau de vie, fort en bouche sans excès, un tout petit peu d'alcool. Au bout d'une heure, nez profond de pruneaux Une heure de plus, café (et pruneaux) Le lendemain, c'est nettement caramel brûlé - la première fois que je sens une chose pareille ! En bouche, une merveille de puissance, difficile de s'arrêter... un très grand plaisir ! Je le trouve meilleur avec du chocolat noir ou une ganache qu'un Taylor : moins doux, plus massif. Plus ouvert le surlendemain, sans différence marquée. Au delà, stabilité : il ne devrait donc plus beaucoup s'améliorer ; on retrouve en bouche la cerise à l'eau-de-vie qu'on avait au nez au départ.
A mon sens, l'apogée de ce porto se situe actuellement entre 24 et 36 heures après ouverture (bouteille de 75 cl, sans décantation). On peut certainement l'attendre dix ans sans crainte.
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Nose of black fruits with volatility and hints of rubber and baking spice. Black plum and other baked black fruit flavors with figs and lots of complexity. It's thick and powerful but is somewhat hidden in its darkness and massiveness. The tannins are not hard but are still massive with blackberry layers that linger for over a minute. 96 points and we didn't even let it breathe.
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Nose of raisins, sweet candied fruit, a little spice. Very nice. Palate is full, sweet, rich and showing well integrated fruit flavors. Not much secondary flavors yet. Long rich finish. No heat. I love a good port and this is a great vintage port that was well aged. Would buy again.
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Just the slightest hint of bricking at the rim - slightly muted nose. Expansive on the palate - not very dense, but lovely floral notes, just a touch of fig but mainly fresh dark fruits - best after six hours of decant.
Edit: Day 2 and the Dow has really opened up, it is fully balanced with wonderful floral notes - not at all spiritous, with very smooth tannins - really good.
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Decanted 6 hours, had a glass, then back in the bottle for two days before this tasting. A classy, floral, black-cherry nose heralds a fiery blue- and black-berry attack that pinches the tip of the tongue and holds it tight while all sorts of complex forces from sticks to iodine, to raisins and heavy metals, paint the entire mouth. Had me believing I have tastebuds on the roof of my mouth--seriously, close your eyes and try it! Long long finish. Still very young. 94+
9-day update with 1/3 remaining in bottle, corked but otherwise not preserved. Still improving! Less intense but much more approachable now.
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Still youthful, but drinking beautifully now. Deep, rich vintage port complexity, with just the right degree of sweetness, perfectly balanced with pleasant candied orange notes emerging in the finish. Should continue to evolve favorably for at least 15 or 20 years.
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A great way to finish off a fantastic night of drinking. Just starting to show a little bricking on the rim. Notes of fig. prune and some brown sugar with a hint of cedar. Not overwhelming but truly well balanced, this was succulent but not juicy. A little dusty in the mid pallet but very complimentary. In a perfect drinking window.
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This was quite special. Very subtle and light on it's feet, and astonishingly quaffable, yet complex, floral and delicate. Recommend a balloon type glass. There are no flaws; however if you are one of those new world wine drinkers that likes to be blown away by huge flavors, this isn't for you. It is hard to identify a single outstanding characteristic that would deserve a higher score.
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This wine was superb upon release, went through a closed period, and is now showing beautifully. This bottle was as near perfection as I can imagine in a wine. Looking forward to it's continued evolution.
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Lovely port and drinking so well. Plenty of backbone, opening up beautifully to a broad and deep range of flavors from toffee, chocolate, not overly sweet - which was great. One can't ask for much more than this. 97+
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Classic vintage Port w/ all of the characteristics you'd expect. Perfect color, rich/fruity nose, leading to an elegant finish. Drank w/ sea-salted dark chocolate.
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4th of July Weekend Wines - Lots of 'em; 7/3/2014-7/7/2014 (Northeast Ohio): Slow oxed for 6 hours and decanted for a few more. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is nice with milk chocolate covered raisins. A bit of alcohol at first, but that blew off. Nice full texture. Some heat on the palate, but I adjusted. I would have preferred a bit more sweetness. It has a nice complexity to it and worked very well with Mike's Chocolate Chip cookies by the fire. Not top echelon, but still outstanding.
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On the list at Ser and I couldn't resist. Popped and poured. Nose started out a little closed but opened nicely to stewed plum, warm compote, melted dark chocolate. On the palate this is smooth as silk, dark, tannic, still youthful and powerful. Long lingering finish that doesn't quit. It stays like a lingering memory of warm comfort. Glad I didn't resist the call. Will wait to open my 2 bottles for quite a while.
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This is a fantastic young Port. Even from a half-bottle, this is incredibly youthful and vigorous. Intense, mouthfilling blackberries. Great acids. This wine vibrates. Plenty of sweetness, though it is (typical for Dow) on the dryer side of VPs. Very, very long finish. Gets better in the glass - deserved a long decant, but I did not have time on this night. Next time a minimum 6 hour decant. If you have these, they will last and improve for many decades.
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Dark intense purple ruby color, Nose was highly complex the likes of last temperance bar in Britain. A whole lot was going on here crème soda, sarsaparilla, Turkish fig, anise, Dr Pepper, plums, and cherries. Palate offered much of the same with some earthy notes to add. Rich, full-bodied and finely balanced. This wine was Christmas in a glass. Still relatively youthful and has the structure to last 40 or more years. Drank over three nights.
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PHMG WAG: Port(ugal) Tasting (The Lyon Lodge): Oh yeah! here's the college kid who's maturing nicely. The open nose is wonderful. The fruit is still a bit jammy, yet it's so smooth and complex, it pulls you back to the glass. Great with the Stilton and the Rogue Creamery Crater Lake Blue, and the next day.... My WOTN, 95+.
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Very young, very detailed and very good. It has shed all of its younger liqiorice and tobacco notes and is getting into some deeper notes, but still too young to appreciate fully. Deep fruit and medium sweetness on the palate. Well integrated acidity. Alcohol completely hidden though the layers of fruit.
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Massive wine. Very aromatic on the nose. Very deep and dense with powerful blackfruit flavors, especially black raspberry, plum and blackberry. Adds in raisins and figs on the finish along with chocolate. Only beginning to open up and show its full range of flavor complexity. Very smooth into the long finish and unsurprisingly, still has a lot of structure. Very drinkable now, but will get better in the coming years and it rounds out and integrates further. Drank over five nights and I thought it showed best on nights 2 and 3 and still excellent on fourth night.
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Embarrassed to say that we popped and poured 1 month + ago. Clear infanticide. Core of fruit wound tight and a little disjointed from the alcohol.
Left half the bottle to sit until last night and, wow. Fruit has opened up to a marvelously elegant and still fairly primary mid palate that is attenuated, not unpleasantly, by the alcohol. Will do everything in my power to lay off of the next bottle for ten years or decant it for a week if I'm unable.
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OK, stick with me here, because I'm about to break out some terms that will certainly mark me as a wine douche...
The attack on this bottle is not shy; right up front I got that sweet dark, red fruit you'd expect, and on the finish, there's that brandy with which port is fortified, so full of alcohol and oak, and caramel as it is. If I were a St. Bernard, I would happily wear a small cask of this around my neck while rescuing you from an avalanche, dear reader.
But what I like about this wine is the middle. You know the good part. Whereas so many wines show hollow, this was like swallowing a round ball of blackberries, dates, and figs. Really, I'm not making this up. This is an excellent bottle of wine. My friend thought it finished a little hot, and I wanted to punch him right in his mouth, because I thought it finished excellently.
I announced that we should be eating blue cheese with this, and my friend's wife produced a large wedge of stilton, then added, "I think we should be eating figs with this."
And so, we ate them both, and drank the bottle while ringing in the New Year (2014). I'm rating this a 93, which is lower than where it will be years from now after growing in complexity. It's so youthful, after 20 years, that it felt like infanticide. Hold on to your bottle for another 20 years, and you might even feel the same. It's gonna last a while is what I'm trying to say.
My New Year's resolution? It's the same as it is every year. I resolve to live more like a woman, because that's the best way I can imagine being a better man.
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Cork completely cemented to neck of bottle, so came out, center first with the worm, and then bit by bit with swearing. Filter-funneled into decanter. Moderate amount of fine sediment left in bottle. Dark red color, nearly opaque, but with some signs of transparency coming in. Aromas are of fig, sweet raisin, plum, cranberry, and cherry. Palate has medicinal cherry cough drop note initially with some sweet fig and dried cherry notes that migrate to blueberry and licorice with a sweet, long finish. This is still young, but totally enjoyable with a bit of decanting. The medicinal note did dissipate on day two and this was at peak for my tastes toward the end of the decanter on day three. Drink with decanting (12-24 hours?) or hold.
Oh what a nose! Deep dark cherries and chocolate with kirsch and a hint of vanilla. Man oh man! Nice medium bodied fruit with soft layers of rich chocolate and berries. Damn good stuff.
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I think it is in a subdued phase and not showing well. seems like just fruit coming through. try again in a year or three... over 5 days of being open, it stayed pretty stable, only the alcohol faded... and the rest became more balanced but little complexity showed through the forward fruit. Still very tasty however.
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First of 7 bottles, 10 hour decant allowed this gem to open up, surely has room to improve over next decade but was outstanding this nite, smoothlong legged, not too sweet, chocolate and raisins prevalent
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Drank exceptionally well with an 8 hour decant. Rich, dark, and palate coating. Have noticed some bottle variation in the 94's. This bottle was the second best bottle we have popped to date. Delicious and a great finish to an evening with friends. I would not hesitate to drink now.
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Thickness of wine. Really nice nose. Raisenets flavor nice chocolate. Hints of peach flavors a bit. So many layers. Even red apple coming through. Very round. Good tannins. Quite delicious.
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Delicious stuff here. Not a big port drinker really so didn't give this a rating, but enjoyed this one quite a bit. Gorgeous nose, tastes of chocolate covered raisins, blackberry jam, and smooth finish that lingers on and on. Very soft and elegant. Hard to imagine port getting much better than this.
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Dark purple. An explosion of fruit. Sweeter than most Dows I have had previously. Very smooth. Still young. Should drink well for decades. This is one terrific Vintage port!
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Dark crimson color with flavors of black cherry and licorice, raisins, and nutmeg. Good depth and weight, very smooth, soft, and not overly sweet. Long finish. Fully mature and drinking very well now. Drank with RRM in Clermont.
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Big surprise for me . Very nice nose with dries fruit , mostly dried plums and spices (especially cloves) . In the palate, very rich and full bodied, tannic , not overly sweet , with good balance between the sweetness , acidity and bitterness, very long aftertaste. Superb.
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Truly astonishing. Decanted 2 hours, and drank through 3 days. I think it was best during 1st hour of decant as it was still closing down somewhat. Very complex and full of fruit, nuts, almond aromas. Strong and uplifting finish.
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Decanted for 12+ hours. Rich, opulent, still very young but very enjoyable. Dark berries, with a hint of earth. Long finish that lingers like a great dream. This will be better in another decade or two, but in a pinch you could do worse now.
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We decanted a couple of bottles about five hours before sharing with friends. They were delicious but the fruit is still formidable. It has softened since our last bottle three years ago but this wine has considerable time to go before its peak.
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Clear deep purple in colour. Clean nose of black cherry and licorice. Full bodied, elegant tannins, nice acidity, big fruit on palate, but not over the top. Lots of black cherry, prunes, and coffee on palate.. Very easy to drink.
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Chateau Lanessan Vertical (55,95,96,00,01,03,05,08): This has lots of pieces parts but was way too young and hot for my tastes. It had been decanted for 6 hours and needed a lot more for me. Nice prunes and plums on the nose. A bit of coffee grounds. Lots of alcohol and heat. I would hold these for a while.
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Dark intense purple ruby color, Nose was highly complex the likes of last temperance bar in Britain. A whole lot was going on here crème soda, sarsaparilla, Turkish fig, anise, Dr Pepper, plums, and cherries. Palate offered much of the same with some earthy notes to add. Rich, full-bodied and finely balanced. This wine was Christmas in a glass. Still relatively youthful and has the structure to last 40 or more years. Drank over three nights.
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This beauty is just beginning to show its age. Faint brick color around the rim. Incredibly expressive nose of vanilla, raisins, exotic Indian spice, earth, and blackberry. The tannins are silky and well integrated at this point and highlight a luxurious mouth coating palate. Notes of blackberry, heat, cassis, and spice box are framed by a delicious massive acidic backbone. This should cruise for at least another thirty years.
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Just had a small glass of this at a restaurant with some cheese, but wow, this is good stuff. Deep, rich, layered, intense. Great with the cheese, which smoothed out the tannin a touch. Nowhere near peak yet but drinking very well now.
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Enjoyed with the family both before and after Thansgiving dinner. Rich, sweet, raisiny and cherries. The tannins are pretty well integrated at this point, certainly much less harsh than the 2006 Neri Nuova. My 2nd port ever. Excellent but I recall liking the 2003 Fonseca better. I did have a bit of a cold which detracted from my already poor palate.
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Vintage Port Masterclass (Langham Place Hotel, Hong Kong): Lighter in colour than the earlier ports, with a little bricking on the edge. Dow is a slightly drier style than the Graham's. This felt more balanced to me with higher acid - it was more like drinking wine, if you know what I mean. This is probably still somewhat dumb and needed much longer in glass before it would shine. Of course, really it needs another ten years. Still, very enjoyable from a great port vintage.
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Decanted roughly 3 hours and consumed over one hour with fresh pears, apples, stilton and marcona almonds. Virtually black in color with purple highlights. The nose is impeccably balanced (my note says graceful), a combination of graphite, licorice, figs, plums and some smoke. The wine is as beautifully balanced on the palate with deep fruit and coffee offset by very fine, ripe tannins and sweetness. The wine is neither heavy nor alcoholic. It exudes a sense of poise and power. There are no secondary nuances yet but the wine is already a pleasure to drink for it's elegance and sense of proportion. Simply outstanding! Drunk from a 750 ml bottle stored in my cellar since release.
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No color notes since consumed in the evening outside, smelled of dark fruit and cocoa. Tasted like dark cherries, sweet currants, tobacco and cinnamon and other sweet, spicy notes. Lot's of sediment thrown so decant cautiously and/or filter! Seems to have a long life ahead too.
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Jam. Raisins. Delicious already. Vicious grape jam in the finish. Tannins are still a little grippy, but not out of balance with the rest of the effort. I think it's worth cracking at least one now.
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Vin incroyable sur toute la ligne. Grande intensité, matière bien soutenue par une structure et une finale immense. Au même niveau que le 2007 avec plus d'années dans le corps. Quelle complexité!
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Decanted for 12 hours. Just a hint of alcohol that seemed to dissipate with time. A lovely bottle. Rich, concentrated core, some nuttiiness on the finish that added a nice savory element. A very nice vintage port that will reward longer cellaring.
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This is the first time I've attempted to review a port. I know how to make a port in a winery, but I don't know much about evaluating vintage port. What I do know is that this was entirely seductive. It snuck up on us. It was not particularly powerful. It was not all that dark in color. Most of what I got on the nose was alcohol. But on the lips and palate, was sheer elegance. The natural body of this product spread the alcohol all the way to the finish. It was fruity, but only to a point, like frosting on a cake. The other flavor components layer upon each other, teasing the palate all the way to the finish, and made you want to take another sip. Did not smell any oak, but there was some vanilla, especially on the finish. Only a hint of tannin. Could get real used to tasting this every day.
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Dow Vintage Port Vertical (Harry's Steak House, NYC): Decanted for twenty four hours. Sweet mouthfull of freshly mashed fruits. Ripe but not pruney in the least. Very rich and satisfying. Superb extract and built for the long haul.
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Decanted for 5hrs. A powerful, unctious concoction of caramel, molasses and orange liqueur that overwhelms the senses. Nice complement to the Amarone that came before.
Update 1wk later: that rarest of finds, a wine of truly breathtaking complexity. Ginger, honey bread, cloves and chocolate on the nose. Layers of dark chocolate and caramel on the mouth. Superb.
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Dark, grainy crimson color. Palate is rich and dense with whopping alcohol levels peaking at the mid palate that doesn't go over the top. Thick, creamy, grainy texture that just sets itself above the rest. Flavors of sweetened dark cherries, raisins, nutmeg, chocolate, kirsch and a hint of spice on the long, long finish. This has such terrific structure that it can just go on and on. Great stuff! Drink now until 2030.
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Decanted for 5 hours. Amazing. The blueberry was explosive. The chalkiness blended well with the juiciness and luscious flavors. Best desert wine I have had in a long time. Wow!
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Rich and velvety, not overly fruity, but hasn't developed the dried fruit and flower flavors of a really old port. Right in the middle, great complexity and layers.
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Wednesday Night Club - December 2010 (Peter Pratt's Inn): A real treat, this was a fantastic bottle, just chock full of ever evolving scents and tastes. A bit hard to describe the flavors as my palate was beginning to fade a bit, but really delicious. I think I had three small glasses of this and was very pleased with it.
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Opened the bottle the night before with a small pour off the top. Decanted the bottle in the morning and started in on the first glass 12hrs later. Even after the decanting it was still tight and didn't offer as much as I anticipated on the nose; however, maple syrup and sweet cherries came through. It still comes across youthful on the palate with a nutty, maple syrup and black fruit profile.
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Working off the half bottle opened the previous night. Chocolate tones dominate, with underlying red fruit. Velvety texture; good fruit across the midpalate & through the finish.
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From a 375ml, decanted 4 hours. Dark ruby color. Aromas of cassis, blackberry, clove, cinnamon and hints of chocolate. Gorgeous red berry- currants, raspberry; dark fruit and floral tones on the palate. Long finish.
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I would have given on 90 on day 1 - tight w/ potential - but opened up to 94pts on day 2 and beyond. Great balance. Good now w/ decanting, but will last a long time.
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Absolutely terrific and drinking very well. Nutty, fruity nose that shows a touch of melon with its black walnut aromas. The palate is concentrated and profound, without being heavy and cloying, allowing the bright fruit and rich nuttiness to take control. Excellent representation of a great vintage. A
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La Mission Haut Brion plus white Burgs and Port: Decanting probably helped this and in fact, it could have used more air IMO. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is tight, dusty with raspberries and dark chocolate. This is fuller, bigger and has some heat on the finish. Much darker in color.
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This wine was showing extremely young. Massive blackberries, and candied plum, smoke on the nose. On the palate there was more Chambord, caramel, fig, and smoke going on. The finish was quite long, but this definitely needs a decade or 3 to really show its stuff.
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Wine-Soaked Weekend at Baker's Mill (Baker's Mill - Appomattox, VA): i was really surprised by how young this wine still was. it's nowhere near it's prime. but, nevertheless, i rated it a 92 because i loved it and just know it's going to be spectacular in another decade. it's got a lot of plum skins, smoke, cherry licquer and fig paste on the nose. the palate is rich, but not cloying or hot. just filled with caramel-covered cherries, smoke and a bit of charcoal. love the boldness of this wine, but would love to wait for the subtleties to come out with time.
Decanted for 45 mins prior to drinking. This is in great condition and while beginning to soften, still has many years to go. Drink next bottle in 2-4 years.
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cork disintegrated when opening. Filtered and decanted about 2 hours. Could have used more decanting time. There was a little heat left over, but seemed as if it would lessen over time. Will let my other bottles sleep a bit.
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We opened two bottles five hours before they were to be served. Both corks disintegrated but the fragments were easily removed via decanting/filtering. Fabulous ripe candied fruit nose immediately open opening. Juicy legs down the side of the glass. Massively rich fruit flavors. This is a very big wine at this point although as smooth as a fine liqueur. The tannins are reasonably balanced. There is a little heat on the first swallow... After five hours and a nice meal, it has mellowed. The fruit is still very rich but the heat has dissipated a good deal. Everyone loved it although it is still clearly in its adolescence. This wine is in the early portion of a long road to somewhere very special.
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Dark slightly hazy red. The nose was a bit muted at first then showed vanill, and spicey red fruit. Really nice plum and spice flavours. Not over the top sweetness. Perfectly balanced but tannice finish. This half bottle was oredered off the list by a friend after most of the lunch participants had left. I think it was bought to treat Bill who was very generous with his 82s. Problem is he slipped away back to work before the wine showed up. A nice treat. Popped and poured.
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Very aromatic with dark fruit, anise, a drawer full of spices, and some cured tobacco notes. Hot in the mouth at first but that gave way to dark rich flavors following from the nose. The finish was long and tannic. Too young yet?
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(opened 6 hours prior) Deep garnet. Austere (for port) black fruit, spice, vanilla, tobacco and licorice nose. Linear / piercing. Wood dust. Tightly wound, there are layers of flavor that emerge with time in the glass. Not showing its true potential. Not a wine that strays from its powerful path – direct. Dried tobacco finish. Should be better with a few more years under its skin. (92+)
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Enjoyed with friends over a 'food-fest' of a weekend. 3 hours decanter time - Impressive balance with semi tart raisins, grape, and plumy fruit. Holdover lasted very well into second day.
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This wine was dark, massive, and very, very primary. Intense fruit cake on the nose, with layers and layers of material underneath just waiting to blossom. The palate was large-scaled, dense, and fairly tannic; dark plummy fruit which seemed almost completely unevolved. It was a crime opening this now, but I wanted to gauge its progress. (I should note that although the bottle was opened an hour before consuming, and a small amount poured to provide some head space, there was no decanter available -- so keep that in mind) Anyone who is thinking of popping a bottle should not do so unless they have multiple bottles. DO NOT TOUCH ANOTHER BOTTLE FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS.
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(Decanted for 2.5 hours) Pitch Dark in color, Aromas of Raisins, Plums, Blackberry, which continue on to completely lay a heavy coat on your pallet. The finish is of sweet dark fruits and very long lasting. ( Best from 2009 - 2040) - JD97
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Almost black in the glass. Decanted only 90 minutes so bear with me. Ripe raspberry and vanilla with sweet cane sugar and delicious plum in the background. This port deserves more time in the decanter and a fair pairing of dark chocolate cake to make a more fair determination of what it is worth. I am very excited about drinking this over the next 20 years. The finish went on and on and on..........
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Tasted at Grand Tour Las Vegas. Lots of powerful fruit and tannin. Tons of dried fruit mainly prune and raspberry. Heavy notes of coffee and chocolate throughout. Though the alcohol seems to be overly noticeable even for a port. Not as refined as you would think for a 1994. Still needs 10-15 years before its truly ready to drink however.
- Tim Schroeder
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Decanted for about 3 hours, then repoured back into original bottle for transport, then another 2 hours in decanter. This is a great port, and an awesome qpr given availabilty/pricing in secondary market. Doing very well, with tart raisens, lots of grape, and layer upon layer of smooth fruits. Flavors carry on for well over a minute. A bit that was saved in a .375 for a few days later retained many of the original characteristics, but had a much stronger, if brief, alcohol burn on the way down the hatch.
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taste: really wonderful and full feel with cranberry, plum, chocolate, and hints of raisins and vanilla
overall: really polished and firm. Amazing structure on this showing that this is still a baby with a lot more development to still happen. A great port
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Christmas Dinner at Characters. Decanted 8 hrs. Deep opaque purple color to the rim. Great nose of spices, prunes, flowers and oak. This was beautiful on the palate, with supreme concentration, but also being very light at the same time. Lots of dark fruits and spice. This is just starting to drink well, and will last a long while.
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At the beginning (after 3 hours of decanting), it was very isolated flavors and heavy. But, after another hour, it started to integrate. The finish actually became wonderful after 5 hours decanting. Needs atleast 5 more years and more decanting. Amazing wine.
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Had anothyer go at a 375ml to check in on. Decanted with a fair amount of sediment and ran through a filter. Not much on the nose at all. waited 4 hours before trying and was still tight (not surprised) but did offer up chocolate and hazel nut. Allowed to sit in the decanter overnight and poured back in the bottle in the morning. At this point the nose is very attractive and will finish later in the day. Withoiut extended decanting this is still 10 years from being near ready for providing pleasure. This has serious backbone but will be glorious when ready.
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At 10 Am i decanted the bottle. Nice red colour upon pouring. Very little sediment again in the bottle. Maybe its too young ? The smell is heavy with lots of fruit,.mostly black fruit like blue-berries, grapes and plums. I also smell something spicey, maybe its the alcohol at this point. Its not disturbing at all because the fruit is overwhelming. Cant wait to try the first sip. Yesterday i bought a nice blue-veined Stilton cheese for this occasion and i am very curious how the cheese will match with the wine.
3 hours after decanting, first glass:
The colour is very dark with some red showing on the side of the glass. The tearing is excellent when i swirl the glass. The smell is a little less dense but i still smell lots of fruit. Again i smell something spicey, but i cant determine what it is. Maybe when i taste it it will reveal itself. The taste is a bit dry, lots of tannins, lots of alcohol and a little acid. The aftertaste is long and spicey but also sweet. I taste lots of red and black fruit. The funny thing is, i started to taste the fruit after i had some of the Stilton. Before that it was not spectacular. Maybe its way too young at this point or maybe its closing again ? Or maybe, and i hope for that, it hasnt decanted enough. Will try again in 3 hours or so.
6 hours after decanting, second glass:
Smell is still excellent, at this point i smell fruit, flowers, raisins and some faint leather. But the main smell is freshly squeezed grape-juice. The taste has improved, maybe its the temperature, this morning the bottle came out of my storage room under the stairs. The temperature there is about 5 degrees lower then my room temperature. It still is very complex, sweet but also lots of tannins and a little acid. I detect some old wood and cigars. The aftertaste goes on forever, after 2 minutes i still taste sweetness. It also burns a little in the back of my throat.
All with all i liked it, but im not too enthousiastic at this stage. Maybe it was a off-bottle, maybe the wine is still way too young or is closing again but at this point i rate it 91-92 With 9 bottles left in my cabinet i try this wine again in 5 years but it could easily be stored for another 15-25 years.
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Dark inky color. The nose had a lot of prune/raisin, dark cherry and chocolate aromas. The palate was just wonderful, and was the most fruit laden Port that I have tasted so far. The fruit leaned toward dark cherry and raspberry with coffee and chocolate nuances. There was still some alcohol coming through on the finish, but it's a Port. This was a lot of fun to drink with friends while it was young.
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Best after around 5 hours of decanting. Heavy sediment upon opening, strong alcohol on nose. At 5 hours decanting, tastes of chocolate and raisins. Young but really delicious now. I look forward to trying this again in 3-5 years. At 25 hours, still very, very good, but has lost some of its complexity.
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Of course, way too young. Dark purple, notes of blueberry and plum on the alcoholic nose. High quality on the tongue, with red fruits, alcohol, some acrid notes. Need to wait 10 years.
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Very rich and complex. Flavors of raisin, prune, currant and leather play across the tongue. The finish is long and needs more time to smooth out, but drinking over a week later (1/2/07) it is still a fantastic polish to a meal.
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Decanted into a wide pitcher 3 hours prior to drinking (consumes from 375 ml bottle). Color was a deep purple-red, as thought it were a barrel sample. The nose was hot (to be expected) but quickly revealed scents of tobacco, violets, ripe grapes and cocoa. Delicious to drink, though very young, the wine gave up tastes of coffee, grapes, figs and currants. The finish lasted longer than I was willing to count (at least 45 seconds). Yes this was too young to drink but is was a pleasure none the less. For my taste this has years of improvement before it peaks but is very compelling now.
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For what little I know about port I'd say that this seems young, has a touch of heat, has great spice and depth and is tremendously rich. To me, less sweet as a typical cheaper port, though I think that is more a function of the sweetness being better balanced by copious fruit, spice, tannin and acid. Yummy. Unfortunately still too sweet and brandy tasting/alcoholic for Michelle.
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Tasted with Paul Symington at the Graham's Port Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Very vinous nose. Dark black fruit nose. Even darker than Graham's. Huge fruit entry. Awesome grip. Really supurb! Long, long finish. Essence of black fruit. Great grip and acid. 97 points.
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Immediately after opening, the nose was a bit hot but after "Audouzing" for about 10 hours and then a double decant, the alcohol was very well integrated. Nicely complex with cinnamon and rich fruit. Full body, rich and round. Long finish. Enjoyable now but will be even better in a decade.
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2001 Cults (Plus some extras) from Delyap & Tommy 'O (Vancouver): (From 375) Surprisingly developed wine in this format. Tastes sort of middle-aged. However, really excellent. Tons of material here. Great fruit and strength of tannins. Gorgeous with blue cheese and pecans.
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Served from half bottle (375). Very dark purple color, slight bricking on the edges. Powerful nose of dark berries - very fruity and very open. On the palate, great fruit (plums, berries, chocolate), very ripe but not too sweet, beautifully balanced by the power. Love the structure and mouth-feel of this wine. Powerful, balanced finish - very long and very tasty. Maybe this is too young to drink, but it was sure pleasurable now.
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4/13/2024 - tomandlu wrote: 96 Points
The cork was dry at the top and fell into the bottle when I tried to remove with an osso. It was clearly sound, though. Decanted the wine and started poured a glass immediately. The nose was soaring, complex, and intense from the first whiff with aromas of mint, eucalyptus, cranberries, tobacco, Asian spices, figs, and hot iron. Wow. I expected a free-for-all on the palate but instead I got a beautifully balanced, even graceful, intense, rich, fruity, and elegant palate impression. Wow, again. The finish was long, at least 45 seconds, with more iron and fruit and just a hint of fine tannin remaining. These impressions staid pretty much unchanged for 2+ hours of drinking. What really struck me in the end, though, was that the alcohol was never a feature. I've had more powerful, more complex, and more intense ports in the past but I've rarely had one that balanced all of those traits so gracefully. Purchased on release and stored in my cellar since.
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4/9/2024 - gmbdds wrote: 93 Points
Opened at Christmas and drank well for a month. I kept a few dregs until now and forgot to take it out of inventory. Notes are largely lost to time but I remember a still quite primary but delicious deep fruit and chocolate wine.
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3/30/2024 - Musigny1955 wrote: 95 Points
Purchased on release in fulls and halves, 750 bottle #6 of 12. No ullage, cork crumbled a bit. Forgot to decant before serving, yet still had super length, complexity, nose, forever finish. Rich yet drier Dow style works very well. This wine has been firing on all cylinders for the last half-decade, halves may be showing a bit more maturity than fulls. Not a drop left after the dinner party! If had decanted would probably been 96 or higher.
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3/24/2024 - jmcelroy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Phenomenal bottle of vintage Port. Delicious 1st day and on 2nd day had really opened beautifully.
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2/23/2024 - 2ndvinwine Likes this wine:
My second half bottle was not nearly as good as the first. I rated the first 100/100. This one had a bit more fire on the pallet from the high alcohol content. Not as smooth as my first bottle. The bottles were purchased from the same case and aged together.
Good, but not exceptional like the first half bottle.
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2/18/2024 - Condrieu82 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow - what a wine. Paired with mature, goat, and blue Dutch cheese at 3* De Librije in Zwolle. Intricate, bright - in a fantastic spot with alcohol and tannins nicely integrated, with smoky and raisiny notes emerging, but with very lively and bright fruit - cherries and raspberries above all. Nose of figs and dates. Fantastic wine in a great - but still relatively young - stage.
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2/2/2024 - Berk_The_Caretaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful. Complex. The house style is evident but it is not overly dry or austere. Christmas cake, red fruits, surprisingly fresh, a very high quality spirit has been used.
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1/21/2024 - roederer Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP
Magnifique bouchon de liège blond, dense, parfaitement homogène, entré à toute force dans le goulot, et à peine taché sur sa face inférieure : aucune coulure. Les Sociando-Mallet devraient en prendre de la graine - certes, il est plus facile de trouver du beau liège au Portugal que dans la forêt landaise, mais le diamètre du bouchon joue un rôle important
Pourpre-brun sombre, opaque, s'éclaircissant et tournant, à l'oxydation, à un brun plutôt clair et légèrement translucide.
Au nez, pruneau, cerise noire et autres fruits noirs, terre... schiste ?
En bouche, attaque très souple avec le doux arôme du Nacional. Un velours... puis un volume massif emplit la bouche, avec des tannins ronds mais bien perceptibles. Aucune lourdeur, du sucre juste ce qu'il faut, et l'alcool ne se sent guère : un très bel équilibre. Bien meilleur en bouche qu'au nez (mais la température de service n'excédait pas 15°).
Le vin évolue avec les heures et donne une finale très longue, violette, violette...
Après deux jours dans le verre (oui oui), équilibre exquis, presque aérien par comparaison, entre corps et une étonnante fraîcheur, avec des parfums variés d'épices inconnues, quelque chose de magique - essayez !
'C'est une expérience passionnante que de remplir de jour en jour un verre après l'autre et de les laisser évoluer l'un à côté de l'autre en goûtant de temps en temps l'ensemble ; on se fait ainsi une sorte de verticale qui illustre la splendeur du porto. Même la teinte évolue de jour en jour.
De ce test je retire l'impression que, sans décantation, ce vin est à son apogée (en termes d'équilibre, non de puissance) vers le troisième jour (J+2) dans un verre, et après plus d'une semaine dans la bouteille ouverte. Mais il ne fait actuellement que 15° chez moi. Il me faudrait beaucoup d'autres bouteilles pour aboutir à des conclusions fermes - avis aux mécènes éventuels...
(I think that to have a chance of being heard I'd better write this in American English)
À boire ou à garder selon l'âge - le vôtre, j'entends.
Ce vin a encore une décennie au moins devant lui, surtout si tous les bouchons sont de cette qualité, mais il est déjà excellent.
Décanter largement, la veille voire l'avant-veille si possible. Mais pour ma part je l'apprécie aussi beaucoup en PnP.
Donc le meilleur conseil serait peut-être de se donner une semaine voire 15 jours pour déguster peu à peu une bouteille comme elle le mérite.
Et si on est pressé, on peut éventuellement décanter les 3/4 de la bouteille seulement et goûter le reste en PnP.
À apprécier seul, je trouve. Je veux dire... en compagnie si l'on peut, mais sans plat ni même carré de chocolat.
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1/7/2024 - 2ndvinwine Likes this wine: 100 Points
Drinkable now, will age well for the next 200 years.
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12/31/2023 - 87tellub Likes this wine: 93 Points
NYE 2023: Initially opened this 2 weeks ago on the 16th of December 2023. The note I'm writing tonight is from the same bottle 2 weeks later on NYE. Not a ton of change in this bottle over that time period, just a bit softer/turned down 2 weeks on.
Color is medium to dark purple. Nose of fig, warm caramel, fresh paint. A lot of concentration here, sweet dark berries, milk chocolate, raisin. Finish lingers there for a long time and gives you layers and layers of good stuff. Little too sweet is the only criticism on N1. N2: more balanced. Tongue coating, not cloying.
Update 2 weeks later: Not much has changed! Nose a bit more subdued but still pretty nice on the palate. Many decades of life left.
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12/30/2023 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear pale garnet with notable sediment; clean medium plus nose of plum cake, baking spices, cocoa and figs; sweet; high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate follows nose; long finish; feels like it’s beginning to decline - drink now; still beautifully balanced and elegant
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12/25/2023 - CHarder Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely bottle of mature port. Retains fruit and freshness. In a great spot and will drink well the next 5-7yrs I think.
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12/24/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fruity and pepper and caramel very well integrated
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12/17/2023 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clear pale ruby; clean medium plus nose of figs, raisins and leather; sweet; high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate follows nose; long finish; drink now or in a few years; throwing massive amounts of sediment; very lean and elegant
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12/11/2023 - Tobinski Likes this wine:
OMG #105 (Ann Arbor, MI): I gave this 3 hours of air, which this beast seemed to scoff at and ask why I bothered. This is very serious and structured for its age. Not tasting all that sweet either. Still fantastic with Stichelton cheese, less successful with dark chocolate.
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12/10/2023 - rocknroller wrote:
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Had a small pour at the holiday party for dessert. This was pretty intense, good...but still firm and aggressive for me.
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12/2/2023 - James Kim Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brought by MK. Lovely aromas of figs and honey, herbs. Palate with figs, tart blackberries, baking spices. Medium tannins. Full body with nice acids. Really nice, elegant balance here. Sweet but not over the top with nice balancing acids. Very enjoyable but prob not at peak yet.
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11/26/2023 - peters5401 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very very nice blends and still fresh and fruity.
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10/24/2023 - rap wrote:
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10/7/2023 - SixHedgehogs Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinks and Cards (London): Black-red, quite evolved aroma of currant, rose and tar. Lovely deep blackberry fruit, treacle, toasted nuts, light caramel, and a good acidic note of apple. Elegant, delicately sweet and spicy. Very fine.
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10/1/2023 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Prune fruit and slightly raisined. Port isn't really my thing but I appreciate trying one occasionally.
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9/30/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened upon arrival (5:30) and consumed at 9:00. (3 !/2 hour slow O for those keeping score!)
I love ports, but one glass is enough! I should bring these to bigger tastings or decant and consume over a few days! This was drinking quite well! Fruit was still present to hide the alcohol, mostly dark and red fruit with a slight prune and Chambord flavor. Also, plenty of mint, tobacco, earth and vanilla notes. Rich and decadent, and in a good place, IMO. I would probably decant rather than slo O for 3-4 hours. Easy 94 for me!
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9/23/2023 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 92 Points
No detailed notes, but it didn't seem as impressive as previous tastings, though this bottle is from a different source.
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7/15/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 98 Points
Brilliant vanilla + dark fruit + anise / mint herbal character to set off the richness. So good and so rich.
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6/10/2023 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
Quinta do Bomfim, Pinhão: More secondary than primary, with some tertiary elements. Dark chocolate (in all forms), carob, baking spices, liqueurs, coniferous forest floor, mushroom, mint, wintergreen, sweet pipe tobacco, and dusty loam.
Compelling poise and smoothness. The wine tastes like it smells. It packs medium plus acid and powdery tannins, which make their bracing presence known at the back and throughout the long finish.
Likely to enter peak form in three to five years. The wine's overall presentation indicates that it has twelve to fifteen years of life ahead. A treat! 95-96.
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5/27/2023 - theportguy wrote: 95 Points
Colorado Memorial Day Tasting; 5/26/2023-5/27/2023 (Longmont, Colorado): Ruby in color. Chocolate and some wonderful dried fruit notes on the nose. Interesting rich profile on the palate with ripe blackberry and blueberry. Great structure and balanced tannins. Good acidity on the finish. The tannins need to settle down a little bit on this wine, but otherwise, this is a fantastic wine.
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5/23/2023 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.
Full bodied with high acidity to balance the sugars.
Sweet on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing blackberries, black currants, cooked raisins, cedar, spices, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, light earth and herbs.
Long finish with cherries.
This is a gorgeous sweet wine from Portugal. Rich with great balance and a soft mouthfeel.
The 1994 vintage was an exceptional vintage, so I was very excited to try it when I saw it on the wine list.
Smells very young, although it smelled a little oxidized right out of the bottle, which went away after 20 minutes of airtime.
Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.
Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Fourme d'Ambert blue cheese. So nicely paired, tasty and decadent.
A great experience to try these kind of wines from special vintages.
20% alcohol by volume.
95 points.
$85.
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5/2/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:
Tasting at Graham’s (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal): Maturing rim. Powerful, backward, almost sweaty nose with a bit of herb. Moderately sweet but dry and stern in comparison to the rest. More concentrated than the Warre, uplifting citrus, long finish. Outstanding potential but needs at least another decade.
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4/19/2023 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Concur with my rating and note from 2020. Not the most complex or exciting mature Port, but enjoyable for its smoothness.
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3/31/2023 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Excellent port that has a long life ahead. Might it be even better a few years down the line?
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2/25/2023 - scottesterly Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanting from 375ml for 5+ hours now. Classic Dow’s…not super sweet and has a nice, dry finish. I love the 94 vintage. This is a good one that’ll probably age for another decade or longer.
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1/21/2023 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous port. This is holding up quite well. Fruit nicely balanced with slightly tannic backbone.
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12/29/2022 - Weinberg Falls wrote: 92 Points
Dark and stormy in the glass. Spirity nose of marmalade, dried fruit and cloves. Absolutely lovely, even delicate palate of raisin, prunes and chocolate with good acidity keeping the sweetness in check. Warm, intoxicating finish of christmas cake soaked in brandy. I really enjoyed this, but it feels like it's right on the cusp of morphing into something absolutely stunning in the next 10 years. Can't wait to see it in it's final, tawny form.
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12/11/2022 - SuperSomm wrote:
Deep ruby colour. Pronounced and developing nose with cassis, red cherry, blackberry, cinnamon, liquorice and black pepper. Pronounced taste of cassis, blackberry, licorice, black pepper, forest floor, tobacco and cinnamon. Long and sweet finish. High acidity. Medium tannins. Full body. A very good and well matured Vintage Port. Drink now or over the next ten years. Goes well with blue cheese or chocolate.
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12/11/2022 - WineGuyX wrote: 91 Points
Library release. "Porty" noses are often difficult to describe. Medium-full bodied, this is certainly not nearly as sweet as Grahams, but packs in flavors of purple childhood cough syrup and spice. Still somewhat tannic, this is structured but not very forthcoming. A nice hint of coffee bean comes out after a bite of 90% chocolate. I wonder if a bottle purchased at release would be better? Youthful, this has years left ahead of it. I'd give it a few years more then drink through age 40+ 91
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11/14/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Stood up and decanted off substantial sediment. Deep ruby, clear; aromatic, blackberry, black fruited, some figs; palate is rich, full bodied, still quite a bit of youthful sweetness, primary black fruited, high alcohol (20%) showing slight sweet heat but not too much, fades a bit through the midpalate; finish is medium length. Just opened, showing a bit simple but balanced for now and this may need some air to open more. 91+ for now.
Decanted 4 hours: Showing a bit more spice, a touch of red fruit on the nose; palate is well integrated, midpalate fleshed out a touch but still relatively straightforward in complexity. Easily has another 2 decades of growth ahead of it as it still seems young.
8 hours: largely unchanged
Day 2: Well balanced, perhaps a bit better integrated, perhaps a tad more complex overall. I think this will develop nicely with another decade of age.
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9/23/2022 - theportguy wrote: 93 Points
2022 Port Harvest Tour; 9/22/2022-10/2/2022 (Porto, Portugal): Exhibiting a dark amber-purple hue with garnet edges, this wine has some spirit on the nose, transitioning into a palate of blueberry, blackberry, light chocolate notes, and a touch of herbs. The very long finish is accompanied by a touch of heat.
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5/24/2022 - Pinotfanbg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with the wine group. From my cellar, pre cellar tracker purchase. Black raspberry, oak spice, spirit and chalk on the nose. Mouth filling yet seemless on the palate with flavors repeating the scents. Finishes long and smooth with a touch of oak, raisin and brandy flavors. Very nice and seemingly mature.
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3/7/2022 - Vince_chip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Maintenant 28 ans!
Superbe, belle profondeur. Encore un peu de fruit, très bon pour terminer le repas.
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1/15/2022 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark red color. Plum and spicy oak Aromatics. Medium to full-bodied bodied, it is soft and ready to drink. Typical Dow’s style, moderately sweet and a bit lighter than your average vintage Port. Delicious now, it may hold a few more years but definitely mature,
Purchased upon release and stored in my cool cellar. Decanted for 4 hours before serving.
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1/6/2022 - Rollerball wrote: 90 Points
Something disjointed about it; corners and even spikes. A little better after the bottle had been open two full weeks. It's delicious stuff, but--at least at this phase in its evolution--doesn't compare to the '07 (Dow) or the '94 Graham's. Don't toudh until at least 2029.
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12/27/2021 - oropeza Likes this wine:
Strawberry, caramel, intensity, length... don't get a chance to taste a lot of port but this was delicious.
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12/26/2021 - tzelmer wrote: 92 Points
This is a very fine maturing port. The balance is fantastic as far as port goes. The fruit is beginning to fade, but the secondary notes are not yet very prominent. This will last many, many years. I would suggest waiting at least another 10 years. Likely 94-95 once fully mature. General opinion here - for my money port just does not reach the same heights of elegance and complexity that a Botrytis-laced sweet wine, such as Sauternes or Riesling regularly shows.
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12/25/2021 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous port with a long life ahead. Amazing retention of fruit at this age.
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12/24/2021 - Justinneal654 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Glorious. Delicious.
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12/24/2021 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dark red color. Super concentrated Port, young. Massive wine in adolescent Stage with 15 to 20 years development ahead. Intensive flavors of dark berries with a delicious sweetness but not simply sweet - complex aromatic profile. One of the best ports I had.
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12/4/2021 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 94 Points
Glass: Zalto Universal
Popped and poured, drank over three days, not decanted. Clear, deep garnet color with orange rim. Only very few and fine sediment. Clean, pronounced and developing nose. Lots of fine red fruit, cinnamon and other spices, espresso powder, dark chocolate, figs. Surprisingly fine and elegant.
Sweet (sic!), lean 20% abv 😊, wonderful high acidity that handles the alcohol quite well. High, velvet tannin, medium+ body, never fat or broad.
On the palate an orgy of red fruit and spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cacao and espresso powder, fresh figs. Very complex. Surprisingly elegant and balanced, cream on the palate, very harmonious. Very long, complex finish that becomes hot if drunk too warm. Almost indestructible, potential for another 5 decades or more. Will certainly still improve but makes fun already. 94+
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11/29/2021 - Pvaddadi Likes this wine: 95 Points
An excellent port from Douro valley. I tasted it after decanting it for an hour. It has excellent structure, good sweetness which is balanced by the grape spirit added to this fortified wine. Overall, very enjoyable with notes of cherries, berries with a few tannings towards the long-lasting ending. I paired it with some chocolate truffles and fresh figs.
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11/14/2021 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 90 Points
A little more boozy than the last bottle. We'll see if it comes together with a few days in the decanter.
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9/23/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Sjaak's 40th birthday dinner (Groot-Ammers, Netherlands): A very good showing tonight, more youthful than my previous bottle. Vibrant and fresh, bright cherry fruit and spices, mild tannins.
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7/23/2021 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points
Prior bottle was 20 months ago (Nov 2019) and my notes were quite consistent. Soft and pretty black and red cherry notes as well as a raisin quality on the nose. Full bodied with red and black cherry upfront, moving to massive deep, dark black cherry, black raspberry and plum through the mid-body. Mid-body has immense depth, but still feels quite accessible due to the sweet background notes and the excellent tannin, acidity and spice notes on the backside. As much richness, fruit and density as the mid-body shows, the tannins, acidity and spices keep up neatly and leave the wine feeling quite well balanced. As this wine continues to be available, I'll certainly be purchasing some more as it easily has 15 years still ahead of it (and probably more).
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4/20/2021 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Out of 375. I didn't take any notes, but this was the best bottle so far.
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4/4/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Pristine bottle, purchased at auction in 2003. Last tasted in November 2019, when I opined that it should be followed closely, because the tannic structure was melting away fast. Some 18 months later, there is no abrupt development to report, but this bottle does remind us that 1994 Vintage Port was by and large produced with an emerging US market and its preferences in mind. A quarter of a century later, there are clearly recognisable upsides to that approach. The cherry fruit is succulent and pure, there is lovely balancing acidity, and the wine feels youthfully fresh with lots of spicy, minerally energy. It's completely ready, with only a hint of nuttiness, and just a tad simple. Very nice, but for a traditionalist like me, this is not when the case should be finished, this is when the game begins! Over the next 20-30 years, the tertiary development will take place which will elevate a fine Vintage Port to true greatness. To that heavenly state where the great wines from 1963, 1966 and 1970 are today. Will this wine get there? I am not sure, for a very simple reason. The fruit needs protection from oxidation to go through this very gradual process, and we are faced with a fundamental lack of tannins here. Acidity and alcohol are helpful to protect the wine (the wine is sweet for Dow but not very sweet), but essentially we need firm tannins to oxidise before the fruit does. And they're just not there. I will be old and grey in 30 years' time, but I fear that this may wither before I do. I do hope that I will be around to prove myself wrong though. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying, And this same flower that smiles today, Tomorrow will be dying." (Robert Herrick, 1591-1674).
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3/23/2021 - rwpalmer wrote: 93 Points
Short but clean cork. Plenty of depth to the colour. Nose evolves with plum, prune, orange peel and icing sugar. Concentrated. Sweet for Dow. Maybe just a little soft and short on the finish but still a monumental wine.
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2/28/2021 - AWBryce wrote:
Complex nose, Dark berries, caramel, nuts. Palate is showing it age in a good way, some caramel again, semi grippy tannin, nice fruit, sherry hints, long finish. Very enjoyable
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2/22/2021 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, this young wine is a thing of beauty! It is loaded with dark red fruit, red plum, fat cherries, and plenty of Port spice like peppered spice cake. As Port goes, this one was quite fluid, light bodied for what it is, with a full and rich mouth, and a lovely swallow. Bought this for 66 bucks on release.
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1/28/2021 - MS86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
1994 was called the best vintage since 1927 with a textbook weather pattern and bottles that should not to be opened for 25-30 years. We're now in the heart of that drinking window.
Deep ruby with minimal bricking at the rim.
Nose is austere and slightly oxidized with strawberry, cherry, oak and wood notes.
This port is still tannic with a big body and lots of structure. Viscous, dense and beautifully integrated alcohol.
Rich flavours of strawberry and candied plum.
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11/3/2020 - Vascular46 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank over several nights. Still powerful with excellent fruit. Seems to be entering it's prime drinking interval.
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10/26/2020 - egaible wrote: 89 Points
It's good. But again for a declared year, and a fine year at that, it's underwhelming. Very very slight bricking, a bit oversweet and lacking that clarity that accompanies the finest vintage ports IMHO. Not a lot of nose, but what there was was cassis-ish. Initial taste was rich with cherries.
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10/10/2020 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Une poigne d’acier à l’ouverture, il a un grand besoin de carafe (sans surprise). Profond, droit, l’alcool ressort. On croque le fer!
Le lendemain, plus civilisé, encore puissant, on apprécie davantage la longueur et la profondeur. Reste quand même un brin alcooleux. Revoir idéalement dans 5 ou 10 ans, sinon carafer longuement.
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9/7/2020 - Montesquieu wrote: 93 Points
Probably the fifth or so time I've enjoyed Dow 1994 over the years. This bottle was decanted ahead of time. Flavors were smooth and balanced. Not the most complex Port around, but definitely a nice one.
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9/2/2020 - Trickyone Likes this wine:
Still youthful, sweet. Likely to gain even more complexity, but hard to resist as it currently presents itself.
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8/28/2020 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Premium Tasting at Graham's (Graham's Port Lodge): Very good indeed - balanced, rich, luxurious. My WOTN.
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8/15/2020 - JCGuthrie wrote: 92 Points
Out of 375. I decanted this bottle about 6 hours, and unsurprisingly it showed much better than the last bottle. A little more sweet than I would prefer. Not sure if that's a characteristic of the producer or just something I'm picking up on this vintage. I recall loving an '85 on our trip to Portugal, so maybe the latter.
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8/1/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Overnight in wide bottom decanter, it was open, and just right for this age. Plenty of years ahead of it, but also perfect with enough air and a tangy blue cheese. Ages ahead of it. highly recommended
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7/24/2020 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
We finally had some time to finish the leftovers from last month's tasting, which have since been stored in the fridge. Dark fruit, a bit ripe and bordering on raisiny but not crossing that line. Full-bodied. Nice depth and complexity on the palate. Blue fruit, plum, violet liqueur and chocolate flavors. 93+ pts.
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6/20/2020 - AllRed wrote:
Second Sunday Group: 1994 Ports (Zoom): Double blind. Florals, plum and black fruit notes; a bit ripe and raisiny to start. Ripe plummy fruit on the palate. Opens in the glass adding spice and red fruit qualities. Lingering finish. Somewhat rustic; not as expressive as others in the flight, and shows more ripeness and alcohol.
My #8, Domino's #8
Group #7, 83 pts
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6/13/2020 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Pop n' pour, which is clearly not ideal. Quite reserved. Not especially sweet, but gave the impression of powdered sugar over under-ripe berries. A 1990 Quinta Do Vesuvio showed far better a couple nights later under similar conditions. Not going to score, as I have more and want to give it some air next time.
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3/29/2020 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of black plum and dates. Super rich palate of black fruits, blackberry, chocolate and then a dried herbal note. Super smooth finish with pomegranate syrup, herbal notes, and pepper with long leathery tannins.
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2/28/2020 - khmark7 wrote: 93 Points
Wow.....really complex on the finish with a blast of dark chocolate and a lingering sweetness.
Aromatically this opens with a little time in the glass (i prefer to use Sauvignon Blanc stems)
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2/16/2020 - sethebarlow Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really flawless at this point. Easily has some years left, but drinking fabulously now. Red fruits, cocoa dust, lovely oxidation.
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2/7/2020 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 3 hours until the spirit abated, had with apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream. I don't really enjoy port and brought it thinking I'd leave the remainder with staff but I ended up drinking most of it. Blue/purple plum type fruit, really fresh and cooling even, great match with the spiced apple and vanilla. No prune/fig/christmas pudding/cooked fruit type bullshit going on.
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1/25/2020 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Carafé six bonnes heures. Un vin droit qui fascine par sa jeunesse, sa fraicheur, avec une longue finale harmonieuse. Il parait en fait encore très jeune et n'a pas développé encore une grande complexité aromatique, ce qui n'empêche qu'il donne beaucoup de plaisir en l'état, avec cette structure et ce côté minéral évoquant presque bordeaux. Très bon et deviendra meilleur encore. 93+ pts
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1/25/2020 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 94 Points
I am always impressed by how Vintage Port tastes after close to 25 years of ageing. There is so much freshness to this along with the classic black fruit, cassis, chocolate, smoke, liquorice, dense palate the structure is amazing along with a fine finish. Everything is coming together yet I know this can still keep going another 20 years without a sweat. Wow!
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1/17/2020 - djarcara wrote: 90 Points
Still surprisingly tannic. Almost primary in its development. On the dry side for port. Rustic. Laid back. Restrained dark fruit. A bit of Christmas spice. Has another 15+ years.
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1/16/2020 - maxima wrote: flawed
Oxydée/réduction.
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1/14/2020 - gwkozar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and filtered, put back in bottle 10 hours early. fresh, balanced, spice, raisin. I expected a lot, and although excellent, it fell short a bit. Served with fruit, but deserved a matched dessert.
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1/5/2020 - Boom Baby! wrote: 100 Points
I opened this wine last night, decanted for 2 hrs. I must say it's the best port I've ever tasted. If you can find this wine don't hesitate to buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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12/23/2019 - Alykhan V Likes this wine: 92 Points
Although it’s drinking fine now, it’s still very youthful. It needs at least another 5 years before tertiary notes become more prominent.
Black fruit aromas, some raisins, cloves, and prunes.
Tannins are balanced.
It was less complex than I’d hoped.
I don’t intend to open another bottle for 7 years to see how it develops further.
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12/14/2019 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Double decanted and left the dwindling bottle open, no cork, for two weeks. At 8 days it had fully softened and very minty with black pepper, chocolate sauce, grape jelly, and clove. The pinched and squeezed top gave way to a long, gentle, rocky-road finish. Better with dessert than on its own.
Update two weeks open no cork. This relaxes and gets better every day. Increasing “with dessert” score from. 92 to 94.
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12/14/2019 - JBNH Likes this wine:
This port is still youthful and delicious! No score because it remains at the same level of my past score range of 95-98. Plus, no specific notes because I completely agree with RGCM Gananda’s review in November, 2019, so look to that one for excellent tasting notes.
Very highly recommended if you can get your hands on a well kept bottle. I’ve had mine since release at 55-56 degrees. Storage conditions will, obviously, impact the evolution of this wine.
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12/9/2019 - tomandlu wrote: 90 Points
No detailed notes. Recall its having a clear ruby-garnet color with no purple remaining. The nose was complex but light, with aromas of figs, spices, and plums. On the palate the wine was very silky and, as another reviewer noted, no sign of heat. The finish of coffee and tar lasted at least 30 seconds. All in all I remember thinking it a delicious port somewhat lacking in complexity and depth given the vintage. Drank from 375 ml bottle stored in my cellar since release.
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11/23/2019 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 94 Points
Prior bottle was almost 6 years ago (February 214) and the wine has improved markedly in that time. Lots of very aromatic spices on the nose, along with a mix of red and black fruit, trending more towards the red end and even some dried raisin. Full bodied with balance that has improved significantly with time. Continues to show black cherry, black raspberry and plum and the concentration is still really impressive. But it has rounded out quite a bit through the middle, making the fruit feel more accessible. Red fruits notes (especially red berries) are starting to creep in as well, bringing additional complexity. Tannins and spice notes on the backside, while still showing significant power, are much more balanced than previously. At 25 years young, this wine is quite enjoyable and should easily have another 15+ years ahead. May open my next bottle as soon as July or November 2020.
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11/17/2019 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: B++/A- Palate: B++ Tasted Blind
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11/7/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Pristine bottle, purchased at auction in 2003. Last tasted in 2014 and 2015, when it was still pretty backward. Development since then has been rapid, and the tannic backbone has melted away pretty quickly. The fruit is pure and ripe and fresh (crushed red berries and cherries), the whole aromatic profile is still quite primary, with floral lift, spicy depth and lots of mint, and intimations of nutty development. Good complexity, delicate sweetness, excellent length. On its plateau, not built for the ages, but should last another 25 years. On the second day, it seems fully mature, with ample black cherries, dark chocolate and warm spices, supple and juicy, with a creamy texture and mild tannins, balanced and attractive but completely ready for business. To follow closely.
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9/29/2019 - spineguy Likes this wine: 94 Points
With desert at Schwa and easily held up to the rich multicourse desert. Similar notes to previous bottle. Very enjoyable. Still a baby. On second night did not change much. Curious to retry in a week.
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8/8/2019 - Song103 wrote: 95 Points
First bottle of a case of 6, impeccably stored. Tried after decanting for 2 hours. The first impression is a knock out punch, with so much intensity, flavour and structure. Tasted over 3 days, and it continually to get better on each successive day. I suspect that the complexity will come with further aging.
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7/28/2019 - Bradlundquist Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful port with a long life ahead of it. structured but mellowed tannins.
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6/30/2019 - John McCabe wrote: 95 Points
Drinking great at this stage of evolution. Still has tannic backbone but opens up nicely. Well balanced.
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6/16/2019 - Lipsman wrote: 93 Points
A nice bottle this time, suppler and smoother. Not as complex as the 1994 Taylor, but plenty of fruit and well made, good balance, quite easy to drink. Softens and mellows with a decant, even into the next day. Recommended.
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3/30/2019 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not surprisingly dryer in style than the Graham‘s 1994 tasted next to it. Pretty massive and structured. Notes of sweet red fruit, also some darker berries, sweet spices, licorice, cinnamon, some cedar wood, also some tobacco, violets and dark minerality. It‘s full-bodied and dense, with medium+ tannin and medium+ acidity providing nice freshness. Very good length. A superb Dow that is just hitting its early drinking window and will probably age nicely for another 20-30 years. Excellent. (94+)
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3/30/2019 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sehr druckvolle, rotbeerige Nase. Gewürze ohne Ende, Bananen, Kardamom. Eine Dampfwalze auch am Gaumen, sehr strukturiert, stark in der Säure, perfekte Balance.
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3/14/2019 - maxima wrote: 89 Points
La moins convainquante jusqu'ici.
Encore un peu trop sucré et pas mal de chauffe.
Un repos lui sera bénifique.
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3/3/2019 - mhudes Likes this wine: 94 Points
At the Wolf in Oakland. 3 hour decant. Dark crimson in color. Sweet compote on the nose. In the mouth, I get cassis, plums, raisins and some figs. A touch of cocoa. VERY youthful, but it's a quarter century old. Excellent vintage port.
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3/1/2019 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Encore assez sucré et compoté, un peu fané en finale.
Moins bien que les autres.
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2/10/2019 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 92 Points
More densely fruited than the Warre's with more upside. Not quite there but not far off. Maybe a couple more years until it is right in the zone? It should have a long graceful evolution, for sure. I'd re-load on this if I found it at a good price. Note that the cork deteriorated on opening. I've had this problem with too many mid-90s bottles.
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12/25/2018 - vinolovers wrote: 95 Points
The cork crumbled while being extracted. Decanted for about 3 hours. A nice deep purple/dark garnet coloring when poured. Then it got really good! Lots for dark fruit, a hint of chocolate and a rich sweetness only a mature port provides. A very long finish, incredibly smooth.
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12/25/2018 - Gbones97 wrote: 90 Points
Dried fruit, raisins and alcohol. Needed to breathe.
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12/24/2018 - Rollerball wrote:
So much better after being wide open for a day. Really, don't even touch it for 24 hours if you can help it.
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12/22/2018 - seijaro Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow, what a killer port! Drank it chilled at noon with a bit of chocolate, it was SUCH a treat. Smooth as a baby's bottom, sweet with a long finish. Lovely nose, maybe a touch of brick in the color. Plums and sweet prunes with some cherry. This is what vintage port is all about.
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12/2/2018 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep garnet color with a bouquet and flavor of plum liqueur, cotton candy, and dust. Very big and concentrated wine with mostly integrated tannins. Very unctuous with great nuance, good balance, and a very long finish. A wonderful wine, which will probably be even better when I drink some more today. This is a WOW.
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10/28/2018 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 95 Points
plenty of raisin and fig paste. Surprising amount of red and black fruit to balance the darker fruit profile. Seems like it will last for many more years.
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10/18/2018 - JustBad Likes this wine: 91 Points
WSET Level 2 Class; 9/13/2018-11/4/2018 (The Texas Wine School): Very good quality Port that is clear, deep ruby in color, bordering on garnet. On the nose, it's clean with a pronounced intensity. It has aromas and flavors of raisins, prunes, dried red cherry, strawberry pie, cinnamon, coffee, smoke, charred toasty oak, tobacco, and alcohol. On the palate, it's sweet with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body, and a long finish.
Definitely one of the better Ports I've had but I haven't had many. Definitely let this one breathe for about a 1-2 hours before you partake as the alcohol is a little intense on the nose before then. But once it's opened up, it's wonderfully complex with great length and intensity. It could still use another few years but still very very good!!
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6/5/2018 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wish I could have spent more time with this port in my glass. Too good not to take your time to sip on it carefully. Great and classic vintage port. Only negative is that it had a touch more of prune on the finish than I prefer. Need a shade more to give it a formal review.
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6/2/2018 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
Napa Cabernets + SQN + others (Home): Smooth plum, camphor, and soil notes. A little bit of animal and bear paw fur on the back end. Not completely barnyard, but definitely some mammalian tinges on the finish. Still, this maintained its level demeanor, pairing quite nicely with homemade chocolate chip cookies! Drink ‘em if you got ‘em, as I think this is on the downward slope. It was good, but as a standalone, there wasn’t much of anything epic to be found here.
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5/25/2018 - gouldcampbell77 wrote: 85 Points
Decanted 12hrs and not great to be honest. A slightly grubby nose, good fruit and stuffing but then a hot alcoholic finish. All a bit disjointed. I can't believe this is how it's meant to taste. Drinkable but certainly not memorable.
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3/18/2018 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Bue hier avec Sylvie et carol.
Le bouchon s'est désintégré même avec le bilame!!!
Décanté et filtré, en carafe pour 30 minutes.
Est apparue plus léger et sur la retenue mais tout à fait délicieux et complexe, excellent.
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3/16/2018 - Avicenne Likes this wine: 91 Points
SAQ N° 10320534 87$
Avec dessert fondant chocolat.
Robe avec quelques signes de paleur de vieillissement.
Un nez très beau sur l'anis et les caramels tuffy/sucre d'orge.
Bouche liquoreuse, encore très fraiche, sur un moca et des arômes secondaires multiples.
L'ensemble m'épatte par l'aspect vieilli au nez mais si jeune en bouche.
Ma prochaine (celle de Champlain Charest) sera ouverte d'ici 5 ans.
Pas mal bon, en rabais ça vaut la peine, mais plus la.
***
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3/2/2018 - Wine_Bear Likes this wine: 98 Points
Spectacular port. Can drink it now, but it will probably get slightly better with a few more years. Can probably last for 50, but why?
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2/18/2018 - brianakrin wrote: 92 Points
nice port. round,rich but nothing exceptional .
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2/16/2018 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very dark core. Blueberry, gingersnap cookies, molasses and soy sauce on the nose. Primary and monolithic on the palate: medium sweet, relatively low acidity, with a solid core of fruit (blueberry, plum) and a chewy, almost yeasty (baked bread) component that is presently evolving into something beautiful, which should blossom in a few more years. Hold!
Update: On day 2, this is much improved. I find the acidity has asserted itself a bit more, and the yeasty component has disappeared. The core of dark fruit has blossomed, and a lovely bitter chocolate note has made a welcome appearance. In Quebec, the Trappist Monks make a wonderful treat consisting of fresh blueberries covered in dark chocolate. The wine reminds me of this now, and I love it. Rating has been adjusted accordingly.
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2/6/2018 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Never been disappointed when opening one of these. Incredibly youthful. Ripe plum, jam, milk chocolate. I get a chocolate covered raisin vibe going on. The sweetness is balanced by the acidity. Nice lingering finish. Such a marvel and pleasure to drink. This will outlast me. It's 20+ years old now and still performing Act I. I'm not sure what Act II holds in store on when it will get here, but I'm looking forward to it.
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12/24/2017 - Vince_chip Likes this wine: 93 Points
Maintenant à son 23 ans! Bel équilibre entre les fruits séchés de son enfance et le côté noix de Grenoble. Belle longueur en bouche, aucune chaleur perceptible, belle douceur.
RQP ****
À boire d'ici 2024
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12/17/2017 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Intimate Dinner Series: Cabernet Sauvignon (G&R's): From 375ml. Lovely bouquet of black fruits and licorice, with a subtle chocolate-covered-cherry thing going on in the background. Medium tannins with dark fruit dominant on the palate. No hard edges or alcohol that stands out. Lengthy finish. Terrific.
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11/26/2017 - SWHighlander Likes this wine:
Inky dark in color, but minimally viscous in texture. Not as sweet as Grahams. Lots of fruit, balanced tannins. Beautiful wine. Drinking well now, although some oenophiles I shared this bottle with felt it was still a bit young and would improve further. Definitely should last another decade and probably much more than that.
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11/8/2017 - jazanol07 wrote: 97 Points
Wow!
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11/4/2017 - richshoes Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pretty disappointing. Too sweet and unbalanced, uneven. No elegance or complexity. Some minerality
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9/29/2017 - Ebartone Likes this wine: 95 Points
MANY years to go - very little tawny, but some hint of it - oak is falling away, or becoming integrated. Much black / blue fruit, deep and full.
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9/8/2017 - paulf wrote: 88 Points
Generously fruited and perhaps a touch warm. tasted of raspberry licorice. Not particularly long, nor is is a wine of finesse but it does have some good flavour
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5/29/2017 - Neecies Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened to pair with a to-die-for dark chocolate and salted caramel cake. Decanted for five hours prior to dinner and minor sediment removed. Wasn't sure a '94 would seem as ready as this was. Plummy and rich with heady aromatics of Christmas spices, sandalwood and bergamot.
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5/9/2017 - TannicBeast wrote:
I am not a vintage Port connoisseur, but I was surprised by how young, simple and linear this is, after more than 20 years. Hot alcohol and cough syrup.
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4/1/2017 - mk42 wrote: 91 Points
Very pleasant, rich and not heavy. Not a lot of complexity with good mouthfeel. Balance between sweetness and acidity -- not too sweet. Not too hot. Dark fruit. Simpler and not too complex, with interesting mix of flavors.
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3/14/2017 - Lipsman wrote: 91 Points
Black cherry liquor, anise, dark flavors, moderate length. High alcohol interferes with the medium fruit and complexity. A bit hot without enough fruit to carry it off.
The last bottle, in December, benefited from an overnight decant. Much smoother, deeper the next day.
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2/17/2017 - lebo9968@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not as rich, sweet or deep as I expected. Delicious, but not exactly my favorite style. Certainly can last, but I prefer a more nutty and aromatic style.
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2/8/2017 - Rob-Rah Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rather young. Driven by rich fruit at the moment. No fig and caramel yet. Lots of plush jam and fresh fruit. Not a great deal of complexity at present, but at over 22 years old I wonder whether there ever really will be. Delicious but perhaps less than expected.
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1/3/2017 - dbkitc wrote: 96 Points
Pale garnet that lightens considerably at rim. Creamy fruit, anise and blood orange meld beautifully into a classic and exciting wine. There certainly Dow's sternness on the palate but there is much gorgeous fruit that one can't help to think of this as a yin / yang wine. Fantastic. Lots of tannin suggests a long life ahead. Has come a long way since the last bottle. Not nearly as much tobacco but you really do get the layers of tension. A great bottle of port for Santa. (96)
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1/3/2017 - maxima wrote: 93 Points
Bu au réveillon du jour de l'an...ouvert en PM et mis en carafe...beaucoup de dépot et bouchon désintégré avec le bilame...donc filtré en le mettant en carafe!
Mis quelques onces dans la sauce et dans la farce(veau, pancetta, poires et canneberges) de l'escaloppe de dindon au prosciiutto et sauge.
Nez fragrant dur les raisins de corinthe, les dattes, la mélasse et les herbes.
En bouche, très suave et savoureux, les dattes reviennent avec des prunes, du tabac, de la muscade et des herbes. Extrémement long et persistant.
Excellent.
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1/1/2017 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Last bottle we tasted was about a year ago. This is just a crazy good wine. It is so silky smooth and balanced. There is a slight bit of heat on the finish but you really would have no way of knowing this tips the scales at closer to 20%. This bottle had a tinge of funk on the otherwise big nose with blueberry, plum and cassis. Palate was pure silk. Herbs, spice, blueberry, chocolate, orange rind. Really wonderful. This is the type of Port that makes you rethink when is the right time to open a bottle - this is easy accessible and versatile.
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1/1/2017 - ews3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
deep color in glass. nose had some funky dotes, but showed youthful dark fruit with some herbal notes. palate is well balanced, with fresh and dried black fruit, blueberry, and a long, delicious finish.
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1/1/2017 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 91 Points
Very glad that to say much better than previous one. Great vintage port nose, alcohol present but well balanced. Fruit well integrated but I think it may well last and turn into that lovely Madeira like richness that the truly great vintage ports do. Long long rich wine
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12/27/2016 - indybob Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little hot on the nose, good fruit, obviously well built, long finish, but...
this was just so magnificent at release. Judging by this bottle, this is not at a great stage right now, the fruit isn't nearly what it was, and the secondaries aren't peeking out yet. I doubt I'll look at another bottle for another 10-15 years, if I live that long. It'll get better, and built for the LONG haul.
Initially decanted for about eight hours, then finished most with friends. Had the last glass four days later.
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12/24/2016 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
Supple and absolutely smooth. Black cherries, cherry syrup, cola, great length, just on the edge of complexity. Devine. Even smoother the next day.
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11/25/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 95 Points
Well-balanced, rich and decadent, showing well at this age. Right out of the bottle this was a little muddled, thin and overly sweet, but by the end it was thick, unctious and well-integrated. Had at Thanksgiving.
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10/11/2016 - octopussy Likes this wine: 92 Points
1994 Vintage Port Horizontal (Trific): Cherry red. In the nose, it's clear and airy, but with a firm core. Raspberry, black cherry, slight floral notes. In the mouth, this is quite sweet with notes of Marzipan, brittle tannins, not much acidity. Great length with raspberry candy notes in the finish.
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10/1/2016 - David J Cooper wrote: 95 Points
Dark purple. Great port nose, huge, red fruit, figs, pomegranate juice, forest floor and plums. Huge in the mouth with a sweet tannic structure.
I did not buy any 94s thinking they would never be ready. What a chump. This wine is fantastic right now.
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9/22/2016 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Different to my last time... this had been open a day at least. So concentrated and full... come back in 5 years...impenetrable but incredible potential
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7/11/2016 - maxima wrote: 95 Points
Bu au 50ième de Guy...WOW, tout un porto...mieux que mes autres bouteilles.
Similaires aux autres notes mais encore plus complexe et long en bouche...vraiment belle cette bouteille.
GRAND VIN!
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7/10/2016 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 85 Points
Poorest vintage port I have had. Tried along side the ruby from Jesus College Oxford and v little difference! Apart from4x price
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6/26/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Game of Thrones Finale (Roger's place, San Francisco CA): From a 375. Open for a few weeks by the time I tried this. Aromatic integrated nose with red fruits, slight plum, slight heat; palate is rich, full bodied, high alcohol but it holds it well, plummy fruit; medium finish. Good, but not a stand-out at this point, though it is still primary and very youthful. 91 for now with the caveat that the bottle has been open for weeks already.
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6/19/2016 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
This was incredibly smooth, integrated alcohol didn't seem like a port at all, but a lovely red wine. Violets, purple flowers, a hint of anise, dusty herbs, and incredible silky mouthfeel with silky tannins made this a highlight tonight. B&J's
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5/18/2016 - maxima wrote: 94 Points
Bu le weekend dernier. Encore une fois superbe porto bien équilibré, ample et franc de goût, excellent!
Un beau nez suave sur les fleurs, les épices, le chocolates, les prunes et le tabac.
Bouche grasse et massive, beaucoup de fruits, des prunaux, des dattes, des figues des raisins de corinthe et de la réglisse.
Hyper complexe, de beaux tannins amples, sucré mais pas trop.
Finale interminable et persistence incroyable avec encore une légère impression de chauffe.
Grandiose et pour longtemps.
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5/17/2016 - Lucia Skywalker Likes this wine:
.
Notes of a Novice
18/20% alcohol
• decanted and had first taste at that time
• pleasant on the nose
• very sweet - too sweet, almost like a dessert in itself
• raspberry is the strongest, most predominant flavor
• good - nice
• double-decanted after 5 hours, and corked
• the sweetness seems to have mellowed, making it nicer to enjoy
• some king of “effervescence” seems to have developed - not fizzy, but of some acidic nature, which seems to affect the first inch or so of my tongue.
• there is a gained mellowness in the overall impression, pointing towards a more balanced wine
• tasted after 24 hours from double-decanting and corking
• less sweet - the quality of the sweetness seems to be less “harsh”
• a lot more mellow overall
• no “effervescent” sensation on tongue
• no acidic sensation on tongue
• tasted after 48 hours from double-decanting and corking
• the finish seems to be more on the bitter side(?) Had some cheap red wine an hour before (did that alter taste buds? Had some Stilton before tasting the Port.
• the sweetness is still mellow, like at 24 hours
• not acidic, nothing of the “effervesce” mentioned above
• nice - just not sure about that bitter short finish
• NOTE - have been tasting daily, for test purposes, but under normal circumstances, would not have it every day. Too deserty, too full bodied, too much of an impression, as lovely as it may be.
• tasted after 3 days from double-decanting and corking
• possibly my favorite tasting
• the sweetness has mellowed out incredibly - no comparison with “at opening”, or after the 5 hour decanting
• the balance has improved tremendously
• the bitter aftertaste from yesterday was not present, however,
• there was a gentle bitter finish to it, for a short time, but a pleasant one, not like at 48 hours
• today, the wine is more approachable - one could drink a bit more - due to less sweetness and a mellow bitter, which brings it into a beautiful balance
• Tasted after 4 days from double-decanting and corking
• just like day 3. Lovely!
• the sweetness subsided
• perhaps alcohol increased a bit? (not sure - did not eat)
• all around mellow, sweet, fruity
• does not take much to satisfy senses
• I shall stop here, unless detecting changes over the next few days (still have about 2 days’ worth left)
• Tasted on day 11 after double-decanting.
• to me, still niece
• very mellow
• more flavors detectable
• there is a gentle hint of cherry pits (slightly on the bitter side, but nice)
• although day 11, to me - nothing off
• had last about 6 weeks after opening
• magnificent!
• PERSONAL NOTE
• It’s more like a liqueur, due to sweetness, body, fullness
• paired beautifully with Stilton
• very raspberryish, berryish
• very sweet at opening
• sweetness mellowed out after one hour of decanting
• also, gained a bit of acidity after one hour, to me, almost an effervescent quality on the tip of tongue, but without bubbles. It did not last long.
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5/13/2016 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 90 Points
This has still failed to reach any sort of complexity. Delicious, yes but not ready yet. It is fully integrated and enjoyable, just hold if you can...
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5/1/2016 - spineguy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark cherry and fig. Amazing depth and complexity. Although quite young for a port, the fruit and tannins are definitely becoming integrated and this wine is approachable now but will only get better over the years.
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3/20/2016 - tomandlu wrote: 90 Points
Decanted about 3 hours. Deep, virtually opaque ruby-garnet color with tinges of purple. The nose was much more subdued tonight than in the past, with the usual, in my experience, aromas of figs, graphite, plums, and hot iron coming through with swirling. On the palate the wine still tastes quite young, though no longer grape-y, is beautifully balanced and long, and hides its alcohol nicely. A delicious and elegant, if still very young, Dow. Drunk from 375 ml bottle stored in my cellar since release.
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3/16/2016 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blueberry. Complex.
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2/20/2016 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
24 hour decant. Dark cherry, flowers, cassis, and the breath-stealing warmth of a blazing fire; creme de menthe; sharp bark and ink; dried peppermint, szechuan at the back of the tongue, mocha, butterscotch creme.
7 days in the decanter: still exciting but beautifully softened in texture and most of the edges have been shaved off the flavors too. The nose, while a tad oxidized now also hints of new books and rolled tobacco. This is in an ideal place now for a cigar.
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1/23/2016 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Wines on a Snowbound Saturday Night (Our House (2033 Brandywine St.): My first bottle of the case and a half we've accumulated over the years. The nose is amazing here. Plum, cassis, mint, thyme, cedar, loads of pepper, clove, spice, anise, citrus zest. It just keeps coming at you the more you swirl the glass. It will be fascinating to see how the nose develops over the years. The palate is so incredibly primary still 20 years after bottling. Dominated by chocolate cover cherry and well balanced sweetness. Nice blue fruit. This easily has 30-50 years ahead of it. 94 is a classic year in Port and this is one of my first tastes from this vintage. Just a remarkable wine. Hopefully they all bring this kind of complexity.
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1/22/2016 - maxima wrote: 94 Points
Superbe en ce moment et bon encore pour des décennies.
1994 étant un très grand millésime déclaré, ça aide et ça parait.
Un nez juvénile, sur les prunes et la menthe, c'est massif mais assez frais tout de même.
En bouche, la magie opère encore une fois, que c'est bon!
Ample et large mais assez bien équilibré avec une belle fraicheur, le sucre est assez bien dosé et on goute des mures et du cassis avec un peu de dattes et de chocolat.
Les tanins sont assez fins et la longueur interminable.
Un superbe Porto raffiné et complexe...pour moi,tellement plus intéressant que ceux qui ont une masse d'alcool et de tannins, style Smith Woodhouse par example!
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1/17/2016 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Showing well. Drank two bottles in 2013 and 2014. Gave one as a gift.
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1/17/2016 - cweiner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Years to go.
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12/31/2015 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 98 Points
Powerful nose of blackberry, booze, chocolate, and black fruits. Huge mouthful of blackberry, black fruits, and blue fruits that shows incredible vibrancy. Big finish of tannins, sweet fruit, and deep dark secrets.
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12/28/2015 - rbfleming wrote: 95 Points
Vanilla, cedar, fresh cherries, alcohol. A little less burnished than the 94 Grahams. This has a number (20?) of excellent years.
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12/25/2015 - WineScoundrel wrote: 96 Points
Magnificent!
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12/24/2015 - SteadyEddy wrote: 94 Points
Very satisfying - good depth of flavor (prune, blackberry, dark fig, caramel), baking spice notes and with a very fine, persistent finish. I also picked up the coffee notes described by TexasBob.
Balanced - the intensity of flavor is somewhat surprising given the medium-weight body. If there is a nit, it is that it is slightly rough and warm on the finish. However, consistent with a few other CT notes, this improved by Day 3, especially on the finish.
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11/21/2015 - phil the agony wrote: 92 Points
Vraiment un porto très sec.Pas habitué ici d'en boire d'aussi sec.Il parait tellement pas son âge !! D'une jeunesse insolente !!
Bien boisé et chocolaté quand même.Réglisse noire et fruits noirs aussi.
Va tougher tellement longtemps.Je vais crever bien avant lui.
Le salaud.
Mal de bloc ce matin mais avec 3 advils et un petit jogging sur le bord de l'eau (Notre-Dame quand même, faut pas virer fou!) Tout va bien :)
17.5/20 +
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11/7/2015 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Black as night and has lost nothing in color. Sweet coffee and blueberry juice on the nose. Intense blueberries with distant coffee. Very sweet with lead pencil shavings and a wonderful tannic backbone. The sweet blueberry and coffee and strong spicy cedar lasts forever in the finish.
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10/19/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
A private tasting (Jan-Dirk Taams' residence, Groot-Ammers, Netherlands): Very tannic and structured, warmth, closed, ripe fruit, excellent tannic grip, complete.
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9/16/2015 - BrunelloBob wrote: 93 Points
Smooth, delicious. Prune, dark coffee, chocolate., black fruit. Drinking well. But not sure I know how to score Port
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9/5/2015 - admid wrote: 94 Points
Ap: Brick red with a good potion of sediment
Ar: prunes, sweet cherries, figs, raisins. Basically dried fruits and berries. Initially a touch of cress that disappeared quickly. Very good intensity.
Full bodied, structured and balanced. Clean palate.
Very good length
50+4+13+18+9
Semi-mature vintage port. I guess, many years left.
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7/10/2015 - Le Gaulois Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nez sur l’anis, légère torréfaction (chocolat noir) et douce pointe de sucre. Bouche sur la réglisse noire, c’est bien sec et le fruit confit est très présent (prune). Le côté sec lui confère une signature bien particulière à laquelle je suis peu habitué avec les portos, toute une surprise!
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5/25/2015 - maxima wrote: 95 Points
Un beau Porto pour célébrer une réunion avec des potes qu`on avait pas vu depuis 40 ans dans certains cas.
EN bouche, c`est puissant et massif mais sans excès, cerise au Kirsh et chocolat noir...c`est infiniment long…WOW, du bonbon sophistiqué!
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5/24/2015 - winemaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
Awesome! Drinking great!
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5/16/2015 - Vinofitz wrote: 94 Points
Ridiculous. Totally balanced. Fruit is forward early on but settles on with alcohol and overall structure. Not forward at all.
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4/8/2015 - sp4388 Likes this wine: 92 Points
deep rich plums and raisin bordering on syrupy, savory and complex, much better on day 2 and even more on day 3- give it a 10+ hour decant at least- needs it at last for the alcohol to blow off. 92 points- delicious and hard to Put down but didn't blown me away.
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4/6/2015 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Weekend in CT: drank over 2 days. Needs time - best sip was the last sip of the second night. one the first day the alc showed and there was a hint of amarone but by the second night this was true port with ripe black plum dominating, sweet smoky vanilla-bean notes, mid is ripe but a good balance of sweet and savory notes. looooong sweet plum and chocolate finish. delicious and young !
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4/4/2015 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 91 Points
No detailed TN, but this is still very young yet; alcohol sticks out a bit but lots of good, focused black fruit flavors.
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3/24/2015 - roederer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pop and pour... très beau bouchon, un peu racorni côté col.
Nez de cerise à l'eau de vie, fort en bouche sans excès, un tout petit peu d'alcool.
Au bout d'une heure, nez profond de pruneaux
Une heure de plus, café (et pruneaux)
Le lendemain, c'est nettement caramel brûlé - la première fois que je sens une chose pareille ! En bouche, une merveille de puissance, difficile de s'arrêter... un très grand plaisir !
Je le trouve meilleur avec du chocolat noir ou une ganache qu'un Taylor : moins doux, plus massif.
Plus ouvert le surlendemain, sans différence marquée. Au delà, stabilité : il ne devrait donc plus beaucoup s'améliorer ; on retrouve en bouche la cerise à l'eau-de-vie qu'on avait au nez au départ.
A mon sens, l'apogée de ce porto se situe actuellement entre 24 et 36 heures après ouverture (bouteille de 75 cl, sans décantation). On peut certainement l'attendre dix ans sans crainte.
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3/3/2015 - dougie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Great, but needs more time.
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2/15/2015 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of black fruits with volatility and hints of rubber and baking spice. Black plum and other baked black fruit flavors with figs and lots of complexity. It's thick and powerful but is somewhat hidden in its darkness and massiveness. The tannins are not hard but are still massive with blackberry layers that linger for over a minute. 96 points and we didn't even let it breathe.
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1/8/2015 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nose of raisins, sweet candied fruit, a little spice. Very nice.
Palate is full, sweet, rich and showing well integrated fruit flavors. Not much secondary flavors yet. Long rich finish. No heat.
I love a good port and this is a great vintage port that was well aged.
Would buy again.
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1/2/2015 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nice showing from 375 ml. Starting to mellow with good fruit structure and touch of almonds on the finish.
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12/28/2014 - Jasper May wrote: 94 Points
Just the slightest hint of bricking at the rim - slightly muted nose. Expansive on the palate - not very dense, but lovely floral notes, just a touch of fig but mainly fresh dark fruits - best after six hours of decant.
Edit: Day 2 and the Dow has really opened up, it is fully balanced with wonderful floral notes - not at all spiritous, with very smooth tannins - really good.
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12/27/2014 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 6 hours, had a glass, then back in the bottle for two days before this tasting. A classy, floral, black-cherry nose heralds a fiery blue- and black-berry attack that pinches the tip of the tongue and holds it tight while all sorts of complex forces from sticks to iodine, to raisins and heavy metals, paint the entire mouth. Had me believing I have tastebuds on the roof of my mouth--seriously, close your eyes and try it! Long long finish. Still very young. 94+
9-day update with 1/3 remaining in bottle, corked but otherwise not preserved. Still improving! Less intense but much more approachable now.
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12/13/2014 - winepaw Likes this wine: 98 Points
Still youthful, but drinking beautifully now. Deep, rich vintage port complexity, with just the right degree of sweetness, perfectly balanced with pleasant candied orange notes emerging in the finish. Should continue to evolve favorably for at least 15 or 20 years.
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11/29/2014 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
Some raisin, fig , brown sugar and cedar. Smooth and medium bodied in the mouth. Very nice! Was just as good on nights 2 and 3.
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11/29/2014 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
A great way to finish off a fantastic night of drinking. Just starting to show a little bricking on the rim. Notes of fig. prune and some brown sugar with a hint of cedar. Not overwhelming but truly well balanced, this was succulent but not juicy. A little dusty in the mid pallet but very complimentary. In a perfect drinking window.
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11/23/2014 - soychick Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was quite special. Very subtle and light on it's feet, and astonishingly quaffable, yet complex, floral and delicate. Recommend a balloon type glass. There are no flaws; however if you are one of those new world wine drinkers that likes to be blown away by huge flavors, this isn't for you. It is hard to identify a single outstanding characteristic that would deserve a higher score.
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10/25/2014 - JBNH Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine was superb upon release, went through a closed period, and is now showing beautifully. This bottle was as near perfection as I can imagine in a wine. Looking forward to it's continued evolution.
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10/10/2014 - gesusser wrote:
See last notes..great
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9/19/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 97 Points
Lovely port and drinking so well. Plenty of backbone, opening up beautifully to a broad and deep range of flavors from toffee, chocolate, not overly sweet - which was great. One can't ask for much more than this. 97+
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9/8/2014 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Drank with friends last night.
Rich, smooth, youthful, not a single rough edge or flaw.
would buy again.
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7/27/2014 - bh4buffs wrote: 94 Points
Classic vintage Port w/ all of the characteristics you'd expect. Perfect color, rich/fruity nose, leading to an elegant finish. Drank w/ sea-salted dark chocolate.
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7/6/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
4th of July Weekend Wines - Lots of 'em; 7/3/2014-7/7/2014 (Northeast Ohio): Slow oxed for 6 hours and decanted for a few more. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is nice with milk chocolate covered raisins. A bit of alcohol at first, but that blew off. Nice full texture. Some heat on the palate, but I adjusted. I would have preferred a bit more sweetness. It has a nice complexity to it and worked very well with Mike's Chocolate Chip cookies by the fire. Not top echelon, but still outstanding.
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5/16/2014 - gesusser wrote: 95 Points
9 hour decant allowed this delicious Porto to stand alongside 1992 Taylor fladgate and win the popular vote
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5/6/2014 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
On the list at Ser and I couldn't resist. Popped and poured.
Nose started out a little closed but opened nicely to stewed plum, warm compote, melted dark chocolate.
On the palate this is smooth as silk, dark, tannic, still youthful and powerful. Long lingering finish that doesn't quit. It stays like a lingering memory of warm comfort.
Glad I didn't resist the call. Will wait to open my 2 bottles for quite a while.
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4/21/2014 - Blair Curtis wrote: 97 Points
This is a fantastic young Port. Even from a half-bottle, this is incredibly youthful and vigorous. Intense, mouthfilling blackberries. Great acids. This wine vibrates. Plenty of sweetness, though it is (typical for Dow) on the dryer side of VPs. Very, very long finish. Gets better in the glass - deserved a long decant, but I did not have time on this night. Next time a minimum 6 hour decant. If you have these, they will last and improve for many decades.
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4/6/2014 - profiler54 wrote: 95 Points
Dark intense purple ruby color, Nose was highly complex the likes of last temperance bar in Britain. A whole lot was going on here crème soda, sarsaparilla, Turkish fig, anise, Dr Pepper, plums, and cherries. Palate offered much of the same with some earthy notes to add. Rich, full-bodied and finely balanced. This wine was Christmas in a glass. Still relatively youthful and has the structure to last 40 or more years. Drank over three nights.
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3/16/2014 - VinoDiver Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very smooth, components all seemed to be balanced. Consumed over 2 days with consistent experiences.
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3/8/2014 - Grinner wrote: 95 Points
PHMG WAG: Port(ugal) Tasting (The Lyon Lodge): Oh yeah! here's the college kid who's maturing nicely. The open nose is wonderful. The fruit is still a bit jammy, yet it's so smooth and complex, it pulls you back to the glass. Great with the Stilton and the Rogue Creamery Crater Lake Blue, and the next day.... My WOTN, 95+.
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3/7/2014 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Terroirwijn Vintage Port 1994 tasting and lunch (Villa Augustus, Dordrecht, NL): Relatively youthful appearance; rich and sweet nose, still quite primary, hint of lovage; rich and energetic palate, sweet, a bit unruly, needs time to integrate, slightly hot finish. Wait.
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3/3/2014 - UTPK wrote:
Very young, very detailed and very good. It has shed all of its younger liqiorice and tobacco notes and is getting into some deeper notes, but still too young to appreciate fully. Deep fruit and medium sweetness on the palate. Well integrated acidity. Alcohol completely hidden though the layers of fruit.
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2/16/2014 - dougie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Amazing!
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2/13/2014 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Massive wine. Very aromatic on the nose. Very deep and dense with powerful blackfruit flavors, especially black raspberry, plum and blackberry. Adds in raisins and figs on the finish along with chocolate. Only beginning to open up and show its full range of flavor complexity. Very smooth into the long finish and unsurprisingly, still has a lot of structure. Very drinkable now, but will get better in the coming years and it rounds out and integrates further. Drank over five nights and I thought it showed best on nights 2 and 3 and still excellent on fourth night.
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1/18/2014 - CloserIam2Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Embarrassed to say that we popped and poured 1 month + ago. Clear infanticide. Core of fruit wound tight and a little disjointed from the alcohol.
Left half the bottle to sit until last night and, wow. Fruit has opened up to a marvelously elegant and still fairly primary mid palate that is attenuated, not unpleasantly, by the alcohol. Will do everything in my power to lay off of the next bottle for ten years or decant it for a week if I'm unable.
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12/31/2013 - mjnickel Likes this wine: 93 Points
OK, stick with me here, because I'm about to break out some terms that will certainly mark me as a wine douche...
The attack on this bottle is not shy; right up front I got that sweet dark, red fruit you'd expect, and on the finish, there's that brandy with which port is fortified, so full of alcohol and oak, and caramel as it is. If I were a St. Bernard, I would happily wear a small cask of this around my neck while rescuing you from an avalanche, dear reader.
But what I like about this wine is the middle. You know the good part. Whereas so many wines show hollow, this was like swallowing a round ball of blackberries, dates, and figs. Really, I'm not making this up. This is an excellent bottle of wine. My friend thought it finished a little hot, and I wanted to punch him right in his mouth, because I thought it finished excellently.
I announced that we should be eating blue cheese with this, and my friend's wife produced a large wedge of stilton, then added, "I think we should be eating figs with this."
And so, we ate them both, and drank the bottle while ringing in the New Year (2014). I'm rating this a 93, which is lower than where it will be years from now after growing in complexity. It's so youthful, after 20 years, that it felt like infanticide. Hold on to your bottle for another 20 years, and you might even feel the same. It's gonna last a while is what I'm trying to say.
My New Year's resolution? It's the same as it is every year. I resolve to live more like a woman, because that's the best way I can imagine being a better man.
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12/26/2013 - deepend wrote: 92 Points
- Fast forming legs. It's unbalanced.
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12/13/2013 - gesusser wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely Outstanding after 9 hour decant
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12/3/2013 - theRealPepe wrote:
Love berries and spices with good acidity. Very light-bodied for a Port. Outstanding.
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12/1/2013 - rbfleming wrote: 90 Points
Seems lighter than many ports. Nuttiness. Spice, licorice, apricot.
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11/28/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Cork completely cemented to neck of bottle, so came out, center first with the worm, and then bit by bit with swearing. Filter-funneled into decanter. Moderate amount of fine sediment left in bottle. Dark red color, nearly opaque, but with some signs of transparency coming in. Aromas are of fig, sweet raisin, plum, cranberry, and cherry. Palate has medicinal cherry cough drop note initially with some sweet fig and dried cherry notes that migrate to blueberry and licorice with a sweet, long finish. This is still young, but totally enjoyable with a bit of decanting. The medicinal note did dissipate on day two and this was at peak for my tastes toward the end of the decanter on day three. Drink with decanting (12-24 hours?) or hold.
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11/9/2013 - Zed57 wrote: 95 Points
Pure and refined with loads chocolate berries and a whiff of spice. Will undoubtable improve but amazing now.
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11/8/2013 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Oh what a nose! Deep dark cherries and chocolate with kirsch and a hint of vanilla. Man oh man! Nice medium bodied fruit with soft layers of rich chocolate and berries. Damn good stuff.
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9/22/2013 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think it is in a subdued phase and not showing well. seems like just fruit coming through. try again in a year or three...
over 5 days of being open, it stayed pretty stable, only the alcohol faded... and the rest became more balanced but little complexity showed through the forward fruit. Still very tasty however.
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7/31/2013 - gesusser wrote: 95 Points
First of 7 bottles, 10 hour decant allowed this gem to open up, surely has room to improve over next decade but was outstanding this nite, smoothlong legged, not too sweet, chocolate and raisins prevalent
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7/15/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank exceptionally well with an 8 hour decant. Rich, dark, and palate coating. Have noticed some bottle variation in the 94's. This bottle was the second best bottle we have popped to date. Delicious and a great finish to an evening with friends. I would not hesitate to drink now.
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6/29/2013 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Thickness of wine. Really nice nose. Raisenets flavor nice chocolate. Hints of peach flavors a bit. So many layers. Even red apple coming through. Very round. Good tannins. Quite delicious.
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6/29/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote:
Delicious stuff here. Not a big port drinker really so didn't give this a rating, but enjoyed this one quite a bit. Gorgeous nose, tastes of chocolate covered raisins, blackberry jam, and smooth finish that lingers on and on. Very soft and elegant. Hard to imagine port getting much better than this.
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5/23/2013 - gpatramanis Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dark purple. An explosion of fruit. Sweeter than most Dows I have had previously. Very smooth. Still young. Should drink well for decades. This is one terrific Vintage port!
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5/11/2013 - wineotim Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark crimson color with flavors of black cherry and licorice, raisins, and nutmeg. Good depth and weight, very smooth, soft, and not overly sweet. Long finish. Fully mature and drinking very well now. Drank with RRM in Clermont.
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4/19/2013 - Michaeladamsmith Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful, expressive port. Sweet without being over the top syrupy. The intensity was pitch-perfect. Has just started it's consumption cycle.
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4/1/2013 - Idotr1 wrote: 97 Points
Big surprise for me . Very nice nose with dries fruit , mostly dried plums and spices (especially cloves) . In the palate, very rich and full bodied, tannic , not overly sweet , with good balance between the sweetness , acidity and bitterness, very long aftertaste. Superb.
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3/29/2013 - LelouchViBritannia Likes this wine: 96 Points
Truly astonishing. Decanted 2 hours, and drank through 3 days. I think it was best during 1st hour of decant as it was still closing down somewhat. Very complex and full of fruit, nuts, almond aromas. Strong and uplifting finish.
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3/24/2013 - guido23 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really excellent but still so, so young. Decanted for 6 hours but still delicious after 30 hours.
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3/9/2013 - RedLoverJim Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 12+ hours. Rich, opulent, still very young but very enjoyable. Dark berries, with a hint of earth. Long finish that lingers like a great dream. This will be better in another decade or two, but in a pinch you could do worse now.
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1/26/2013 - msimoes Likes this wine:
Truly enjoyed it. Was at its best aprox 12 hours after decanting. Live red color, alcohol integrated beautifully.
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12/17/2012 - ELH wrote: 93 Points
Young but awfully good.
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12/16/2012 - tantotinto wrote: 94 Points
We decanted a couple of bottles about five hours before sharing with friends. They were delicious but the fruit is still formidable. It has softened since our last bottle three years ago but this wine has considerable time to go before its peak.
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11/16/2012 - rexmerlot wrote: 92 Points
Clear deep purple in colour. Clean nose of black cherry and licorice. Full bodied, elegant tannins, nice acidity, big fruit on palate, but not over the top. Lots of black cherry, prunes, and coffee on palate.. Very easy to drink.
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8/4/2012 - drfibb wrote: 95 Points
Amazing. still full of fruit after all this time. Great alcohol backbone with no bite. Blueberry and dark fig compote. wow.
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6/17/2012 - dougie wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Great as usual.
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1/13/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
Chateau Lanessan Vertical (55,95,96,00,01,03,05,08): This has lots of pieces parts but was way too young and hot for my tastes. It had been decanted for 6 hours and needed a lot more for me. Nice prunes and plums on the nose. A bit of coffee grounds. Lots of alcohol and heat. I would hold these for a while.
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1/2/2012 - MichelBesner wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful but still young port. Decanted for more than 6 hours. Was even better the next day.
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12/30/2011 - profiler54 wrote: 94 Points
Dark intense purple ruby color, Nose was highly complex the likes of last temperance bar in Britain. A whole lot was going on here crème soda, sarsaparilla, Turkish fig, anise, Dr Pepper, plums, and cherries. Palate offered much of the same with some earthy notes to add. Rich, full-bodied and finely balanced. This wine was Christmas in a glass. Still relatively youthful and has the structure to last 40 or more years. Drank over three nights.
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12/25/2011 - Julius Squeezer wrote: 97 Points
This beauty is just beginning to show its age. Faint brick color around the rim. Incredibly expressive nose of vanilla, raisins, exotic Indian spice, earth, and blackberry. The tannins are silky and well integrated at this point and highlight a luxurious mouth coating palate. Notes of blackberry, heat, cassis, and spice box are framed by a delicious massive acidic backbone. This should cruise for at least another thirty years.
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12/16/2011 - coremill wrote: 93 Points
Just had a small glass of this at a restaurant with some cheese, but wow, this is good stuff. Deep, rich, layered, intense. Great with the cheese, which smoothed out the tannin a touch. Nowhere near peak yet but drinking very well now.
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12/1/2011 - bmagic wrote:
Dark red and black fruits on the palate but overly spirity on the nose. May improve and integrate with time.
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11/25/2011 - Pointchaser wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed with the family both before and after Thansgiving dinner. Rich, sweet, raisiny and cherries. The tannins are pretty well integrated at this point, certainly much less harsh than the 2006 Neri Nuova. My 2nd port ever. Excellent but I recall liking the 2003 Fonseca better. I did have a bit of a cold which detracted from my already poor palate.
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11/24/2011 - rbfleming wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful end to Thanksgiving dinner. Jam, cherries, raisins. Beautiful balance with strong body and plenty of complex fruit.
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11/19/2011 - czar33 wrote: 92 Points
Attaque solide, tannins fermes, longueur incroyable... Mais pas très subtil, a besoin de temps pour s'exprimer, à garder au moins 10 ans encore.
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11/5/2011 - alr6767 wrote:
Needs 10+ years. After a one day decant, this was just beginning to shed its tannin and show the rich fruit that is underneath.
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10/24/2011 - DonalOB wrote: 95 Points
Vintage Port Masterclass (Langham Place Hotel, Hong Kong): Lighter in colour than the earlier ports, with a little bricking on the edge. Dow is a slightly drier style than the Graham's.
This felt more balanced to me with higher acid - it was more like drinking wine, if you know what I mean. This is probably still somewhat dumb and needed much longer in glass before it would shine. Of course, really it needs another ten years. Still, very enjoyable from a great port vintage.
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10/14/2011 - tomandlu wrote: 95 Points
Decanted roughly 3 hours and consumed over one hour with fresh pears, apples, stilton and marcona almonds. Virtually black in color with purple highlights. The nose is impeccably balanced (my note says graceful), a combination of graphite, licorice, figs, plums and some smoke. The wine is as beautifully balanced on the palate with deep fruit and coffee offset by very fine, ripe tannins and sweetness. The wine is neither heavy nor alcoholic. It exudes a sense of poise and power. There are no secondary nuances yet but the wine is already a pleasure to drink for it's elegance and sense of proportion. Simply outstanding! Drunk from a 750 ml bottle stored in my cellar since release.
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8/24/2011 - King JR wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous bottle! Much less viscous than expected. Still very young!
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8/19/2011 - hackey37 wrote: 93 Points
No color notes since consumed in the evening outside, smelled of dark fruit and cocoa. Tasted like dark cherries, sweet currants, tobacco and cinnamon and other sweet, spicy notes. Lot's of sediment thrown so decant cautiously and/or filter! Seems to have a long life ahead too.
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8/12/2011 - atubbs wrote: 94 Points
Jam. Raisins. Delicious already. Vicious grape jam in the finish. Tannins are still a little grippy, but not out of balance with the rest of the effort. I think it's worth cracking at least one now.
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7/14/2011 - celtic67 wrote:
black licorice, cinnamon, chocolate, caramel, ripe black fruit. not showing the heat of the last bottle. full, rich & delicious.
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7/3/2011 - Opusone99 wrote: 97 Points
Vin incroyable sur toute la ligne. Grande intensité, matière bien soutenue par une structure et une finale immense. Au même niveau que le 2007 avec plus d'années dans le corps. Quelle complexité!
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7/1/2011 - maxime3333 wrote: 98 Points
Un vin parfait, le temps en moins. Que dire de plus? Grandiose!
Nez complexe de rancio et de fruits confits. Bouche interminable sur une palette fruitée, très confite elle aussi. Vraiment incroyable ce porto!
Bravo, bravo, bravo!
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6/28/2011 - Didman wrote: 93 Points
Really excellent. Young yet, but still lovely to drink now and better in years to come.
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6/4/2011 - celtic67 wrote:
12hr decant. dark chocolate covered cherries & cinnamon. big, full & young. outstanding but a little heat on the finish.
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5/29/2011 - dmatley wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 12 hours. Just a hint of alcohol that seemed to dissipate with time. A lovely bottle. Rich, concentrated core, some nuttiiness on the finish that added a nice savory element. A very nice vintage port that will reward longer cellaring.
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5/28/2011 - Drewstephen wrote:
Beyond great!!
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4/9/2011 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 94 Points
This is the first time I've attempted to review a port. I know how to make a port in a winery, but I don't know much about evaluating vintage port. What I do know is that this was entirely seductive. It snuck up on us. It was not particularly powerful. It was not all that dark in color. Most of what I got on the nose was alcohol. But on the lips and palate, was sheer elegance. The natural body of this product spread the alcohol all the way to the finish. It was fruity, but only to a point, like frosting on a cake. The other flavor components layer upon each other, teasing the palate all the way to the finish, and made you want to take another sip. Did not smell any oak, but there was some vanilla, especially on the finish. Only a hint of tannin. Could get real used to tasting this every day.
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4/1/2011 - jpan wrote:
see private note
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3/19/2011 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Dow Vintage Port Vertical (Harry's Steak House, NYC): Decanted for twenty four hours. Sweet mouthfull of freshly mashed fruits. Ripe but not pruney in the least. Very rich and satisfying. Superb extract and built for the long haul.
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2/7/2011 - jorge48 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 5hrs. A powerful, unctious concoction of caramel, molasses and orange liqueur that overwhelms the senses. Nice complement to the Amarone that came before.
Update 1wk later: that rarest of finds, a wine of truly breathtaking complexity. Ginger, honey bread, cloves and chocolate on the nose. Layers of dark chocolate and caramel on the mouth. Superb.
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2/4/2011 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dark, grainy crimson color. Palate is rich and dense with whopping alcohol levels peaking at the mid palate that doesn't go over the top. Thick, creamy, grainy texture that just sets itself above the rest. Flavors of sweetened dark cherries, raisins, nutmeg, chocolate, kirsch and a hint of spice on the long, long finish. This has such terrific structure that it can just go on and on. Great stuff! Drink now until 2030.
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1/22/2011 - dougie wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 5 hours. Amazing. The blueberry was explosive. The chalkiness blended well with the juiciness and luscious flavors. Best desert wine I have had in a long time. Wow!
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1/1/2011 - DRob wrote:
Rich and velvety, not overly fruity, but hasn't developed the dried fruit and flower flavors of a really old port. Right in the middle, great complexity and layers.
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12/24/2010 - Sijan wrote:
Delicious but cork fell apart on opening - had to decant and strain. Lots of sediemnt as well.
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12/8/2010 - Vinomarcus wrote: 93 Points
Wednesday Night Club - December 2010 (Peter Pratt's Inn): A real treat, this was a fantastic bottle, just chock full of ever evolving scents and tastes. A bit hard to describe the flavors as my palate was beginning to fade a bit, but really delicious. I think I had three small glasses of this and was very pleased with it.
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12/8/2010 - kwalitsch wrote: 93 Points
Opened the bottle the night before with a small pour off the top. Decanted the bottle in the morning and started in on the first glass 12hrs later. Even after the decanting it was still tight and didn't offer as much as I anticipated on the nose; however, maple syrup and sweet cherries came through. It still comes across youthful on the palate with a nutty, maple syrup and black fruit profile.
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12/1/2010 - winelegends.net wrote: 95 Points
Really good young port,cherrys,sweet,good balance,cacao,smoke and long.
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11/7/2010 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Working off the half bottle opened the previous night. Chocolate tones dominate, with underlying red fruit. Velvety texture; good fruit across the midpalate & through the finish.
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11/6/2010 - AllRed Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a 375ml, decanted 4 hours. Dark ruby color. Aromas of cassis, blackberry, clove, cinnamon and hints of chocolate. Gorgeous red berry- currants, raspberry; dark fruit and floral tones on the palate. Long finish.
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11/5/2010 - kingb22 wrote: 94 Points
I would have given on 90 on day 1 - tight w/ potential - but opened up to 94pts on day 2 and beyond. Great balance. Good now w/ decanting, but will last a long time.
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10/23/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
Absolutely terrific and drinking very well. Nutty, fruity nose that shows a touch of melon with its black walnut aromas. The palate is concentrated and profound, without being heavy and cloying, allowing the bright fruit and rich nuttiness to take control. Excellent representation of a great vintage. A
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9/13/2010 - winopops3 wrote: 90 Points
Not showing quite as well as last bottle. There was a little heat on the end. Still very nice.
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9/3/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
La Mission Haut Brion plus white Burgs and Port: Decanting probably helped this and in fact, it could have used more air IMO. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is tight, dusty with raspberries and dark chocolate. This is fuller, bigger and has some heat on the finish. Much darker in color.
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8/6/2010 - herberto wrote: 93 Points
Yummy. But what else would you expect? Tough to go wrong here.
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7/27/2010 - robin@robinmeredith.com wrote: 94 Points
Intense raspberry flavors and aromas. Still somewhat tightly wound. Has great potential but needs more time.
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6/13/2010 - winopops3 wrote: 92 Points
Opened and decanted 4 hours prior. Very well balanced, loads of fruit, still quite youthful.
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6/6/2010 - manonthemoon wrote: 91 Points
This wine was showing extremely young. Massive blackberries, and candied plum, smoke on the nose. On the palate there was more Chambord, caramel, fig, and smoke going on. The finish was quite long, but this definitely needs a decade or 3 to really show its stuff.
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6/6/2010 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Saturday @ Baker's Mill; 6/6/2010-6/7/2010 (Baker's Mill - Appomattox, VA): Had this bottle open for about 6 hours before consuming. Still a very fresh, young, primary port. Nice nose of nickel, plums, smoke, and cedar. Hold for another 10+ years.
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6/6/2010 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Wine-Soaked Weekend at Baker's Mill (Baker's Mill - Appomattox, VA): i was really surprised by how young this wine still was. it's nowhere near it's prime. but, nevertheless, i rated it a 92 because i loved it and just know it's going to be spectacular in another decade. it's got a lot of plum skins, smoke, cherry licquer and fig paste on the nose. the palate is rich, but not cloying or hot. just filled with caramel-covered cherries, smoke and a bit of charcoal. love the boldness of this wine, but would love to wait for the subtleties to come out with time.
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5/21/2010 - dougie wrote: 94 Points
Great stuff.
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5/13/2010 - YQUEM90 wrote:
smooth and tasty. burnt caramel, syrupy. no harshness or hotness. cork wasn't in the best shape but the wine was viscous, thick and lovely
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5/8/2010 - winebot wrote:
Yum
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2/21/2010 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 45 mins prior to drinking. This is in great condition and while beginning to soften, still has many years to go. Drink next bottle in 2-4 years.
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2/20/2010 - KPB wrote: 95 Points
A lovely young port, perfectly balanced, intensely aromatic, very long finish. To drink now, or hold for twenty years more.
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1/10/2010 - ronaldo wrote: 93 Points
ronaldo-plum, berry bouquet.....dark cherry color....wonderful flavor.
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1/1/2010 - rjayson wrote: 94 Points
cork disintegrated when opening. Filtered and decanted about 2 hours. Could have used more decanting time. There was a little heat left over, but seemed as if it would lessen over time. Will let my other bottles sleep a bit.
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12/12/2009 - tantotinto wrote: 95 Points
We opened two bottles five hours before they were to be served. Both corks disintegrated but the fragments were easily removed via decanting/filtering. Fabulous ripe candied fruit nose immediately open opening. Juicy legs down the side of the glass. Massively rich fruit flavors. This is a very big wine at this point although as smooth as a fine liqueur. The tannins are reasonably balanced. There is a little heat on the first swallow... After five hours and a nice meal, it has mellowed. The fruit is still very rich but the heat has dissipated a good deal. Everyone loved it although it is still clearly in its adolescence. This wine is in the early portion of a long road to somewhere very special.
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12/8/2009 - Trotanoy wrote: 94 Points
Impressive with huge fruit flavors - still young - will age for many years to come
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12/5/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Dark slightly hazy red. The nose was a bit muted at first then showed vanill, and spicey red fruit. Really nice plum and spice flavours. Not over the top sweetness. Perfectly balanced but tannice finish. This half bottle was oredered off the list by a friend after most of the lunch participants had left. I think it was bought to treat Bill who was very generous with his 82s. Problem is he slipped away back to work before the wine showed up. A nice treat. Popped and poured.
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12/3/2009 - WineScoundrel wrote: 95 Points
WOW!!!
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11/15/2009 - greenblanket wrote:
Very aromatic with dark fruit, anise, a drawer full of spices, and some cured tobacco notes. Hot in the mouth at first but that gave way to dark rich flavors following from the nose. The finish was long and tannic. Too young yet?
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10/16/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
(opened 6 hours prior) Deep garnet. Austere (for port) black fruit, spice, vanilla, tobacco and licorice nose. Linear / piercing. Wood dust. Tightly wound, there are layers of flavor that emerge with time in the glass. Not showing its true potential. Not a wine that strays from its powerful path – direct. Dried tobacco finish. Should be better with a few more years under its skin. (92+)
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9/26/2009 - dougie wrote: 94 Points
Great. When the heat goes away, this stuff will be mind blowing. Life is good.
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6/13/2009 - tsmathiesen wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed with friends over a 'food-fest' of a weekend. 3 hours decanter time - Impressive balance with semi tart raisins, grape, and plumy fruit. Holdover lasted very well into second day.
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4/28/2009 - John McCabe wrote: 97 Points
Really very nice. Huge wine, sweet and powerful but refined. Needs time to show more refinement, but still soo nice now. Tempted to buy more.
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12/25/2008 - xwine wrote:
This wine was dark, massive, and very, very primary. Intense fruit cake on the nose, with layers and layers of material underneath just waiting to blossom. The palate was large-scaled, dense, and fairly tannic; dark plummy fruit which seemed almost completely unevolved. It was a crime opening this now, but I wanted to gauge its progress. (I should note that although the bottle was opened an hour before consuming, and a small amount poured to provide some head space, there was no decanter available -- so keep that in mind) Anyone who is thinking of popping a bottle should not do so unless they have multiple bottles. DO NOT TOUCH ANOTHER BOTTLE FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS.
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12/10/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Lighter, sweeter fruit than the 94 Smith Woodhouse. Good length, light, sweet, nice balance. This is good. ****
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12/7/2008 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 97 Points
(Decanted for 2.5 hours) Pitch Dark in color, Aromas of Raisins, Plums, Blackberry, which continue on to completely lay a heavy coat on your pallet. The finish is of sweet dark fruits and very long lasting. ( Best from 2009 - 2040) - JD97
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12/4/2008 - du Beaune wrote: 92 Points
great port per price, enjoyed immensely, need more
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10/9/2008 - jamscreator wrote: 92 Points
Almost black in the glass. Decanted only 90 minutes so bear with me. Ripe raspberry and vanilla with sweet cane sugar and delicious plum in the background. This port deserves more time in the decanter and a fair pairing of dark chocolate cake to make a more fair determination of what it is worth. I am very excited about drinking this over the next 20 years. The finish went on and on and on..........
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5/5/2008 - tim95030 wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at Grand Tour Las Vegas. Lots of powerful fruit and tannin. Tons of dried fruit mainly prune and raspberry. Heavy notes of coffee and chocolate throughout. Though the alcohol seems to be overly noticeable even for a port. Not as refined as you would think for a 1994. Still needs 10-15 years before its truly ready to drink however.
- Tim Schroeder
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5/2/2008 - petitblanc wrote: 92 Points
Still very young, almost primary, but nice sipping. The quality of the fruit bodes well for the future.
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2/23/2008 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for about 3 hours, then repoured back into original bottle for transport, then another 2 hours in decanter. This is a great port, and an awesome qpr given availabilty/pricing in secondary market. Doing very well, with tart raisens, lots of grape, and layer upon layer of smooth fruits. Flavors carry on for well over a minute. A bit that was saved in a .375 for a few days later retained many of the original characteristics, but had a much stronger, if brief, alcohol burn on the way down the hatch.
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2/9/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
saturday afternoon port tasting (Binny's Highland Park, Highland Park IL): nose: very sumptuous and deep nose of chocolate, cranberry, plum, nuts, raisins, and vanilla. The fruit is very pure and focused
taste: really wonderful and full feel with cranberry, plum, chocolate, and hints of raisins and vanilla
overall: really polished and firm. Amazing structure on this showing that this is still a baby with a lot more development to still happen. A great port
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12/28/2007 - jnanz wrote: 92 Points
Very fruity almost grapey. Good tannin and the alcohol comes into balance with time very good port.
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12/4/2007 - cmbond wrote:
Christmas Dinner at Characters. Decanted 8 hrs. Deep opaque purple color to the rim. Great nose of spices, prunes, flowers and oak. This was beautiful on the palate, with supreme concentration, but also being very light at the same time. Lots of dark fruits and spice. This is just starting to drink well, and will last a long while.
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9/23/2007 - dougie wrote: 94 Points
At the beginning (after 3 hours of decanting), it was very isolated flavors and heavy. But, after another hour, it started to integrate. The finish actually became wonderful after 5 hours decanting. Needs atleast 5 more years and more decanting. Amazing wine.
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9/16/2007 - g-man wrote: 92 Points
Had anothyer go at a 375ml to check in on. Decanted with a fair amount of sediment and ran through a filter. Not much on the nose at all. waited 4 hours before trying and was still tight (not surprised) but did offer up chocolate and hazel nut. Allowed to sit in the decanter overnight and poured back in the bottle in the morning. At this point the nose is very attractive and will finish later in the day. Withoiut extended decanting this is still 10 years from being near ready for providing pleasure. This has serious backbone but will be glorious when ready.
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9/15/2007 - erikwiechers wrote: 92 Points
1994 Dow
At 10 Am i decanted the bottle. Nice red colour upon pouring. Very little sediment again in the bottle. Maybe its too young ?
The smell is heavy with lots of fruit,.mostly black fruit like blue-berries, grapes and plums. I also smell something spicey, maybe its the alcohol at this point. Its not disturbing at all because the fruit is overwhelming. Cant wait to try the first sip.
Yesterday i bought a nice blue-veined Stilton cheese for this occasion and i am very curious how the cheese will match with the wine.
3 hours after decanting, first glass:
The colour is very dark with some red showing on the side of the glass.
The tearing is excellent when i swirl the glass. The smell is a little less dense but i still smell lots of fruit. Again i smell something spicey, but i cant determine what it is. Maybe when i taste it it will reveal itself.
The taste is a bit dry, lots of tannins, lots of alcohol and a little acid. The aftertaste is long and spicey but also sweet. I taste lots of red and black fruit. The funny thing is, i started to taste the fruit after i had some of the Stilton. Before that it was not spectacular. Maybe its way too young at this point or maybe its closing again ? Or maybe, and i hope for that, it hasnt decanted enough. Will try again in 3 hours or so.
6 hours after decanting, second glass:
Smell is still excellent, at this point i smell fruit, flowers, raisins and some faint leather. But the main smell is freshly squeezed grape-juice.
The taste has improved, maybe its the temperature, this morning the bottle came out of my storage room under the stairs. The temperature there is about 5 degrees lower then my room temperature.
It still is very complex, sweet but also lots of tannins and a little acid. I detect some old wood and cigars.
The aftertaste goes on forever, after 2 minutes i still taste sweetness. It also burns a little in the back of my throat.
All with all i liked it, but im not too enthousiastic at this stage. Maybe it was a off-bottle, maybe the wine is still way too young or is closing again but at this point i rate it 91-92
With 9 bottles left in my cabinet i try this wine again in 5 years but it could easily be stored for another 15-25 years.
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9/14/2007 - last chance wrote: 96 Points
Dark inky color. The nose had a lot of prune/raisin, dark cherry and chocolate aromas. The palate was just wonderful, and was the most fruit laden Port that I have tasted so far. The fruit leaned toward dark cherry and raspberry with coffee and chocolate nuances. There was still some alcohol coming through on the finish, but it's a Port. This was a lot of fun to drink with friends while it was young.
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5/28/2007 - ashannon wrote:
Execellent look for for drinking this on 2015
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5/6/2007 - spartacus111 wrote: 96 Points
Best after around 5 hours of decanting. Heavy sediment upon opening, strong alcohol on nose. At 5 hours decanting, tastes of chocolate and raisins. Young but really delicious now. I look forward to trying this again in 3-5 years. At 25 hours, still very, very good, but has lost some of its complexity.
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3/11/2007 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Of course, way too young. Dark purple, notes of blueberry and plum on the alcoholic nose. High quality on the tongue, with red fruits, alcohol, some acrid notes. Need to wait 10 years.
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2/18/2007 - TwoDogs wrote: 95 Points
Enjoyed bottle over a long period of time. What an elegant treat.
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12/23/2006 - wineward wrote: 95 Points
Very rich and complex. Flavors of raisin, prune, currant and leather play across the tongue. The finish is long and needs more time to smooth out, but drinking over a week later (1/2/07) it is still a fantastic polish to a meal.
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10/22/2006 - tomandlu wrote: 93 Points
Decanted into a wide pitcher 3 hours prior to drinking (consumes from 375 ml bottle). Color was a deep purple-red, as thought it were a barrel sample. The nose was hot (to be expected) but quickly revealed scents of tobacco, violets, ripe grapes and cocoa. Delicious to drink, though very young, the wine gave up tastes of coffee, grapes, figs and currants. The finish lasted longer than I was willing to count (at least 45 seconds). Yes this was too young to drink but is was a pleasure none the less. For my taste this has years of improvement before it peaks but is very compelling now.
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10/10/2006 - pbjosh wrote:
For what little I know about port I'd say that this seems young, has a touch of heat, has great spice and depth and is tremendously rich. To me, less sweet as a typical cheaper port, though I think that is more a function of the sweetness being better balanced by copious fruit, spice, tannin and acid. Yummy. Unfortunately still too sweet and brandy tasting/alcoholic for Michelle.
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10/3/2006 - PortFanatic wrote: 97 Points
Tasted with Paul Symington at the Graham's Port Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Very vinous nose. Dark black fruit nose. Even darker than Graham's. Huge fruit entry. Awesome grip. Really supurb! Long, long finish. Essence of black fruit. Great grip and acid. 97 points.
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9/7/2006 - kris.h wrote: 94 Points
Immediately after opening, the nose was a bit hot but after "Audouzing" for about 10 hours and then a double decant, the alcohol was very well integrated. Nicely complex with cinnamon and rich fruit. Full body, rich and round. Long finish. Enjoyable now but will be even better in a decade.
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7/29/2006 - paulg936 wrote: 97 Points
Still young but drinking beautifully. Unbelievable nose with great flavors; a big mouthful that just lingers on and on.
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1/28/2006 - KPB wrote: 92 Points
An attractive port, with a nose of red current fruit and a long, saturated, sweet finish. Still very young.
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12/15/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
2001 Cults (Plus some extras) from Delyap & Tommy 'O (Vancouver): (From 375) Surprisingly developed wine in this format. Tastes sort of middle-aged. However, really excellent. Tons of material here. Great fruit and strength of tannins. Gorgeous with blue cheese and pecans.
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5/14/2005 - cassetta wrote: 94 Points
Blair's Burgundy and Bordeaux Blowout: Still a baby and primary.
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2/12/2005 - Greg W wrote: 95 Points
Served from half bottle (375). Very dark purple color, slight bricking on the edges. Powerful nose of dark berries - very fruity and very open. On the palate, great fruit (plums, berries, chocolate), very ripe but not too sweet, beautifully balanced by the power. Love the structure and mouth-feel of this wine. Powerful, balanced finish - very long and very tasty. Maybe this is too young to drink, but it was sure pleasurable now.
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2/4/1998 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points
6 Ports Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Nice rich nose, raisin, overdone to me, nice flavors, jammy, rich tasting, medium finish, slightly hot finish. My #5 of 6.
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