After reading notes from others regarding the many flawed bottles of this vintage, I opened this port on Christmas Eve with low expectations. But after a decant of roughly 24 hours, I am reminded of why aged vintage port is one of the world’s great wines. On the nose are notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, Asian tea, and a hint of vanilla…complex but still fresh, vibrant and inviting. Light garnet in color, with various shades of bright amber towards the rim. On the palate: wonderfully balanced with med acidity and smooth tannins still present to help offset the thick, sappy medley of rich red fruit. Long finish, and a wonderful accompaniment to our Christmas morning.
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I was a little apprehensive bc this was purchased at auction and thought it could be past its prime. I got lucky this time.
On the nose: at first, lots of funk and diaper as noted below. But this blew off after about 30 mins and was replaced by raspberry, liquorice, and a hint of thyme…then about an hour later came Christmas spices…clove and cinnamon, then finally sous bois + black pepper notes. Extremely fragrant! About 2 hours after opening it all came together.
Palate: medium + acidity and relatively firm tannins for a 30+ year Musigny. Dare I say, I think this could go a few more years if stored well! Lots of red fruit with a velvety, long finish. Superb!
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Wow, this really needed a TON of time + air before it started to really open up and show itself. I was beginning to get a little worried after decanting 2hrs and getting very little to show for it. I almost poured it down the drain but then...another 2 hours later...our patience really paid off.
About 4hrs+ in it was completely different with cigar box, dried basil/herb notes and good amount of Sous Bois on the nose. As we tasted over the next hour, I was somewhat surprised by a large amount of fresh blue fruit left with some interesting notes of spiced nuts, and then a wonderful mint, eucalyptus finish. We all commented on how the mint really seemed to jump out.
Maybe I got lucky with a great bottle? I’ve never really thought too much of this particular vintage but my advice would be to give these a long 4+ hr decant before trying.
1983 Cockburn Porto Vintage
12/25/2022 - GetSwanked Likes this wine: 94 Points
After reading notes from others regarding the many flawed bottles of this vintage, I opened this port on Christmas Eve with low expectations. But after a decant of roughly 24 hours, I am reminded of why aged vintage port is one of the world’s great wines. On the nose are notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, Asian tea, and a hint of vanilla…complex but still fresh, vibrant and inviting. Light garnet in color, with various shades of bright amber towards the rim. On the palate: wonderfully balanced with med acidity and smooth tannins still present to help offset the thick, sappy medley of rich red fruit. Long finish, and a wonderful accompaniment to our Christmas morning.
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1991 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
2/3/2022 - GetSwanked Likes this wine: 96 Points
I was a little apprehensive bc this was purchased at auction and thought it could be past its prime. I got lucky this time.
On the nose: at first, lots of funk and diaper as noted below. But this blew off after about 30 mins and was replaced by raspberry, liquorice, and a hint of thyme…then about an hour later came Christmas spices…clove and cinnamon, then finally sous bois + black pepper notes. Extremely fragrant! About 2 hours after opening it all came together.
Palate: medium + acidity and relatively firm tannins for a 30+ year Musigny. Dare I say, I think this could go a few more years if stored well! Lots of red fruit with a velvety, long finish. Superb!
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2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
12/20/2020 - GetSwanked Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow, this really needed a TON of time + air before it started to really open up and show itself. I was beginning to get a little worried after decanting 2hrs and getting very little to show for it. I almost poured it down the drain but then...another 2 hours later...our patience really paid off.
About 4hrs+ in it was completely different with cigar box, dried basil/herb notes and good amount of Sous Bois on the nose. As we tasted over the next hour, I was somewhat surprised by a large amount of fresh blue fruit left with some interesting notes of spiced nuts, and then a wonderful mint, eucalyptus finish. We all commented on how the mint really seemed to jump out.
Maybe I got lucky with a great bottle? I’ve never really thought too much of this particular vintage but my advice would be to give these a long 4+ hr decant before trying.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)