Three years ago I was very impressed when I first opened a bottle of this, presumably a little before I joined CT as there is no note here. Impressed enough I have several bottles of QdN UnF LBV of various vintages in my cellar.
Today - and the several days I've drunk it over - I'm a little disappointed in comparison. It seems a bit simplified and lacking in intensity from how I remember it. Previously I thought, you wouldn't know this wasn't a reasonable vintage port, comparable to the decent single quintas that make up a reasonable fraction of my modest port consumption. But today it doesn't seem quite up to that.
I know these quality unfiltered LBVs are often kept for 20 years or more. So why shouldn't it be like other red wines that can have dumb periods between their attractive youth and mature peak? Maybe that's what's going on. But I don't know, I don't drink enough port to know about that, but it seems plausible.
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Wine-pages Glasgow Festival of Wine Pre Offline (Cail Bruich, Glasgow): Deep, dark, youthful purple. Lively, fresh, plummy black fruit, with a nice floral scent behind. Very youthful on the palate, but it is very well balanced, with no feeling of excessive alcohol or heat. Black fruit, blackberr, herbal and floral notes on the palate. Everything you want from a young port.
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Dark, ruby red colour with slight lilac edges. Concentrated and viscous. Restrained nose, with some airing black cherries, bitter chocolate, roasted herbs, flowers and minerals emerge. Sweet entry on the palate. Solid structure with smooth tannins and well integrated alcohol. Finishes with stony, mineral edges. Good value.
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11/4/2023 - M.Batard wrote: 89 Points
Dark ruby color, no miniscus or other hint of age. Have to agree with Echinosum; this comes across as pleasant and balanced, but simple.
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10/28/2023 - Echinosum wrote: 89 Points
Three years ago I was very impressed when I first opened a bottle of this, presumably a little before I joined CT as there is no note here. Impressed enough I have several bottles of QdN UnF LBV of various vintages in my cellar.
Today - and the several days I've drunk it over - I'm a little disappointed in comparison. It seems a bit simplified and lacking in intensity from how I remember it. Previously I thought, you wouldn't know this wasn't a reasonable vintage port, comparable to the decent single quintas that make up a reasonable fraction of my modest port consumption. But today it doesn't seem quite up to that.
I know these quality unfiltered LBVs are often kept for 20 years or more. So why shouldn't it be like other red wines that can have dumb periods between their attractive youth and mature peak? Maybe that's what's going on. But I don't know, I don't drink enough port to know about that, but it seems plausible.
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6/1/2018 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 91 Points
Wine-pages Glasgow Festival of Wine Pre Offline (Cail Bruich, Glasgow): Deep, dark, youthful purple.
Lively, fresh, plummy black fruit, with a nice floral scent behind.
Very youthful on the palate, but it is very well balanced, with no feeling of excessive alcohol or heat.
Black fruit, blackberr, herbal and floral notes on the palate.
Everything you want from a young port.
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1/21/2018 - Balthasar wrote: 91 Points
Dark, ruby red colour with slight lilac edges. Concentrated and viscous. Restrained nose, with some airing black cherries, bitter chocolate, roasted herbs, flowers and minerals emerge. Sweet entry on the palate. Solid structure with smooth tannins and well integrated alcohol. Finishes with stony, mineral edges. Good value.
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1/20/2018 - lewisrise wrote: 94 Points
Nose of stewed prunes. Deep notes of plum.
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