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I still have a few of these purchased early on, what do you believe to be the drinkability of these moving forward, in terms of longevity or lack thereof? While ready now and drinking very nicely, I believe that the Douro bake is integrating itself into the flavour profile of the wine and is becomi...

Given the interest in this note, I should make it clear that this was a snapshot tasting note, and not one which had the benefit of extended retasting over a number of days. I'm quite happy to find out in later years (or even months) that this bottle was atypical or that my taste-buds had been exhau...

Almost as deep in colour as the 1994, but with a slightly transparent edge. Chocolate on the nose, with a touch of alcohol showing through - dusty and slightly harsh. Tannins and acidity dominate initially in the mouth but with a fruit presence; lacking in balance but with promising development. Hea...

Solid red centre, transparent on the rim. Hugely herbaceous nose, some blueberry mixed with sage. Sweet entry, showing sweet damsons; very tannic with quite a grip. Nice development. Empty aftertaste other than some cheek tingling sensation, although some flavours do develop on the finish. Adequate ...

Very light colour, pink! Certainly not the colour of a typical 1997. Sweet red licorice on a fragrant nose. Sweet entry, red licorice again with masses of cherry juice and soft milk chocolate tannins. Very forward, mature and very tasty. Gentle and tasty aftertaste. Very advanced and very drinkable....

Snapshot tasting note. Deep red colour, young but with no purple. Vigorous and fresh nose of vibrant fruit. Sweet entry, full of fruit; good levels of acidity and soft tannins. Lots of fruit in the mix, good complexity. Elegance and finesse, not a blockbuster but with lovely balance. Nice drinking i...

Light rim, transparent centre. Quite empty on the nose. Sweet into the mouth but with good tannins drying out the secondary palate. Some bitterness in the mid-palate. The aftertaste is of sweet raspberry jam. Not a great vintage port - perhaps disjointed through being closed. 92/100. Tasted 19 April...

Developed colour, darker than the 1997 Foz shown alongside. Some orange on the rim. Sweet raspberry and cinnamon on the nose. Soft and sweet in the mouth, a little thin in texture. Dry tannins dominate at the moment in the mid palate but the sweet fruit shows through well. Elegant and sweet. Pleasan...

Snapshot tasting note. Purple-red in colour. Lavender and blueberries on the nose. Sweet fruity impact. Soft tannins grip well but with finesse while huge levels of fruit build up. Big aftertaste. This wine is showing very well, allowing the sweet fruit to dominate. Probably a 20 year port. 89/100. ...

Deep red, showing some bricking on the rim. Little on the nose. Dry entry, tannins dominate from the start. Texture is thin, a little watery. Mature fruit flavours come through well in the mid-palate. Gentle aftertaste, not showing much. Drink over the next 10 years. 85/100. Tasted 19 April 2010.

From Rozes. Located at the extreme eastern edge of the Douro Superior, the port from this Quinta is intended to be consumed young. Very young colour, still showing some purple. Lavender perfume and blueberry on the nose. Big impact, sweet and fruity. Good tannic components, great levels of fruit but...

Ramos Pinto. Snapshot tasting note. Deep red with opaque purple core. Vibrant blackcurrants on the nose, very lively. Soft and satin texture, followed by a huge wave of tannic blackcurrants. Big, dry aftertaste with wonderful levels of fruit and a great length. Very tasty port. 91/100. Tasted 19 Apr...

Ramos Pinto. Snapshot tasting note. Pitch black in colour with a blackcurrant and floral nose. Grip leaps out of the smooth texture and doesn't let go. Lots of tannin but well balanced with the mass of fruit. A big aftertaste and a terrific length. A serious port. 91/100. Tasted 28 October 2009.

Snapshot tasting note. Deep scarlet in colour and fairly closed on the nose. Viscious grip on the tongue, but with the fruit needed to balance. Lots of acidity and lovely fruit layers. A long and delicious aftertaste. 90/100. Drunk 28 October 2009 after 1 hour decanting.

Evolving red colour, slight orange showing on the rim. There is a harsh note on the nose over pleasant stewed redcurrant. Sweet impact, gentle fruit and soft tannins; a lovely fruit presence and a delightful aftertaste. An elegant style of wine that will reward another 5-10 years but probably not mu...

Dow 1977 at the blind tasting at TCP on Monday 19 April 2010.

Warre 1980 at a Warre tasting on Saturday 17 April 2010.

I've only ever rated one port as 100 points and that was the not inexpensive Quinta do Noval Nacional 1963. Nothing else that I have tasted (including the NN63 on other occasions) was awarded the same perfect score. There are a handful of 99 point wines that I have tasted, but probably no more than ...

Still a baby, me from the 1963 vintage (and him, as well)

On Monday 19th April and in defience of an unpronounceable Icelandic volcano, Danny Cameron and Ben Campbell-Johnson organised an extremely impressive trade tasting of Fortified Wines. Attending were producers from many different countries showing many different styles of fortified wine including Ma...

I will decant pretty much any type or bottle of port which I drink if it is ruby or colheita. The only ports I wouldn't decant would be a basic white port (which I would probably mix with tonic) or a pink port (if I were to open one). I did once try an experiment with two bottles of Bin 27. One was ...

I wasn't holding out much hope for the Warre samples at the age of 104 hours, but I was immensely surprised and pleased with what I encountered. I've also decided that a common characteristic of old Warres are the elegant, wonderful and very impressive finish. Tonight, with the extended decanting I ...

Deep red in colour, no purple but lots of magenta. The nose is closed but does show some lavender and raspberry. Such smooth texture, a delightful presence on the palate. Plentiful fruit, bringing fresh and slightly tart blackberry. The tannins are present but very gentle. The palate presence is goo...

Oh and celery should accompany however I've noticed that it is proving difficult to obtain it where it doesn't taste of chemicals now. Celery grows beautifully in an old wooden port or wine box, filled with compost. A number of people can confirm this as they have seen my wife's salad garden for wh...

Deep red in colour, showing very little impact of the 10 years of age. Lovely soft nose of tart blueberries and lavender. Silky texture, soft flavours envelope the tongue and caress the cheeks before the tannins coat the teeth with fur - this is still so incredibly tannic for a 10 year old wine. The...

I'm known for being a relatively low scorer. 90-92 from me means that in my opinion this is a very tasty wine and one which brings a lot of enjoyment. 85-89 is a good wine that is one to buy and drink. 80-84 would be a good wine that is one to buy and drink if the price is right. 93+ points means th...