1985 Warre

[Alex Bridgeman]

Decanted at 8am, short cork with less than ½cm of penetration, moderate deposits of sediment looking like chipped bark mulch. Immediate impressions were of a very deep red colour, opaque at the centre but with a hint of mahogany on the rim. Absolutely no VA, but a wonderful nose of morello cherry juice and a hint of rosemary. Thick and sweet impact of the cherries promised on the nose, but with some balancing acidity that grows on the tongue and with some dusty tannins still evident. Cranberries and raoted meats came to mind. Lovely and very interesting in the mid-palate. A slight burn on swallowing followed by a warm glow of mulled wine at the back of the tongue that spreads out across the inside of the cheeks but is a little short. Promising showing straight from the decanter. 6/6

4½ hours later there is not much change in colour since decanting but the nose has opened up more with the cherries now noticeable as you move the glass towards your face. Some dustiness now in the nose and a slight hint of eucalyptus. Very full bodied in the mouth and with significantly more complexity than at first. Lots of layers of deep red fruits and more pronounced roasted meats. Candied raspberry drops on swallowing and the aftertaste is now significantly more mouth filling and longer lasting than before. Improving nicely. 6/6.

9 hours after decanting and the nose is now dominated by dusty loganberries; less weight in the mouth and now the tannins are showing more clearly. Plenty of cranberries in the mid-palate and even some spicy radish! The aftertaste is still very stong and pleasant and long-lasting. However, overall I would say that this is not quite as impressive as it was 4½ hours after decanting. 6/6.

The remainder of the bottle was drunk over the following 3 days. Although the port was enjoyable over that time, it did not improve with extended decanting time and was probably at its best after 4½ hours, when I rated it at 90/100 points.