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The traditional Christmas Tasting was held in Tom’s pub.

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• Davy's Crusted 197? (I — CPR);
• 196? Martinez (II — MPM);
• 1922 Martinez (III — AHB);
• 1935 Sandeman (IV — IDJ);
• 1945 Dow (V — THRA);
• 1912 Cockburn (VI — PW);
• 1955 Taylor (VII — ?);
• 1924 Unknown (VIII — RLC);
• 1927 Tuke Holdsworth (IX — AP);
• 1933 Quinta do Cais Colheita, bottled 1988 (X — WPS);
• Paperwork: sticky labels, TN and voting pages;
• Planning and arrangements.

20% opacity, nice and clear, brown-amber. Fresh nose, bubblegum. Soft smooth entry then faint heat and acidity. Syrupy, stewed fruits - apricots. For a 94 y/o port, still retaining great liveliness.

Bought at auction as part of a parcel that included this bottle bearing a handwritten label reading "Graham 1945", which the bottle clearly wasn't. Happily the cork was clearly branded "Martinez 1922".

Gentle bronze colour, 20% opaque. Slightly dirty nose, but under the dirt was a lovely summer meadow full of flowers. Smooth texture on entry with delicious sweet honey but with lots of floral perfume. Great palate development and a wonderful complexity to the port leading to a warm aftertaste and a lingering finish of flowers, coffee and burnt sugar. Very lovely, but slightly too sweet to be a top port. Note that in the glass there were hints of beeswing. 87/100. 15-Dec-16. Decanted 1 hour.