Bottled by Berry Bros. and bought there about a year ago.
Directly after decanting: old brownish colour with only hints of red and orange. A bit hot and medicinal on the nose, witl lots of old notes like leather, tobacco and earth. The palate shows smoky flavours, some dried fruit (dates, rose hips). Soft, smooth and straightforward, but on the finish it gets unpleasantly hot. A pleasant glass, but surely one to drink sooner than later. 88 points.
Tried again after 2 hours and finally after 4,5 hours accompanied by some Portuguese (runny) cheeses. The heat did blow off to some extend with time, but not completely. The ports gained some light red fruit, but overall the evolution in the decanter was minimal. The cheeses worked wonders however to get rid of the heat on the finish. A good match. With food: 89 points.
Very nice to have tried this port, and certainly one that drinks well at the moment. But I must admit that I had hoped this would rate one or two points higher.
1966 Quinta do Noval
- RonnieRoots
- Fonseca 1980
- Posts: 1981
- Joined: 08:28 Thu 21 Jun 2007
- Location: Middle Earth
1966 Quinta do Noval VP
Tasted April 2006: