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1997 Noval
On Wednesday 9th August 2017 we gathered at The Boot & Flogger to taste some port.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1977 Fonseca (MPM I);
• 1977 Rebello Valente (CPR I: one half of a magnum);
• 1977 Rebello Valente (CPR II: another half of a magnum);
• 1970 Sandeman (DRL);
• 1983 Ramos Pinto (IDJ);
• 1970 Taylor (AHB);
• 1992 Churchill Agua Alta (SCD);
• 1970 Ramos Pinto (JDAW adopted from IDJ);
• 1977 Berry Bros & Rudd (Quarles Harris) (WPS);
• 1997 Noval (CMAG);
• 1975 Dow (TEF adopted from AHB);
• 1961 Krohn (TC);
• 1977 Smith Woodhouse (MPM II);
• Placemats;
• Food order;
• Planning and arrangements.

90% opacity, dark, dark red. Fruity, tannic, big. Long way to go! I guessed V97.

Very dark red with a narrow rim, no bricking on the colour but clearly not youthful. Quite closed on the nose, very restrained with little showing. Also restrained and held back on the palate, subdued and closed. Hard work and a lot of air does force this port to show deep, dark forest fruits which are so reluctant to show themselves but are very intense. Lingering cranberries show on the finish. This is a port which is so closed at the moments as to be impossible to make a fair assessment, but which seems to show so much depth and potential for when it recovers its poise. Served blind, this was guessed to be Warre 1994.

When identified, it seems clear that if opening a bottle of this port in the next year or two, allow a very long decant time (at least 24 hours). 89/100.

N97. Red-pink, 80% opaque. Young purple fruit.