On first opening, the colour of a rose muscat rather than a port; I could read text through a tasting-sized sample of it so arguably 0% opaque.
Following 30 minute decant, hot nose with hint of dried apricot rehydrated in tea. Front palate of Turkish delight, a little chilli heat mid palate, followed by tea again, fading to a long warming light finish. At this stage, as a drink this is very much pleasanter than I was expecting but- if it could be described as a port- it shows as a port that should probably have been drunk twenty years ago.
+ 12 hours
Touch of sloes on the nose, and a hint of rose petal, indeed not unreminiscent of sloe gin on the mid palate; rosehip syrup late, with a warming orange finish- more distinctly Croft-like, perhaps, and indeed port-like, than it was 12 hours ago. I would go as far now as to describe this as rather nice wine. But I still question whether it would better have been drunk in the year 2000.
+24 hours
This has darkened a shade, now 20% opaque. Some rosemary and grapefruit on the nose. The rosehip syrup and sloe gin notes have faded. Wood dominates the palate- it's now more like a tawny than a vintage. Pleasant heat, with dried oranges, almost marmalade notes, on the finish.
This was purchased at auction a while back for really-not-very-much-money. I have one more bottle from the same lot which I look forward to drinking reasonably soon (next 12-18 months), and which I will aim to decant at lunchtime and refrigerate for drinking in the evening after dinner. I would not buy more, unless it was a bargain, because I cannot see that there is any upside for this wine. But if it was, say, £25 a bottle, and was to be consumed at a sitting with a couple of friends, I would much rather drink this than C21st SQVP.
Consumed 20/2/20-21/2/20