1983 Dow vintage port
Posted: 08:30 Thu 17 Apr 2008
An emergency decant when the decanter emptied prematurely and out of the half bottle that I had promised Derek I would keep for the 750 vs 375 tasting that he wants to organise 
The last of the half bottles bought from Sainsbury in spring 2005. Very pale in colour and surprisingly little sediment came out of the bottle into the unbleached filter paper - most sediment remained in the bottle, despite this being an emergency decant. Straight out of the bottle, this was a very pale colour and stank of burnt rubber. Depressingly tainted by bottle stink. However, a few sips showed that this was still a lovely port under that smell.
After 24 hours in the decanter, the colour was still pale but had put on weight to become a glowing mahogany red-brown. The nose was much improved with no sign of the bottle stink, but a high toned spiritiness over a raspberry creme brulee. Restrained in the mouth, a touch of stewiness left over from the bottle stink, lots of raspberry and sweet cranberry in the mid-palate over a nice pine-sap flavoured tannic structure and lots of acidity. Delicious aftertaste, glowing from the heat but with lovely rose hips on the long length.
Overall, this is not a bad wine, but is not a blockbuster - pleasant enough and good as an emergency decant choice. 4/4 or 89/100. Drunk 16 April 2008.
The last of the half bottles bought from Sainsbury in spring 2005. Very pale in colour and surprisingly little sediment came out of the bottle into the unbleached filter paper - most sediment remained in the bottle, despite this being an emergency decant. Straight out of the bottle, this was a very pale colour and stank of burnt rubber. Depressingly tainted by bottle stink. However, a few sips showed that this was still a lovely port under that smell.
After 24 hours in the decanter, the colour was still pale but had put on weight to become a glowing mahogany red-brown. The nose was much improved with no sign of the bottle stink, but a high toned spiritiness over a raspberry creme brulee. Restrained in the mouth, a touch of stewiness left over from the bottle stink, lots of raspberry and sweet cranberry in the mid-palate over a nice pine-sap flavoured tannic structure and lots of acidity. Delicious aftertaste, glowing from the heat but with lovely rose hips on the long length.
Overall, this is not a bad wine, but is not a blockbuster - pleasant enough and good as an emergency decant choice. 4/4 or 89/100. Drunk 16 April 2008.