1958 Warre vintage port
Posted: 18:49 Mon 01 Dec 2008
Having secured a fair stash of these recently, I thought I ought to pop one.
English bottled in classic form, with wax capsules, no labels and loads of cellar grime.
Decanted cleanly, and the first sip of the dregs was very agreeable.
D + 4 hours - as a nightcap it seemed a bit hot and peppery, and possibly a bit tertiary. After a promising first sip it was a little disappointing.
D + 24 hours (decanter kept at about 12 degrees C) - very much improved, all hints of heat and tertiary character had vanished, with the wine showing a classic Warre signature.
D + 48 hours - could it get better? Yes it can... glorious glugging!
D + 144 hours (after a few days away, decanter still kept cool) - still in top form, absolutely no sign of deterioration.
One of my best encounters of the past year, a perfectly mature wine.
To score - for immediate gratification, an easy 9. The prospects, well, it's getting old and it's not likely to improve further. I'm hopeful that it will still be showing well in another decade, but one has to be realistic.
Score 9-8
Tom
English bottled in classic form, with wax capsules, no labels and loads of cellar grime.
Decanted cleanly, and the first sip of the dregs was very agreeable.
D + 4 hours - as a nightcap it seemed a bit hot and peppery, and possibly a bit tertiary. After a promising first sip it was a little disappointing.
D + 24 hours (decanter kept at about 12 degrees C) - very much improved, all hints of heat and tertiary character had vanished, with the wine showing a classic Warre signature.
D + 48 hours - could it get better? Yes it can... glorious glugging!
D + 144 hours (after a few days away, decanter still kept cool) - still in top form, absolutely no sign of deterioration.
One of my best encounters of the past year, a perfectly mature wine.
To score - for immediate gratification, an easy 9. The prospects, well, it's getting old and it's not likely to improve further. I'm hopeful that it will still be showing well in another decade, but one has to be realistic.
Score 9-8
Tom