ThePortForum.com

place holder for tasting notes from Friday, February 27, 2009 - NYC tasting

Quinta da Costa De Baixo 20-yr Old Tawny Port

Yellowish Tawny color in the glass. It looks much lighter and thinner than a normal 20-yr old. It is also very slightly cloudy.

A small amount of VA is present on the nose, along with a minty freshness minus the mint. Others mentioned specific mints, but I couldn't detect any actual mint at all... just that fresh lightness that typically accompanies mint.

Oak and vanilla immediately in the mouth, followed by a soft tangy citrus and a light caramel that is - thanks Dominic - diffuse. The mouth feel and body weight seem somewhat weak. This is not a concentrated Port, and really a 20-yr old should already be well down that hill.

The finish reminds me of caramel cashew Poppycock, but is relatively short.

Thank you Josh for the sample, which I drank yesterday and on which I forgot to take notes. Vague recollections include: cloudy; initial heat, then a citrus-type note; very enjoyable. Thank you.

Wee -- what a crazy wine.
There was sediment in the stout bottle's neck (bottled 2003) when I stood it upright. This bottle had been sequestered in a little wooden box for the past 5 years since I carried it back from Portugal, and there was mold inside the box from the basement's moisture.

It's very light -- a pink/light brown coloration, and "a little murky." The nose is particularly spirity, and some rightly detect celery (I was very nervous about the whiff that came off it when the cork first came out). It's citrusy at the start of it's flavor, and while some claim caramel cashews, I hold firm that this is Harry & Davids moose munch: Caramel Butter popcorn, with some nuts and a little chocolate. Sadly, between the sweetness and the color, this has clearly madierized. A fun and interesting wine, but rather low in quality.

As I have the remains of the bottle, I've just poured a little (now at almost a week since opening):
Same spirity nose with citrus, with a color like a brandy. This has more in common with cream sherry or manzanilla than port. Oh there's a lovely burst of pipe smoke in the mouth, and some of that citrus has faded. There's really no fruit to speak of, or so little that it's not worth counting. It warms me up, but leaves little flavor in the tail. A nuttiness remains, but the moose munch is gone.

(in part, this wine reflects one of the reasons I joined the forum, to share odd bottles with people who will appreciate them, even if they don't excel)