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Eleven regulars gathered in a crowded Bung Hole to give Mr Doty a break from Wimbledon, in the form of a 1966 horizontal. It’s a hard life.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1966 Fonseca;
• 1966 Taylor;
• 1966 Croft;
• 1966 Niepoort;
• 1966 Sandeman;
• 1966 Offley;
• 1966 Dow;
• 1966 Graham;
• 1966 Warre (probably);
• 1966 Gould Campbell;
• 1966 Warre;
• 1966 Quinta do Noval;
• Placemats;
• Planning and arrangements;
• 1966 Château Cantenac Brown;
• 1966 Château Langoa Barton.

N66. Glorious red, 60% opaque. The taste a little closed is this too young? Is this too young! behind the closedness some large purple fruit, but lovely texture and size. Maybe a slight hollowness relating to the closedness. My notes say ‟wait a decade”. Will the elevens take as long to mature, I wonder.

Very pink, I thought, much denser colour than many of the others. The nose was stewed fruit. In the mouth it was syrupy and jammy, juicy like good blackcurrant jam, with light pepper. I appreciated the aplomb of this port but I was slightly surprised by the density of the fruit, and thought it was a little unbalanced still.

Quinta do Noval
Flavors and aromas of stewed rasp, red currant, red cherry. Among the most youthful in flavors, fresh fruits.

Plum red, rose rime; 60% opaque. Turkish Delight on the nose, full of rose water and icing sugar. Gentle entry with pronounced acidity and a slightly thinner texture than most other ports from this vintage. Quite dry, very floral and with lots of Turkish Delight. Oranges flash through the aftertaste, leading to a long orange syrup finish that turns into a lingering gentle coffee finish, with concentrated dried cranberry. 94/100.