1966 Quinta do Noval

[Alex Bridgeman]

BBR bottled. Mature red appearance, brick red edge. A slight hint of plastic on the nose - which RAYC correctly described as over-ripe honeydew melon - mixed in with gentle coffee. Soft toffee on the palate, a bitter sloe edge mixed with a sweet fruit and surprisingly vigorous tannins. Lively, spicy aftertaste which is big and powerful. The bitter fruit slowly fades but leads to a very, very long finish of burnt raisins. Served blind, this I guessed this to be Noval 1927 (but it was correctly identified by WS1). 94/100. Drunk 28-Dec-13 at this dinner. Decanting time N/K.