1988 Vargellas Vintage Port
Posted: 00:53 Thu 22 Nov 2007
Half bottle opened and poured (no decanting at all). Mid red colour, opaque in the centre with some fading and bricking and the edge. Nose of young blackcurrants and violets and a touch of mint, but rather closed. In the mouth the first impression is of cough medicine but the mid-palate brings a rustic, earthy blackcurrant and bramble fruitiness and a pleasant supporting acidity. The aftertaste carries on with the earthy theme, mixed with raisins and prunes with a hugely peppery overtone that has a very good length. Not a great port, but pleasant enough. Probably bottom quartile on this showing but not one of the worst 5 vintage ports I expect to drink this year but equally, a port that is unlikely to improve in the bottle over the next 10 years. 1/1 or 84/100.
After 1 hour in the glass the port had changed although the colour was still the same. The nose had opened up and was a dusty raspberry. The raspberries were also the first flavour into the mouth, sweet and with a fresh mintiness. The tannins were obvious in the midpalate, giving a nice structure underneath an enjoyable fruitiness. The aftertaste was better than when first poured but started with a bit of an alcoholic burn followed by a long aftertaste built around a core of Angostura Bitters. 85/100 or 2/2.
After 1 hour in the glass the port had changed although the colour was still the same. The nose had opened up and was a dusty raspberry. The raspberries were also the first flavour into the mouth, sweet and with a fresh mintiness. The tannins were obvious in the midpalate, giving a nice structure underneath an enjoyable fruitiness. The aftertaste was better than when first poured but started with a bit of an alcoholic burn followed by a long aftertaste built around a core of Angostura Bitters. 85/100 or 2/2.