1994 Dow

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 22:10 Sat 27 Aug 2016

Even with 20 years of bottle age, this port has not developed any large lumps of sediment. This was very difficult to decant as it was full of very fine sediment that refused to settle, eventually I was forced to resort to unbleached coffee filter paper.

Deep red in colour, no youthful purple but neither is there any bricking; 95% opaque. On the nose this is complex with red cherries mixed with lime acidity and a hint of charcoal; the alcohol protrudes slightly, but this could have been due to the heat of the day. This arrives on the palate quite gently, but build up layer after layer with the red cherries the first phase, followed by prickling lime acidity and gentle charcoal tannins. The palate is big and burly and still full of youth but with lovely hints of maturity. The aftertaste is huge, dried red fruits and a massive, lingering cranberry finish. This is a huge port which has decades of development yet to come. Drink sparingly to make them last! 93/100. Drunk 27-Aug-16. Decanted 2 hours.