1977 Warre

[Alex Bridgeman]

A bottle from a case acquired at auction in 2011. Wonderful deep cherry red, looking deliciously mature; 80% opaque. The nose leaps out of the glass so even as I move the glass around to look at the colour I can detect the warm smell of red toffee. Getting closer to the glass brings out the dusty cherry and twist of basil. On the palate this has a great concentration and a lovely thick texture. There is a spark of fire on the mid-palate and a sloe-like bitterness to the fruit that adds a delicious counterpoint to the sweet cherry syrup. The aftertaste brings a twist of smoke to the flavour profile and the heat gently warms until the bitter-sweet cherries and red licorice settle in for a long, long finish. Delicious and very more-ish port at its peak today. 91/100. Drunk 05-Nov-16. Decanted 16 hours.