1970 Delaforce

Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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Will W.
Taylor’s LBV
Posts: 183
Joined: 14:33 Thu 11 Aug 2016

1970 Delaforce

Post by Will W. »

Your correspondent was looking forward to the dinner party on 01 March 2020: friends of friends from the New World – port neophytes both – were in town and most anything would do. And Her Ladyship, who had a head cold, declared magnanimously that, under the circumstances, she had no preference with respect to the wines. Left to his own devices, your correspondent selected a 1977 Morgan’s vintage port to open the festivities - out of curiosity more than anything else - with a 1960 Krohn colheita being listed as the closing act, with unquestionable confidence that this choice would ensure that the scripted portion of the evening would end on a high.

Both of the bottles were corked.

Under the circumstances, one could not help but think of Lady Bracknell’s dictum: to lose one bottle to TCA may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Her Ladyship said much the same thing. Unmagnanimously.

The available decanting time being somewhat limited following the double-TCA debacle, a 1970 Delaforce was selected to replace the Morgan’s. Your correspondent has several such bottles available in the cellar, though he had never tried one. It proved to be a propitious choice given the remaining three-hour decanting window, which proved to be just about right. ‘Twas more good luck than capable management, of course, though your correspondent was by this juncture due for something to break his way. And break his way things did: the 1970 Delaforce was really rather good.

In the glass, the port was translucent, the colour being redolent of black cherry with a slight amber hue; additionally, a touch of yellow was discernible on the rim. At the nose, the minerality, forest floor and stewed prunes were together suggestive of a younger port. Whilst some would have characterised the nose as being a touch understated, your correspondent was content, notwithstanding the fact that he is no great fan of the combination of minerality, forest floor and stewed fruit in his fortified wine. Still, one appreciates that others are. On the fore-palate, semi-sweet cherry and strawberry notes were apparent as well as most agreeable. At the mid-palate, the cherry and strawberry gave way to a gentle heat which was in no way biting; this warmth carried the wine across the balance of the palate as well as through the finish. The residual sugar and acidity levels within this relatively dry port remain wonderfully balanced; and, whilst the barest hint of tannins was discernible at the back of the palate, those holding bottles of 1970 Delaforce might consider them to be approaching the end of their optimal drinking window. In the meantime, this is a port to be recommended.

-92 points
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