1995 Churchill Agua Alta

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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SushiNorth
Martinez 1985
Posts: 1341
Joined: 07:45 Mon 18 Feb 2008
Location: NJ & NY

1995 Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta

Post by SushiNorth »

(This one was predominantly drunk around +6 to +8 hrs after decanting.)
Overall, a mediocre port that likely won't improve much with age. It's cherry notes were best at +4, and there was an interesting taste of caramel as it neared the two-day mark. The alcohol overwhelmed it throughout. Fortunately, it was inexpensive. Unfortunately, I used that as an excuse to buy 4 bottles (this was only #1). There are pictures, but I'm not really motivated to post them at the moment.

+0 hrs Nose shows a lot of heat and cherries. The color is pale red, it started showing brick red within 15 minutes. The flavor has a lot of heat, then mint, then dried cherry beneath that.
+2 hrs Nose is closed. The appearance is cloudier (and remained so until the decanter was empty). The flavor is now strongly of cherries and the heat has faded. No tannins and very sweet. The mint has gone.
+4 hrs nose and taste are strongly of cherries, with a hint of smokiness. This was the wine's peak.
+6/+8 hrs Flavor is diminishing (Tipsiness is increasing).
+15 hrs Alcohol (heat) still strong, fruit up front then long burn
+31 hrs Alcohol still strong, fruit fading, taste is thinning
+43 hrs Alcohol faded. Fruit has come back a bit, but not all the way. A Caramel flavor has developed. This was something of a second wind for this port.
+49 Nose: Cherries + Alcohol, Color: Still no change. Taste: Alcohol, with a faint cherry/porty background. Tastes entirely worn out at this point.
JoshDrinksPort
Image Port wine should perhaps be added -- A Trollope
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RonnieRoots
Fonseca 1980
Posts: 1981
Joined: 08:28 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: Middle Earth

Post by RonnieRoots »

I had this bottle last year with a very similar experience. I see that I asked myself whether I encountered a weak bottle. Apparently not.
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