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Am ‘emergency’ tasting, chez jdaw1, starting at 4:30pm Saturday 3rd January 2009. Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1970 Fonseca;
• 1985 Fonseca;
• 1983 Dow;
• 1985 Dow;
• 1985 Noval;
• 1985 Cálem;
• 1994 Cálem;
• 1989½Â±4½ Cálem;
• Planning and arrangements, such as they were;
• Placemats.

1983 Dow: as with the Dow 1985, the Dow 1983 is slightly translucent, though an edge darker than the younger sibling. Nosing, eccentrically for me, of cherries and then passionfruit. With time the passionfruit increasing. Initially sift, then heat and pepper from mid-palate until the end. At peak. Lovely, and strangely better than the 1985.

1983 Dow: I preferred this to the 85 Dow. The color was a nice clear mid-tone red. I found it to be more fragrant than the 85, vaguely reminiscent of apple cider vinegar (but in a good way) with a slight woodiness to it. On the palate, milk chocolate and cherries, fairly dry and smooth, although slightly flat on the finish. Very good, easy drinking.

The following day, with Eric for company, the 1983 Dow was very very soft. ‟No bite”, I wrote. More unctuous, but all the pepper had gone. Lacks grip too long in the decanter.