Glenn E. wrote: ↑22:16 Tue 20 Oct 2020Alex's advice on tasting notes is also spot-on. Firstly and most importantly, your tasting notes should make sense to you. Unless you are a professional wine writer, you are the primary audience for your own notes. They're to help you remember what you've tasted before, and perhaps help you decide what to buy when you're in need of something to drink.
I agree with all of this.
AHB is also right that there is nothing wrong with your note at all.
Over the last few years, I have tried to identify what I am interested in when I re-read my notes and try to be more disciplined in making sure I cover those points.
For me they are:
Sight: Colour (centre / rim) — helpful for gauging maturity;
Opaqueness — helpful for maturity of young vintage ports, also for cloudiness in some tanwies;
Smell: Strength — does it knock you out or is it distant?;
Defects — corked etc;
Excessive alcohol — I don’t like spirity Ports;
Aromas — fruit etc.; and
Taste: Initial flavours — e.g. cherries, blackcurrants, dried oranges etc. etc.;
Tannins — for gauging maturity;
Acidity — ditto;
Dryness — I prefer Ports that taste sweeter;
Aftertaste flavours — often the initial flavours transform into different fruits;
Length of Aftertaste — very important to me that good Port should have a very long aftertaste.
I also give a value judgment answering the question “is this a good Port?” in one of three ways: certainly; possibly; or no. I sometimes add a plus or minus modifier to that value judgment which, I suppose means I am effectively scoring the Port on a 9-point scale.
A visit by a fellow Port-lover constitutes an emergency, and appropriate steps will be taken.
