1945 Constantino

[nac]

Bottle kindly supplied by HTWH for a last minute dinner at Hawksmoor Air Street on 29th August 2024.

A near perfect cork that wasn't saturated and looked almost new.
70%+ opaque, nose fairly quite (maybe needed a slightly longer decant - it had 2ish hours), more developed in the mouth.

Will leave GEAG to provide a more accurate description, but this was truly astonishing for a 79 year old wine. If it had been served blind I'd have been guessing something like Fonseca 1985.

[winesecretary]

This was a remarkable bottle of port.

Cork came out cleanly and was of the highest quality.

80% opaque juice.

Nose redolent of violets. 'Taylor's!' you would say, if you didn't know what it was. 'A really good bottle of the 1970'.

And then on the palate, concord grape and blueberry. 'Fonseca!' you would say, if you didn't know what it was. 'The 1985 really has come on'.

Only the fact that the tannins were substantially resolved might alert you to the fact that this superb vigorous port was older than you first thought.

Easily good for its century on this showing. Thank you Harry.

It is implausible that I will be in this good a shape at 79 years old.

[PhilW]

I do not believe that I would mistake Cn45 for F85, but I would be willing to be proven wrong...

[winesecretary]

And thus an idea for a tasting was born…

[PhilW]

"Ports that Phil doesn't think are F85?"
I suspect it might turn out to be an F85 verizontal...

[winesecretary]

15 ports, 3 of which are Fonseca 1985, and 12 of which are 4 x 3 bottles of others…

[Andy Velebil]

Have a pic of the bottle and cork?

[hadge]

I will post these shortly, I believe that I put the cork in my bag.