2005 Dow LBV (unfiltered)

[DRT]

Bottled 2010.

Pop-n-pour.

Completely opaque, dark garnet red. Some spirit on the nose with blackcurrant jam underneath. Medium weight with lots of dark brooding fruit. Quite austere and closed with a characteristic Dow dryness and lots of grippy tannins. The finish is quite short with some bitterness. It will e interesting to see how this develops in the decanter.

[Alex Bridgeman]

So how did it develop in the decanter Derek?

From the same bottle:

Bottled unfiltered in 2010. Deep red and opaque. Lovely nose of blackcurrants and lavender. Assertive entry, full of dry blackcurrant that leads to a gentle spicy acidity and soft tannins - structured, but balanced. Lovely aftertaste, full of dry blackcurrants that allows a sweet, black licorice finish to come through for a while. A very enjoyable example of the style of LBV port. 85/100. Drunk on 19 December 2010 after 20 hours decanting.

[DRT]

A taste from the sample I brought for AHB. This is much more open and feels lighter than it was initially. Half the bottle remains at home so I will post another note in a few days.