Decanting, this was very very pale - rather like a light Beaujolais in colour, only 30% opaque or so. There was nothing in the nose behind some heat - perhaps a boiled sweet; a mint, or something chewy and green. It was sharp on the tongue, thin and hot. Afterwards there was a lingering taste that took me some time to identify: I thought it was pipe or rolling tobacco; not pleasant anyway. A little acrid.
Clearly, a bottle spoiled by oxidisation. Lots of people have written about D77 being corked but I suspect they're actually just oxidised. Did Dow get a bad batch of corks that year?
I got a refund from the dealer, fortunately. And then we had to try the Poças 2003 to make up for it.
