1992 Cockburn Canais

[PhilW]

1992 Cockburn Quinta dos Canais
Just decanted, huge amount of sediment, double decanted with very fine filter. Medium weight and colour, very pleasant taste with liquorice, black cherries and vanilla; perhaps already at its peak, very smooth and tasty, at decant +0h.

Also, one of my favourite bottle labels - I very much like the design, though I prefer it in black as on the 2000, rather than the 1992 in white.

[djewesbury]

I've never seen these labels before. I agree, they're beautifully designed; the ideograms are extremely effective, aesthetically and informationally.

[PhilW]

At D+4h, tasting was similar to D+0h.
At D+24h, less vanilla, also better integrated, fuller mouth-feel, liquorice and raisins especially mid-palate; now a little more fruit-driven also, with some varnish on the late/finish. Based on the more integrated taste, I would retract my earlier "maybe already at its peak", though based on this bottle I would not expect it to be a long-haul choice.

[PhilW]

Just finished it tonight; the surprise was that at D+72 it was superb. Harsh raisins had mellowed, lovely thick smooth long taste, though still the hint of varnish on the finish, but better than it had been both previous nights. Deliciously consumed with Castello blue.

[PhilW]

10 years later and Canais have surpassed themselves with their latest label and packaging, particularly a back label with a serious geek's level of information! see here.