1974 Taylor Vargellas

[Alex Bridgeman]

Brick red in colour, quite light in tone - 30% opaque. Spicy and sharp on the nose, fruity but sour; sour enough to make the mouth start to water. Light-weight entry, gentle in flavour but with fierce acidity on the mid-palate. The flavours are consistent with the nose, light fruit with a sour core and brown sugar starting to appear. Pleasant cranberries dominate the fruit flavours. Huge acidity on the aftertaste, burning in its intensity, but this slowly fades to allow a very long and very enjoyable cranberry and syrup finish that has a phenomenal length to it, turning very green and stalky after a minute or two. If you enjoy your port for its finish, this would be a good one to try. 87/100. Drunk 02-Nov-14. Decanted 3 hours.