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Notes: Opaque purple, fading to red on the edge. Less pronounced fruit on the nose than the 2017 and hardly any grapes. Exceptional elegance in the mouth: blackcurrants and some fresh red cherries. Very tannic but less acidic than the 2017. Endless aftertaste: much longer than the other Ports from QdN in this tasting. Probably not drinking at its best now, but clearly excellent for the future.

Tasted at: Quinta do Noval Virtual Tasting with 67 Pall Mall

Date: 28th June 2020

Rated: C

http://www.jacob-head.com/port/records/ ... al_2011_VP

(A Note on Ratings

My rating system attempts to answer the question “is this a good Port?” one of three ways: No; Possibly; or Certainly. Ports generally are rated against others of their category. Therefore, a Ruby Port which I rate as C for Certainly good, might not be as good as a Vintage Port which receives the same rating. I sometimes modify my rating with a plus or minus indicating that the Port is better or worse than might be expected for this category.)

Decanted under Argon by 67 Pall Mall for one of their online Zoom tastings.

Very dark red in colour, opaque with a medium rim. Rich and sweet fruit on the nose with a lovely perfume and freshness. Rich on the palate, tannins which immediately demand attention but with a fabulous black plum fruit dominating everything. Powerful acidity emphasises the incredible freshness of the wine, but still allowing the peppercorn to heat up everything. The aftertaste is fabulous, running through so many different flavours and sensations — dark chocolate, purple plum, liquorice root; just amazing. Slightly out of balance, but clearly from the pedigree stable of great Ports out of Quinta do Noval. 96/100.