1975 Warre
Posted: 22:25 Fri 28 May 2021
Cork an absolute wreck, falling into damp shreds during extraction, but wine looks to be in fine fettle for a light vintage.
Colour a delicate blushing rose with a yellow rim, looks 25 years older than it is.
P'n'P (+ 15 mins)
Looks like rose hip syrup. Nose of rose jelly with a slightly acrid smokey medicinal pine needle note. Palate rather better front and centre, slightly underpowered rose hip syrup flavours, then the acrid smokey note returns briefly, then it sweetens (brown sugar, alas, rather than grapes) and broadens (the river now stagnant) again.
A long way past its best, if it had a best (perhaps around 1995?). Just drinkable, but very possibly the worst undamaged Warre VP I have ever drunk.
+ 48 hrs
Darkened a little, as port does.
The acrid note has faded, largely eucalyptus now. No fruit showing whatsoever on nose. Completely tertiary palate of elderly thin-cut marmalade, slightly over-dilute, literally no red (let alone blue or black) fruit flavours at all. Finish short and harsh and still acrid.
Many years ago I was given to taste a Sparkling Bulgarian Rose that had been sweetened with aspartame as the grapes were so under-ripe - it was really remarkably horrible, even worse than it sounds from this brief description.
This is a bit better than that, but it still tastes very much 'manipulated'. I fear that this may possibly be a spirit issue? Just fortified with really shocking stuff?
I'm going to throw it away.
Colour a delicate blushing rose with a yellow rim, looks 25 years older than it is.
P'n'P (+ 15 mins)
Looks like rose hip syrup. Nose of rose jelly with a slightly acrid smokey medicinal pine needle note. Palate rather better front and centre, slightly underpowered rose hip syrup flavours, then the acrid smokey note returns briefly, then it sweetens (brown sugar, alas, rather than grapes) and broadens (the river now stagnant) again.
A long way past its best, if it had a best (perhaps around 1995?). Just drinkable, but very possibly the worst undamaged Warre VP I have ever drunk.
+ 48 hrs
Darkened a little, as port does.
The acrid note has faded, largely eucalyptus now. No fruit showing whatsoever on nose. Completely tertiary palate of elderly thin-cut marmalade, slightly over-dilute, literally no red (let alone blue or black) fruit flavours at all. Finish short and harsh and still acrid.
Many years ago I was given to taste a Sparkling Bulgarian Rose that had been sweetened with aspartame as the grapes were so under-ripe - it was really remarkably horrible, even worse than it sounds from this brief description.
This is a bit better than that, but it still tastes very much 'manipulated'. I fear that this may possibly be a spirit issue? Just fortified with really shocking stuff?
I'm going to throw it away.