???? Unknown (Alnwick Castle)

[Alex Bridgeman]

A bottle acquired from the cellars of Alnwick Castle. Unknown shipper and vintage, the wax seal was stamped "PORT", the cork was unbranded and the bottle appears to have been hand blown. I would estimate the bottle to have been made in the 1890s.

A nice colour in the glass, deep gold with a green toned rim. On the nose it shows quince, bruised apple and a little bit of honey. Quite complex, and pleasingly attractive. Dry on the palate, at first with coffee and green tea plus a hint of honey lurking in the background to give flavour but without giving sweetness. There’s also a bitter orange marmalade on the palate, showing a little more clearly with a few minutes in the glass.

The aftertaste is full of that orange zest. The finish is just stunning. Bitter-sweet orange oil and green tea lasting so long. The aftertaste from the first sip lasted 5 minutes while I was faffing around trying to find the non-existent branding on the cork and hadn’t faded when I took my next sip. After due consideration, I’ve decided this is a great wine. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was Taylor from 1880-1900ish. It’s fabulous!

If I score it now, I’d give it 92/100 but I might amend that if it improves.

It did improve and 2 hours after opening there was nothing left. 94/100. Decanted 1 hour (with a final score given after 3 hours). Drunk 09-Nov-22.