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Consumed at The 1st Anniversary Virtual Off-line.

Decanted at 00:05 BST on 20 June 2008.
Bottle No. 30,323 out of 76 pipes or about 51,000 bottles

Deep ruby red colour. The room filled with the smell of blackberrys while decanting. No sediment to speak of left the bottle when turned upright into a funnel despite the fact that this bottle was decanted 2 minutes after being stood upright. A small amount of thick crusty stuff came out when the bottle was rinsed.

Quite green and raw on the nose in the glass. Thick and silky smooth in the mouth but then lots of aggressive tannin and a little heat. Chocolate and anicede predominant in the long finish.

I really struggle to believe that this stuff is 14 years old

Happy Anniversary ers

+23 Hours
A huge black fruit nose. Thick and sumptuous mouthfeel. This first glass of the night is fighting with the chinese meal from earlier in the evening but is doing remarkably well in that struggle. Dense and seemingly quite closed. The predominant sense is of dryness, which I am putting down to the tannins that are telling me to keep all my other bottles sealed for 10 years or more. I am getting a burst of heat just before the long mouthwatering finish takes over. I haven't associated heat with Vesuvio's previously so perhaps it's the aftermath of the chillis from the Chinese meal

I won't score this tonight, I will just enjoy it and re-visit the refridgerated half bottle later this weekend with a clean palate.

Happy Birthday

Derek

+48 Hours
A glass from the half bottle I was drinking from last night - the other half still being in the fridge at home.

Still thick and luxurious in the mouth. The tannins have integrated somewhat but are still kicking around. Lovely dark fruits and chocolate but still has a little heat. The finish is immense and delicious.

A nice end to a memorable day.

Derek

So where would you put this in your "Top 10 Ports" list?

AHB wrote:So where would you put this in your "Top 10 Ports" list?

I'm not sure I can answer that from this half of the bottle. Last night it was compromised by a chinese meal and this sample has been in the decanter 48 hours. I do really like it, but I would like to taste it again under circumstances that will allow it to show at it's best.