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A pop 'n' pour tasting note borne from running out of the port that I was drinking. This note from a half bottle. A lovely, clear rose red. No bricking and no purple. Deep colour, but nowhere near opaque any more. A wonderful nose of almonds and marzipan over fresh figs. Dry entry but huge complexity in the mid-palate. Surprisingly velvety texture but the tannins are there to give structure. The longer you hold this in your mouth the more it develops. The aftertaste is delightful, but very delicate, taking a while to develop fully but lingers a long time before fading to a delicious chocolate. This is a terrific port and may become a real star in years to come. Will be better in 10 years and may be better still in 20 or 30. Top quartile today and will improve. 8/9 or 92/100.

Alex

Interestingly, I had the chance to taste this wine again approximately 12 and 24 hours after opening the bottle. After 12 hours the wine smelled of plum juice rather than almonds and marzipan. The mouthfeel was still full and velvety, the tannins had softened and the alcohol was still beautifully integrated. The aftertaste was very respectable and overall the wine was better than it had been on a pop 'n' pour basis. On its showing after 12 hours of breathing I would score the wine still as 8/9 on Tom's scale but award it an extra point at 93 on the 100 point scale (for immediate drinking).

After 24 hours the wine had started to decline. Although the smell was still of plum juice, the velvety mouthfeel had started to fade and the alcohol was more prominent on both the nose and in the mouth. The aftertaste was still good and the wine was still enjoyable, but not as much as either the pop 'n' pour sample or the 12 hours sample.

So, my recommendation based on this tasting, is for this wine to be given a decant of around 12 hours before drinking.

Alex

Alex,

the Warre 94 was always a buy-candidate for me, though I only have one or two bottles. After your TN I will look out for it more.

Cheers

Axel

I have just been given a bottle of this as a present! After reading this TN I am even happier!

Ben, what do you have to do to get a bottle of Warre 94 as a present. I always get unfortified wine and most of it I dont like.

Axel

Glad to read this note, as I have a couple bottles too.

Just sold a case for $400, should've kept it...

I will drink one on Friday at the Grahams lodge. Prost!

Axel