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CMAG treated some of us to a splendid dinner with excellent wines, at the Hix Restaurant at Brown’s Hotel. We drank their last two bottles of Quinta do Noval 1945. Also see the TN for the other N45.

N45, from the squat decanter which lived at the opposite end of the table from me. A small control sample was done at the start of the meal, before the other splendid wines. Much the darker of the two: dark-ish red, 50% opaque. Initially the nose was a little odd, with both vegetable notes and meat notes. The taste had the same odd notes. Even the texture I likened to that of chicken thigh which is oleaginously good. It was agreed that an hour in the glass would leave a good port.

And it did. Later the meat and veg had faded, leaving dark cherry fruits, resembling an N27 we had once tried together. Rich full and lovely. Also some mocha in the palate, and DRT rightly commented on toffee. Lots of flavour excellent juice.

For me, the senior bottle.

Deep chestnut brown, 70% opaque. Subdued, full of dusty old libraries and powdered metal. Modest in its impact on the palate, medium bodied with lots of iodince showing on the palate; lots of sweet dates showing later but an underlying bitterness to the core. Pleasant finish, with some treacle or toffee and of great length. Really nice port.

Interestingly, with an additional hour in the glass, this improved and gained better intensity while the port from the other bottle lightened. 95/110 when at its best, which was around 6½ hours after decanting.