1998 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

[Paul Fountain]

On opening this smelt a little earthy with some sweet spices coming through. Tasted sweet, with black tea ribena being evident. A little simple at this stage, with a bit of heat and some strong tannins.
After 8 hrs in the decanter, it had settled down a bit. The black tea was less evident at this stage, with the ribena to the fore, The tannin kicks in at the finish to give it a bit of length but it is a bit simple through the front and the mid-palate.
At 32 hrs it was at it's best. The black tea profile had returned, but with some blueberry coming through as well. At this point it was much more integrated and balanced and was providing some nice drinking, with a bit of mid palate complexity and tannin providing a bit of length.
I kept a bit in the decanter for the next two days as well, so at 56 hours and 80 hours there wasn't much difference. It had fallen away from it's peak by this stage and looked thoroughly disjointed, with a hint of bitterness disrupting the flavour profile.
This will live for some time, but I don't think it will ever be a great port and won't rank among the best examples of Vargellas but there is still some pleasure to be gained. 90 points