1976 Porto Rocha Colheita Port

[Glenn E.]

Purchased during an FTLOP buying opportunity several years ago and opened for a co-worker's Port and Sake Tasting birthday party at Sake Nomi in Pioneer Square. Opened at the bar at ~2:30 pm to get some air. Served at ~3:30 pm.

1976 Porto Rocha Colheita
bottled 2006

Color: Pleasant medium brown with orange highlights. Clearly a tawny even in a room that wasn't well-lit.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, soft dried apricots, some oak, some butterscotch. A very typical and inviting 30-yr old Tawny nose. (30 years in wood + 10 in bottle.)

Palate: Smooth and creamy. The alcohol is almost completely integrated in such a way that it's almost invisible. Lots of caramel and butterscotch backed up by great acidity (though it is soft) and some decent citrus notes. Some toffee, too. Very rich, luscious, and full-bodied, though not syrupy or cloying. 10 years in bottle doesn't seem to have harmed this Port at all.

Finish: good length, but unable to really get a good impression at this tasting.

Score: 94 points. Most people present preferred this to the 1977 Fonseca VP, though in my eyes they were equal in quality. I'd probably drink this one first, though, as Tawny is more my style.