2000 Cockburn's Vintage Port

[J Jackson]

2000 Cockburn's Vintage Port
(Pre Symington takeover, made during Sogrape ownership as far as I can tell)

Opened at home with family for my birthday.

Decanted for 5 hours. A lot of very fine sediment, needed cheesecloth.

Colour: Maroon. Surprisingly light for age, looks far more mature than expected for a 2000 VP.
Nose: Like having a selection of the finest jams and preserves of black and red fruits all opened at the same time. It was so strong, my Dad in the next room asked "What's the jammy smell?". Lovely warm spices on the nose and particularly vanilla and mint. Hints of buttered toast and a tiny bit of chocolate. Very opulent nose.
Mouthfeel: Alcohol burn is in check and nicely balanced, no harsh tannins either.
Taste: Quite a surprise and perhaps the strangest (in a good way!) taste profile I've had to date. The first few seconds are jammy with those black and red fruits like damson leading strongly, I expected this to follow with a high level of sweetness but it changes after a few seconds and the jammyness gives way to much more drier and complex taste hints of chocolate, mint/eucalyptus and a small amount of cigar tobacco, vanilla and coffee. The fruit is still in the background, it's just such a strange journey and unexpected from the first expectations give by the nose. Finish is a moderately long, a touch of tannin but not too much, alcohol burn nicely balanced. If it were sweeter, it would remind me a little of the 2001 Graham's Malvados.

What will stay in my memory is the way the taste mutated in the mouth, it was really quite an unexpected experience, but in a good way.

Surprising mature for a fully declared vintage only 16 years old, I don't know if Cockburn's VP are blended to mature fast, or if it's just the 2000 vintage as it's the first Cockburns I've tasted.

91 to 92 points.

A very interesting and enjoyable bottle.

[Andy Velebil]

Excellent note. Do you think it was starting to slightly morph into some secondary flavors given that is nearing 16 years old?

[J Jackson]

Excellent note. Do you think it was starting to slightly morph into some secondary flavors given that is nearing 16 years old?

It was very definitely developing secondary flavours, but what really stuck me was how developed it was for the age, given another 4 or 5 years and I think it will show extremely well.

[Andy Velebil]

Excellent note. Do you think it was starting to slightly morph into some secondary flavors given that is nearing 16 years old?

It was very definitely developing secondary flavours, but what really stuck me was how developed it was for the age, given another 4 or 5 years and I think it will show extremely well.

Thanks, good to know.