1987 Churchill’s Crusted Port -- (bottled 1987)

[JacobH]

This bottle was a speculative purchase on ebay to see what the port-buying ebay experience is like before committing to something more serious.

The cork was pretty firmly stuck and, after splitting it by using the wrong corkscrew , I ended up pushing it in. Not a great deal of sediment but that which came out was pretty thick and dark.

The colour worried me a bit: pinkish in the middle but going in the tawny direction around the edge. It seemed a little too advanced for a bottle of this age.

1 hour: the nose is pretty odd. Slight apple (if I’m feeling generous) but quite chemically and it reminds me a bit more of superglue! In the mouth, it’s fairly low key. There’s perhaps a bit of cherry and some marzipan. There’s almost no finish beyond a warming heat in the back of the throat. The sugar is quite nice though: a light syrup which doesn’t get in the way.

It tastes a bit to me like it’s past its best and starting to fall apart, but I don’t have much experience with Crusteds and, of course, have no idea how it was treated over the last 21 years. I’m not convinced that I’d have another go but I’ll see if it improves tomorrow.

-Jacob

[Opened May 2008]

[Roy Hersh]

An interesting buy. I think it would make for interesting reading Jacob, to gain your insight and hear more about your experience with the Ebay wine buying adventure. Please do share in a Forum thread which I think will be well read and generate some fun discussion. Thanks for the fine note on the Crusted, too!

[JacobH]

An interesting buy. I think it would make for interesting reading Jacob, to gain your insight and hear more about your experience with the Ebay wine buying adventure. Please do share in a Forum thread which I think will be well read and generate some fun discussion. Thanks for the fine note on the Crusted, too!

Thanks, Roy. Will do, although this purchase was thankfully not much of an adventure!

24 Hours not much change. Everything has mellowed a little, making the residual heat even more obvious, but that’s about it. Every few sips I feel I get a hint of something more interesting, but unfortunately, it’s not happening!

[Roy Hersh]

To be polite to Churchill, the 3 brothers Graham who run it (they sold Graham to the Symington's in 1970 and Churchill Graham's was later required to change their name to Churchill's) did not turn this into a winning Port equation until 1994. Their Vintage and other Ports that came before that date, were "less than inspiring" but there's been a significant and continued improvement since '94.