1994 Ramos Pinto Vintage Port

[Otto Nieminen]

Ramos Pinto 1994 was alongside the Ferreira, one of my favourites of the "lesser" ports. The nose was very aromatic/perfumed with peach kernel, rosewater, a touch of tobacco, dark fruit with redder high notes. The palate wasn't as complex, and was quite red berried - others thought it was short; I thought it was long and nicely acidic, savoury and earthy. But what I perceived as length wasn't the sort of fruit-forward power that length so often is understood as with VPs but rather a red toned, berried-ness like with some Burgundies I so much like (Montille).