This was a bottle that Sean gave me to bring home to the UK. I must admit that when we drank the same wine together in Boston 3 weeks ago, neither of us were at our best.
Decanted 2½ hours from a bottle with considerable sediment in the base but where the cork fell into the bottle as soon as I touched the surface with the corkscrew. My guess is that the condsiderable wax protection for the cork has also protected the wine from becoming too exposed to air.
This was the colour of a 10 year old tawny wine, a lovely glowing mahogany colour. The smell of the wine was warm and inviting, reminding me of freshly cut Cox' Orange Pippin apples - the small and really sweet ones - with a massive dose of spearmint.
In the mouth the initial impact is a little empty, just a dose of sweetness. The wine is suprisingly thick. After a few moments the mid-palate develops layers of compexity, bringing masses of butterscotch and toffee.
The aftertaste of chocolate and bitter hazlenuts is long and flavoursome.
Overall, this is a very pleasant and easy-drinking port, but is atypical for the vintage from the very few other wines I have drunk recently. This wine is drinking very nicely now and will probably continue to drink well for the next 5-10 years if the wine in other "upright" bottles is protected from excessive oxidation by the wax seals. 88/100 or 5/5 on Tom's scale.
Having written this tasting note and then going back to the one I took in February when Sean, Moses and I drank this wine together I note that I gave the wine a higher score after Sean had allowed the wine 12 hours in the decanter. Perhaps this is a wine than benefits from more decanter time than I allowed it.
Alex
This tasting note is one of several related tasting notes. Click [here] to see the original note in context.
1980 Ferreira Vintage Port
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