1977 Fonseca Vintage Port

[Al B.]

Decant: 4½ hours - Purchased from behind the bar at El Vino, Fleet Street. Deep red in colour, with some brown tones; 80% opaque. Subdued on the nose, but showing a little Victoria plum and lots of black pepper. A little bit of heat on the nose, but much less than when first decanted. Very dense on the palate - big and burly with a peppery bite; multiple layers of fruit under the pepper, dark and sweet but with an amazing powdery dryness from the tannins that dominates over the sweetness of the fruit. The finish takes a long time to appear, but is full of sweet black licorice and black jelly babies. This is way too young to be drunk now - needs another 10-20 years to reach its peak. Absolutely delicious! 96 points