1970 Noval Vintage Port

[Brian C.]

I bought this bottle for $71, so I figured it was worth a roll of the dice at that price. Fill was probably mid neck, I couldn't really make it out, as the bottle was too dark. The lady who sold it to me seemed to think that's what she saw. There was no label on the back of the bottle.

I'm going to have to figure out a better way to uncork. A gentle extraction with the Houdini did not work very well, as the cork broke in half. I had to push the rest in the bottle and begin the decant immediately.

After about 1 1/2 hours into the decant, a nose consisting of celery and bell pepper took over. I was less than thrilled by this development. Thankfully, as the decant progressed, this went away and everything turned up strawberries. Between the 4 and 5 hour mark, it had finally arrived.

Last night, I thought the mouthfeel was on the money. It was almost like Laffy Taffy, where you just can't quite get to the point of finishing chewing. I didn't want any given sip to end right away. I can't say there was an overwhelming flavor profile to it. I see a lot of notes on here that speak to this port being past its prime. The color certainly speaks to that. Very translucent, almost tawny, even.

Today, the first sip seems to be good, but it often goes downhill as I work my way through the glass. I can see why some really liked this, and I can see why some didn't care for it very much. It has had some great moments, and some not so great moments. I find myself trying to coax something out of it. Some sips have it, and some sips don't. At its worst, the midpalate and finish can be bitter. The attack is always good, though.

[Brian C.]

This is going strong on the third day. I used a different glass today. I was using a conventional design port glass the previous two days, and today I'm using a glass that has a mini snifter design. Whether it's better today because of the glass or because it's a different day, I can't say. This glass definitely allows me to get a better sense of the nose, anyway. Still a lot of strawberry preserve, with a bit less heat this time around, though there are still the occasional sips with harsher midpalate and finish.

[Andy Velebil]

This is a Port that has gotten to that stage of life where bottle variation has become quite prominent. I've had both ends of the spectrum, both good and not so good, so it doesn't surprise me at how up and down this showed for you. It does tend to be spirity at times, although the last bottle I had the heat wasn't much of an issue.