1977 Warre's Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

Opened for Christmas day. The cork almost made it out in one piece, but not quite. 1977 Vintage was readable, but not much else.

1977 Warre VP

Color: medium red/garnet. Clear through and through. Fades through pink to clear at the rim.

Nose: spirity with strawberry and sugary notes. Faintly minty... very light.

Palate: soft and elegant. Very faint cinnamon, some strawberry, some bubblegum, possibly some faint and light vanilla. A bit hot, but only as a side note. Also a bit of green but in a nondescript way. Some light tannins and good acidity. Rich in a feminine way.

Finish: heat and some tannins. A slight edge similar to grape stem. Not terribly long.

Score: 90 pts. While not a blockbuster, it is a nice example of a classic Warre Vintage Port. It might show a bit of improvement over the next 5 years, but I suspect it is at its peak. No need to drink up, though, as it has the structure to hold at this level for 10-15 years.

[Roy Hersh]

Glenn,

Glad you got the op to try this. How long did you decant the bottle prior to consumption?

[Glenn E.]

It was supposed to be 4-5 hours, but we couldn't wait and started drinking after about 2-3 hours. The bottle lasted the night, though, and I had glasses at about 6 hours and then again the next night at about 28 hours all with consistent results. It changed very little overnight, perhaps gaining just a smidge of body weight.