For The Love Of Port

Decant: Not Known - This was a glass bought in a Davy's wine bar in London. Colour was a deep ruby red. Held up to a light the wine almost appeared to glow - a very vibrant colour. No fading that I could see on the rim and no bricking or hint of browning. Long viscous legs showing the alcohol in the wine. On the nose was a dusty edge that I have always found with this wine. Its a very unusual small - like a book that hasn't been moved for ages and then someone comes along and blows all the dust off. If I hadn't had this wine on many different occasions I would have been worried by the smell. Underneath the dust comes the fruit, reminds me of baked strawberries and liquer cherries. The alcohol is there but is in balance. In the mouth the dusty smell turns into a dusty edge to the flavour ... but hold the wine in your mouth for a moment or two and that dusty edge morphs into a peppery attack that reminds me of a great shiraz when very young. The pepper is supported by sweetness and acidity to give a well balanced mouth-feel. warm and sweet with cherries and chocolate - think Ben N Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" ice cream - but with fresh ground white pepper and sugar puffs on top. The wine had suprising length for a "second tier" producer and was dominated by coffee tones. In all, this is an enjoyable wine, but lacks great complexity. I'm not sure if it will improve much, but maybe it will. Today its a simple and enjoyable drink that lacks the "wow" factor to make it something special - call it good everyday port. 87 points