For The Love Of Port

I gave this 14 hours in the decanter before trying it.
Not particularly strong on the nose. I get some cherry with some mint and eucalypt notes along with a slight wiff of bacon. I found it quite peppery initially, with some cherry flavours also coming through. There is also an immediately noticable weight to the port - it seems more viscous in the mouth in comparison to some of the younger vps I've had. Its a little hot in the mid palate but this mellows out to a pleasant, if not a particularly long finish.
A further 24 hours on, there is still that bacon meatiness evident on the nose. It's perhaps a little more pronounced today and I find it a little off-putting in a sweet wine. There is still some spicyness I think the cherry has faded. The palate has mellowed and it is now quite sweet. In my view it is lacking a bit of complexity and the finish isn't particularly long. While I expected a bit more from this port, it still provided some pleasant drinking. 87 points

HI Paul!
Thanks for a very well written tasting note.
As you decribed your experience in a very good way, it was easy to follow your impressions.

I find the 1991 Dow to be one of the better and more youthful bottlings, in most cases. I prefer Croft in 1991, but the Dow bottlings I've had in recent times typically show well. I would back off the 14 hours of decant time and try it at 8 instead and see what you think.

There is still some spicyness I think the cherry has faded. The palate has mellowed and it is now quite sweet. In my view it is lacking a bit of complexity and the finish isn't particularly long. While I expected a bit more from this port, it still provided some pleasant drinking. 87 points

Hi Paul,
I had this a couple of years ago, and agree with your comments and scoring above on the '91 Dow's.