For The Love Of Port

1945 Sandeman Vintage Port - Portugal, Douro, Porto (6/24/2011)
Slow oxidation for 8 hours. This bottle was purchased as a gamble several years ago at a heavily reduced price, as it showed considerable old and fresh seepage. Base neck fill, Oporto bottled. Showing a fresh reddish-rust core though very light throughout. Raisin, orange peel, syrupy, but with pleasing lipsmacking acidity on the very long finish. Clearly not a great example of this Port, but still delightful for what it is. (91 pts.)

Had this not been oxidized, I think you'd have found out how amazing great bottles of the 1945 Sandeman can still show today. Glad yours still had enough guts to offer up some pleasure. Bottles in pristine condition are probably hard to find, but the ones I've had on rare occasions have really blown people away with their youthfulness and gorgeous layers of fruit that are still present.

Yes Roy, this bottle had clearly gone pretty tawny. It was one I had picked up very cheaply early in my Port buying days, knowing it was a leaker. The '47 Sandeman consumed shortly after, sourced from the UK last year, was in much better shape and showed much better: a bit spirity in this case but certainly a revelation to all present, just for its sheer youthfulness and freshness.

Tom,

For posterity sake, would you please add the fact that you knew the bottle to be a leaker etc., in your original TN here. That way, others who read your TN but don't see what came thereafter, will understand that they should not expect other bottles to show this way. Thanks!