For The Love Of Port

Last Saturday at a friend's house:

1982 Warre's LBV, Traditional Style.
Decanted at 6 pm and served about 11 pm.
-Brickish centre with a terracotta rim.
-lovely mature nose, most of the alcohol had blown off; luscious, sweet, cherry, almost like Cherry Ripes (an Australian chocolate treat).
-ripe, sweet, some spice, and quite long, a nice pleasant mature port, now lighter due to age but elegant and long. Very satisfying.

2003 Quinta do Portal VP (half bottle)
Decanted at 7 pm and served at 11 pm.
-impenetrable red, colour to the rim.
-elegant and perfumed, spirity of course but laced with red fruits and inky.
-rich and deep fruited, inky, minerals, lovely ripe tannins and long. An excellent port.

I can't recall when I bought the '82 Warre's (it was some time ago) but I wish I had more. As for the '03 Portal there are very few half-bottles available and I'm hoping to snag a couple.

Cheers.................Mahmoud.

The 1982 Warre's LBV was a delicious bottle when young and I remember paying very little for them when released. They've continued to drink well over the years but are quite mature and ready for consumption now. I would drink up over the next 5-8 years

As for the 2003 Portal VP, it is one of the great bottlings of the vintage and one they should be proud of as it going to drink well for many decades from here. As a cask sample it was a beast of burden and totally overwhelmed and worked my palate. It may take to 2030 for this to really come around. I like the regular Portal bottling of 2003 more than their 2003 Portal Plus.