1955 Adam Vintage Port

[Tom D.]

Exceptionally dark, ruby at first then turning more to root beer with time in the decanter. Complex and youthful nose of raspberry, licorice, molasses, earthy violets, and a pretty, sweet floral note, turning a bit more to prune with air. Similar palate, where that floral note becomes a subtle undertone of sweet, ripe, creamy, almost Burgundian fruit, with a faintly tawny prunishness through the pleasingly complex and remarkably long finish, where sweet chocolate and caramel seem to linger on the palate for minutes. There is excellent depth here but only a slight heaviness, making this very fine drinking despite a lack of structure. The spirit was never really out of balance, just pleasantly warm. Overall, this bottle was a very big surprise, it began to show best after about 3 hours in the decanter and held up strongly for at least another 12 hours. Base neck, sound cork, EWR import. Adam's was a British Buyer's Own Brand produced by Royal Oporto/Carvalhas. 94 pts

[John Vachon]

Sound great but never heard of this producer?

[Andy Velebil]

Great note. I'm not sure when Adams ceased as a label but surely not one often seen now a days.

[Tom D.]

All I know is Roy referenced it as a British wine merchant's "Buyer's Own Brand" in his tasting note (which I assume is comparable to what we in the US would call a "Private Label", produced by a large producer then a retailer slaps its own brand on it). That seems to make sense. At this point, I suppose there's no way to ever know who actually made this Port. Here's the label:

[Roy Hersh]

Correctomundo!

[Bradley Bogdan]

Tom, I don't suppose you remember what the capsule was like on this wine, do you?

[Tom D.]

Tom, I don't suppose you remember what the capsule was like on this wine, do you?

Brad, I did not make note of the capsule on the bottle consumed, but I have 2 more in my cellar from the same source (European Wine Resource). Both have embossed thick wax capsules, the tops of which say "Adams Port" around the outside and "1955" in the center.

Also, I updated my tasting note to mention this Port was actually produced by Royal Oporto/Carvalhas for the Adam's label, information I believe I found somewhere on FTLOP.

[Bradley Bogdan]

Excellent, I might be buying one, and was curious if it looked the same. It seems that it matches what you describe. Thanks!

[Tom D.]

Nice, I hope you get a good one. For the price, if even 1 bottle in 3 shows like my last one, it's a steal...

[Glenn E.]

The 1955 Adam's Vintage Port was one of my favorites from the '55 @ 55 tasting in London in 2010. Third overall, as I recall. Surprisingly good for a producer I'd never heard of before the tasting.

[Bradley Bogdan]

If everything works out, it very well may show up at the anniversary tasting in August, so stay tuned

[Roy Hersh]

And it did. Fun to try it again, but I will await Bradley's comment before providing an assessment on this particular bottle.

[Bradley Bogdan]

Feel free to fire away, probably won't get around to transcribing the notes until after the in laws depart in a few days. I picked them up from the airport on the way back into town after the tasting last weekend. It's been a long week haha.