1977 Sandeman Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

Tasted in NYC on 2/19/2010 in a flight of 5

1960 Sandeman Vintage Port
1963 Sandeman Vintage Port
1966 Sandeman Vintage Port
1970 Sandeman Vintage Port
1977 Sandeman Vintage Port

1977 Sandeman Vintage Port

Color: Garnet fading to ruby and then on to pink near the rim. Lightest of the 5, which seems backwards as it is also the youngest of the 5.
Nose: Dust, some alcohol. Fruit compote, but faint. A little tough to smell due to the presence of a seared hunk of red meat on my plate, which just arrived.
Palate: Dry entry, but sweeter later. Fruit starts slowly and builds in the mouth. Tannins are faint and the acidity is only decent, so probably not a long life ahead of it. Still, quite pleasant now and the fruitiest of the 5 though ultimately still medium dry. Drink up.

A close call between this and the '66 for 2nd place. I ended up giving the edge to the '77 because I liked its fruit better for drinking now. The '66 will probably live longer despite its 11 year disadvantage. 89+ points.