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Port- The Mad Dog Tasting
Article Posted: Monday October 21st
Article last updated on: Monday October 21st
Port All Declared
-- The Mad Dog Tasting by TLC The heigh day of Empire is not over. No I am not mad just slightly English. On one of the hottest, most humid days of the 1996 the British wine trade assembled a couple of hundred yards from Her Majesty's des res at the end of the Mall, to taste the produce of our oldest ally. Tasting 'new' vintage ports is not the easiest thing to do in the cool of a cellar but when your clothes are damper than the inside of your glass it is just a trifle trying. This all underlines Noel Coward's famous song even if is was not mid-day. This hardly seems cricket but everybody declared the '94's. Why do I find it a touch off side? Simply because amongst some super whiz bang wines there is the odd wet squid. My tasting notes of the '94 vintage are below, unabridged and unedited as usual. Barros; very spirity nose, good rich fruit. Borges; less nose - more spirity palate- still nice fruit. Calem; soft fruit- old leather on palate. Churchill's; soft oaky splinters , some spice, quite tart, then soft dry nuts. Cockburn's; dirty nose and palate, very odd spirity unpleasantness. Constantino; unclean fruit- old boring tannins. Croft; nice clean nose, good stylish fruit- balance- already showing promise. Delaforce; oxy nose again sweaty oakiness, very spirity. Dow's; old sweat again but more closed and backward than the others but is well formed. Ferreira; again not well advanced and yet actually shows promise. Fonseca; nice clean nose - quite closed- terrific grip and long dry fruit, going to be a goody. Gould Campbell; quite tight and closed, yet has sweaty leather fruit. Graham's Martinez; old socks nose, much better palate - very peppery fruit. Niepoort; almost closed nose - lighter but has it all to do. Offly; big soft fruit nose - acidy middle and this cuts the wine in half. Osbourne; old socks nose, really can't say this is going to be a good wine. Quarles Harris; somewhat early but doesn't show any real promise whereas the Osborne may. Quita do Noval; minty hues in the middle of the palate - lots of fruit and acidity - so it may well be a goodie. Quita do Passadouro; the acidity is so high at the end you forget what the fruit is like. Quita do Vesuvio; sweaty leather nose - some powdery fruit shows length. Ramos-Pinto; a faint hint of strawberry in the leather? may do its thing. Quinta do Emaoira; old leathery nose. Smith Woodhouse; damsons - high acidity - dusty fruit. Taylor's; quite a lot going on here- peppery fruit, leather - it will be very good - nice touch of fruit on the finish. Warre's; sweaty leather - soft fruit - nice pepper and soft ripe fruit- will do well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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