Tasting Notes
Robert Parker 99
Tasted at David Wainwright’s Graham Lyon’s dinner at 28-50. There is little more I can say about this titanic port that has not already been said. Served blind, it is incredibly precocious and vivacious on the blackberry, minty, smoke tinged nose, far more primal than previous bottles encountered. The palate is utterly gorgeous with fresh, vital, vibrant blueberry and blackberry fruit, a symmetry that of geometric perfection. I thought long and hard about this being a perfect port and again. Perhaps it is a matter of when, not if. Tasted November 2010.
Vinous 98+
Good full, deep red. Knockout nose offers red and black cherry, strawberry, spices and mint. Unbelievably young for a wine that’s nearly a half-century old, offering incredible power and thrust to its red berry, spice and mineral flavors. Fills the mouth with perfume. Combines extraordinary mid-palate lift with a silky texture and buns of steel, conveying an impression of buzzing energy. The endless finish features great concentration and urgency, and utterly noble tannins. Can a 49-year-old port still be on an up curve? I hope to find out. This wine should go on for another 30 years without difficulty.
