I received this bottle as a Christmas present from a friend some five years ago. Not sure why I laid it down for as long as I did; perhaps it was because Port tended to be quite a rarity in terms of what I normally like to drink. That said, I figured that New Year's was as good a time as any to finally open it up.
19.5% alc./vol. Solid, high-quality natural cork. I had this laying on its side for years, and you can see how the sediment has "etched" itself into the side of the glass - at least that's the impression it gives. Cork is fully entact and in excellent shape; deeply pigmented where it was in contact with the wine. The wine pours a deep, black-cherry / purple / black colour; the legs are thick and heavy and drop very slowly along the sides of the glass. Aromas of blackberry (very prominent), with a liquorous, ethereal quality; fruit-forward; ethanol; a hint of something caramelized / brown-sugar-like. Very concentrated on the entry, with tense, lively acidity, much depth, and warming alcohol on the mid-palate; quite sweet and concentrated, but with very pleasant grippy tannins of significant quality and quantity. Grippy, balanced, mouthfilling, rich texture.
Very nice, and a pleasant change from the usual. This has held up well and is drinking very nicely.