MINI HORIZONTAL - 1997 VINTAGE

Being that the 97's are still widely available in stores, coupled with the fact that this is a heralded vintage of which I've only sampled two examples in the past, I thought it might be an interesting exercise - in the interest of research of course - to taste through a few more specimens of the 97 ilk and see if the wines actually live up to the hype. Well, in a nut shell, so far so good. With the gracious assistance of fellow EPTT member Lillian Petherbridge, I made my way through the 97 Smith Woodhouse, the 97 Taylor Fladgate, and the 97 Warre's over the past week or so. It made for a very impressive lineup. Although the Smith Woodhouse leaned a bit toward the early-maturing, lighter bodied side compared to the other two, it was nevertheless a delicious and well balanced port that I enjoyed thoroughly - and I must say it was up against some stiff competition. The Taylor and the Warre's both impressed with their huge layers of fruit and extremely age-worthy structures, the Taylor's being more meaty, deep, and complex, the Warre's being tightly wound and filled with ripe fruit and juicy acidity. Both are of classic proportions and excellent choices for cellaring. I definitely slept on picking up the 97's early on, I suppose because the 94's were still being so highly touted at the time, as well as the fact that the prices shot up a whole lot between the 94 and 97 vintages, but I can't sleep on them anymore...here's the notes...

SMITH WOODHOUSE VINTAGE 1997

Royal purple with a burgandy rim. The nose is inviting, giving sweet boysenberry syrup, black currant, and raisin with whiffs of licorice and violet. Medium weight in the mouth, this port displays sweet cherry and plum fruit with a smooth layer of milk chocolate overlaying it and a streak of tobacco-like spice running through it. The tannins are soft and round and the finish is of medium length. This is a very tasty and open VP that should be drinking well over the next 10 to 20 years and will probably live longer than that. 90pts - Tasted 3/08

TAYLOR FLADGATE VINTAGE 1997

Still a dark purple color with only a hint of redness developing on its edge. The nose took a good deal of patience before it revealed itself, but after about 5 hours of decanting it began to open, although it's still fairly tight - rich, heavy, dark fruit, smoked meats, and a heady floral edge - beautiful. It's huge on the palate, attacking with a crush of black cherry fruit and notes of tar with a lovely espresso-like bitterness, all centered around a solid core of spicy black pepper. The tannins are strapping, but not harsh at all - this port has great structure and a long finish. Impressively deep, this is an awesome and powerful wine that should only continue getting better for a really long time. 97pts - tasted 3/08

WARRE'S VINTAGE 1997

This is a vibrant looking port, dark plummy purple in color - still very young in appearance. The nose is still tightly closed only giving a general impression of dark berry fruit, and by the second day in the decanter a bit of a violety note, but it was hard to get a lot out of - it definitely needs some more time in bottle to blossom. On the palate it's a whole different story - it is overflowing with ripe, juicy black cherry fruit that gushes over the tongue, backed by big mouthwatering acidity and a wave of pepper and spices. The tannins are boldly structured, but still overpowered by the lushness of the fruit at this point. The finish is long and persistent. Having recently sampled the bookends of this Warre's vintage, the 94 and 00 respectively, I can say that the 97 is definitely of a different breed. Whereas the 94 and 00 both showcase a more dried fruit profile, prune, raisin, etc., and a soft and silky texture, the 97 is ripe, juicy, and has a much more tightly wound, heavyweight kind of structure. This is definitely a wine built to age for the long haul and one that I probably wouldn't venture to open again for at least another decade, if not longer. Excellent. 95pts - Tasted 3/08