Warre's Vintage Port 1970

Clean clove, cinnamon, dried cherry and cranberry, sassafrass and chocolate, floral rose water and sandalwood come forward on the nose and through the attack. Then a cavalcade of carob and cocoa are carried along the polished tannins and a curious mineral quality. Well burnished alloys of flavor meld sandalwood, turkish delight, cordial cherries, fragrant hardwoods and brambles of ripe berries. It's subtle. It's delicate. It's not overpowering and yet it's still showing a beautiful sanguine hue and a sinuous tannin that has calmed considerably over time. Any trace of alcohol has worked into the wine in such supple ways that it is niether proud on the nose or warm in the throat. Since Warre's embodies the touchstone whereby other quintas should be compared, the glory in this glass comes as no surprise. Tasting history seldom tastes so kind. Tasting review by Nicholas D. Livingston