One of the joys/headaches of a decent-sized cellar is the lost bottle. Occasionally a bottle is slotted in the wrong rack or recorded improperly or not recorded or whatever. The joy comes when you stumble across the lost sheep and finally get to try it. Provided, of course, that the bottle's not over the hill.
This 2000 port was bottled in 2004 and probably purchased that year or 2005. I located it last weekend while digging out another bottle, so it had been peacefully aging for 8 or 9 years. Good LBVs can age well in bottle, so I figured it was worth a chance.
The Sandeman had thrown a ton of sediment, which required decanting. But the color was still an incredibly deep purple-black. Huge legs. Strong bouquet suggestive of figs, cherries, raisins, vanilla and spice. On the palate there was a high alcohol burn and a suggestion of menthol on the finish.
Grade: B+
