Now deep garnet with the sort of dignified, autumnal hue that only time can bestow, this vintage Port is a glorious study in how wine ages gracefully. The nose is super expressive,  a heady mix of violet and rose that gives way to layers of bramble fruit, black plum and that unmistakable Port signature of stewed, baked cherries. But it’s in the tertiary notes that the magic lies: think old leather armchairs, damp earth, roasted walnuts, black tea, tobacco leaf, even a faint whiff of game and mushroom.

On the palate, it’s everything you’d want from a mature vintage Port. Silky, mouth-coating tannins, a warm embrace of alcohol, and a tension between sweetness and acidity that keeps everything in perfect balance. The fruit is still very much alive, but now draped in dried fig, prune and savoury undertones that unfold in waves. The finish? Long, layered, and deeply satisfying.

This is  top class wine not in the shouty, blockbuster sense, but in the way that the best old Ports are: poised, deeply flavoured, and full of quiet confidence. It’s drinking beautifully now, but there’s still more to come for those patient enough to wait. There’s enough structure and fruit to see it evolve even further, inching ever closer to those haunting, nutty, leathery highs that only the best aged Ports achieve.