Amazing color. Dark ruby center with just a hint of garnet. This is very impressive on the nose. Crushed raspberry coffee licorice and chocolate. Complex. What a palate. Big rich and powerful yet balanced and pleasing. Full medium-sweet and caressing. Silky. Drink it for the rest of your life. Why wait? Underrated around the world. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now. -JS

Excellent deep but layered blackish crimson. Fragrant but mysterious. Very well constituted. Glorious stuff with tannins only just discernible underneath initially. Just emerging to drinkability but tasting revealed absolutely masses of tannin underneath. My first impression was that I would like to have this in my cellar. On re-tasting I discerned a very slight woodiness on the nose. 19/20

(NM94-95 points) One of the great, possibly overlooking ’77 vintage ports. This has a deep garnet hue with an intense dark chocolate, sloe and raisin nose. It is very intense and perhaps just a tad alcoholic. A dense, tannic youthful palate that belies its age, this is ageing at a glacial pace with touches of liquorices and kirsch towards the finish. Magnificent but somewhat aloof. Drink now-2025+