| MW Wines Special Tasting - Seppelt 100 Year Old Para Liqueur Port (17/11/04) - deep, dark brown, like black coffee, a slightly less tight rim (compared to the 1884), viscous, and coats the inside of the glass with a olive brown film. Nose: complex, smoky, caramel, toffee, rich nutty fruit cake with a hint of dried medicinal herbs. On the palate: sweet, rich, chocolatey, caramel, with the chinese medicinal herb like finish. Like all the other 100+ year olds tasted tonight, it is complex, powerful, concentrated, intensely flavoursome and superbly well balanced. Not as thick or viscous as the 1884, but no less textured. A more elegantly styled wine, the 1879 is built like a gymnast compared to the body-builder of 1884. Both are superb, but displaying a different facet of perfection. This is one of two of the winemaker's pick of the night (can't remember the other one), though he nominated the 1900 (not tasted tonight) as the best of the lot. This is the oldest wine that I've ever tasted to date, a wine that was made before any of my great grandparents were born. It is a humbling experience, and I will never drink another port without comparing it to these fantastic, uniques wines that are rightfully one of Australia's national treasures. |
