Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, LBV . . . all make more sense in your mouth than in a book. Travel lets you discover, it enlarges your world of experience, and in Porto we stumbled across a rare delight. In a good decade, there may be two or even three vintage years where barrels of the best ports are carefully stashed in underground cellars to age and mellow, carefully set aside like treasure so they can delight palates in 10, 20 or 30 years. In the 1950’s there was one; grapes grown, picked and stomped in 1952 produced an exceptional port. A tiny boutique outlet in Porto has finally opened a barrel and is proudly showing off a few bottles. After resting 55 years in a barrel the ruby colour has turned to honey.
Jes and I shared a rare delight in Porto, a taste of vintage 1952 port. A few drops of that elixir compels you to close your eyes and your mouth in astonishment, then to beam with radiance as if you have glimpsed heaven. I was born in 1952, the year that those grapes soaked up the sun in the Douro River valley. And that taste of port was a rare delight indeed.
- Daniel
what a fantastic day! I love the 10am conversation that took place that morning...
ReplyDeleteDan and Jes to Tim and Allegra: "we're going down into the cellars to taste some port. most likely we'll go deeper and deeper to new levels both in taste and physical being. we'll see you for supper at 7pm, if we make it out of the depths."