A friend of mine got this bottle when an uncle of hers died. Since I'm the biggest cork dork she knows, Mrs Duke and I got invited over to pop the cork on this puppy. This was the oldest bottle of regular (non-Port) wine I've ever drunk.

The bottle fill was to the beginning (top) of the shoulder, and the cork crumbled pretty badly when I pulled it, leaving some crumbs in the wine .

The color was a bright red , with just a touch of brick on the edges.

The nose was cassis with a little cedar, and filled the room as I decanted the wine.

The taste was a continuation of the cassis and cedar, with some cherries and leather, and a slight medicinal flavor that seemed to fade as the wine opened up. The wine still had a good dose of acid, with some tired tannins lurking. The finish was pleasant and moderately long.

Overall, a very pleasant wine. I was amazed at how well preserved this wine was. 86-88 points