1983 Cockburn's Vintage Port
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Tasting notes
This house tends to produce quite full-bodied, rich, alcoholic, spirited vintage ports that never have a great deal of complexity or finesse but offer meaty, chocolaty, spicy, full-bodied, alcoholic flavors at the expense of elegance. The 1985 was placed in a tasting where I also inserted the 1983 Cockburn as a ringer. I was surprised to find out, upon revealing the wines, that the massive blockbuster of the tasting was the 1983, and the soft, intensely fruity, forward wine was the 1985. While the 1983 is superior to the 1985, the latter wine should offer rich, opulent, multidimensional flavors in 5-6 years.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A big, tough Port for long-term aging. It underlines what people mean when they say a great young vintage Port should overpower one's plate with fruit and tannin. Inky color, with perfumed cherry and berry aromas, full-bodied, with tons of tannins, intense cherry and berry flavors and a lingering finish. Best from 1998 through 2000. – James Suckling , Wine Spectator 1989
This house tends to produce quite full-bodied, rich, alcoholic, spirited vintage ports that never have a great deal of complexity or finesse but offer meaty, chocolaty, spicy, full-bodied, alcoholic flavors at the expense of elegance. The 1985 was placed in a tasting where I also inserted the 1983 Cockburn as a ringer. I was surprised to find out, upon revealing the wines, that the massive blockbuster of the tasting was the 1983, and the soft, intensely fruity, forward wine was the 1985. While the 1983 is superior to the 1985, the latter wine should offer rich, opulent, multidimensional flavors in 5-6 years. Robert Parker, jan 1989