2007 Taylors Vintage port
Portugal
Masked. Youthful deep ruby colour; but showing floral mixed red, blue and dark fruits, quality spirit, pepper? And violets; palate is savoury, so this is clearly a Portuguese VP. Lovely powdery tannins, and terrific fruit power, exquisitely balanced. I settled on 2007, no clue on the house. And very happy when Taylor’s revealed (as I have a few bottles).

Drink to 2040 or later, 95 points

1971 Morris Vintage port
Rutherglen, Victoria
Masked again; very deep colour with some age evident; blueberry, dark fruit and spices; palate is intense with liquorice and dark fruits again on display. Sweet, and my guess was early 1980s. 100% Shiraz. This wine is in remarkable condition for its age, and there are no signs of decay.

Drink to 2040, 94 points

1962 Seppeltsfield Vintage Port DP3
Barossa Valley, South Australia
masked, and a very sweet palate, with dark fruits and mocha. The palate is soft and mellow – clearly an old Australian VP – but my guess was mid-1970s, so this is a charming wine that is still enjoyable and surprising. 8 silver and 9 bronze medals!

Drink now (it will hold), 90 points

1926 Etko Grand Commandaria
Cyprus

Not masked. Mavro (red) & Xynisteri (white). Ripe grapes left to dry in the sun, then fermented. The style is typically 390 to 450g/L residual sugar and between 15-20% ABV (This one likely to be at the lower end, and not fortified). Don’t be tricked by the 1926 age; it’s a solera, so there is a small portion of grapes of that age, and the majority from later. But’s still a magic number! And even a smidge of old material makes a big difference to the taste, and with evaporation and careless record-keeping, calculating average age is irrelevant. Plus this was believed to have been bottled in the 1970s.

Deep colour, and it looks like a PX (Pedro Ximinez). Cyprus would not come to mind, but such is life. Mocha, orange peel and dried fruits; very muscat-like, with the fruit just a bit light for the degree of sweetness.

Drink now, 96 for history, but 90 for quality.