SF | The faintest hint of garnet on the rim, forgivable after two decades, then a spicy, forward nose, the fruit now in its secondary phase, but with plenty in reserve to afford interest and intrigue. The palate is a little understated, with hints of tar and sappy oak, witnessed and a slightly cloying syrupy finish. 91
AJ | A little less dense than wine 33, though the two wines are both dark and opaque at the core. They are both modulating now towards black and red hues, with no lingering purple. Rather gruff and fierce aromas: dried fruit and dark chocolate, earthy, raisiny fruits, slabs of beef ... I'm getting the feeling that folks were looking for a little bit of 'overripeness' back in 2004. The overall effect is a bit glowering and stewy, though it is still all there and in a way rather powerfully articulate. Like it's two 2004 peers, this is a sweet depth-charge of raisiny fruit and lingering tannin. If you can accommodate the aesthetic, they are very impressive. But there must be a reason why they are still on sale, and it's this: overripeness makes for tedious drinking. I don't want to be unfair to this wine, which for me is the best of the 2004 trio: it still has much to offer, and will endure in time. It comes from great vineyards in the Douro, and that means that it will have an intricacy and inner extractive sinew that will mark it out from all other competitors. So in a global sense my score is ridiculously mean but it nonetheless makes sense in the context of the tasting, where we have so many finer younger wines. It's makers must know that this wine came from a period where a doubtful aesthetic held sway.Drink Dates: 2026 - 2034. 87
RM | Starting to show its age, mid deep with a browning rim; open ripe plummy fruit on the nose and palate but loose knit and without much focus or concentration, retaining freshness and vitality with firm tannins but rather short and astringent on the finish. Lacking a core.Drink Dates: now - 2040. 85