1970 Cockburn's Vintage Port
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Tasting notes
This was a year marked by intense heat so fermentations were difficult. This very dry year made very thick skins so colour extraction was difficult. Some raisining contributed to sugars and the concentration of the wines. Then the nights cooled and fermentations calmed down a bit. Cockburn moved from 100% treading to new autovinifiers or the notorious movimosto pumping over system. Very dark ruby. (Darker than 1977.) A burnt, rather simple quality to this nose. Not much subtlety. Thick on the palate with very marked sweetness. Hot finish. Thick, sweet and almost New World! (JR)
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Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Light ruby with a very mature rim but no glow. Rather indistinct autumnal nose. Simple, briary, very comforting and pleasantly syrupy though the alcohol is shining through the fading fruit and there is some quite stern, dissociated tannin on the back palate too. (JR)
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 1970 is big and powerful and just now reaching maturity.
This is ripe and ready to drink. It is slightly more forward than many of the '70s from the other top houses. Medium ruby-red, with rich aromas of cherry and marzipan, medium-bodied, with ripe cherry flavors, balanced tannins and a solid finish. – James Suckling , Wine Spectator 1989