Brambles off the port bow!

As marzipan rolled in melted chocolate, so too did our noses into a jar of damson jam and a glass of white zinfandel. A Mediterranean air followed, with wild fennel and bergamot. To taste, this was a creamy and sweet affair: panna cotta dressed with chocolate bitters, vanilla and tobacco milkshake, warm pancakes and a splash of brandy. Water gave the nose a baked apple perfume, with cassis and plum compote. The palate finished with cherry jam, peanuts and bramble jelly stirred into rice wine. After eight years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this to a first fill ruby port barrique for the remainder of its maturation.