The 1997 Late Bottled Vintage Port is an old-vines field blend aged in used Portuguese 9,000-liter tanks. It was bottled in August 2001. Another five years in the bottle since I last saw this has brought it into a new phase of development, as it now exceeds 20 years in age, well beyond the point where most hold LBVs. It is still lovely, mature and expressive, but with nary a hint of decay on opening. Its texture is caressing. It seems lush and sensual. There is still some grip on the finish with aeration and after it wakes up. That said, it is gentler than I recall. Plus, although it still has very good concentration for its age and category—indeed, the fruit seems sappy and concentrated—it is a little thinner. There is no reason it can't hold another decade, maybe more if perfectly stored and the cork holds, but I'm going to lower the end-date drinking window out of caution. It held serve well when retasted the next day—even improving with some air and becoming better than the first pours the day before—and it was still terrific a couple of days later, but let's be conservative. This seems to be as good as it is going to get, so this is a good time to drink it, no matter how long it theoretically holds.