Few people are aware that the 1944 Douro growing season was a favorable one and might have made a general declaration had the 1945 not “stolen its thunder,” thus rendering it a footnote in history. Pale tawny in color, the 1944 Sandeman Vintage Porto has an attractive bouquet with hints of kirsch, orange rind and Chinese five-spice that makes up for what it has lost in power by quite respectable definition. The palate is smooth and slightly viscous on the entry with fine acidity, almost honeyed in texture but with a short, ethereal finish that drifts away like an unmoored dinghy. But that is a minor quibble for an elegiac vintage port that is both, graceful and charming. Drink now-2020.