Pay attention to details when looking at Tawny Port
Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cab 2012 is an Old World style Bordeaux blend of 77 percent Cab Sauv, 11 percent Cab Franc, 10 percent Merlot, 1 percent Malbec, and 1 percent Petit Verdot. The majority of fruit is from Rutherford. Dark purple colored, with aromatic bouquet of blueberry, blackberry fruit, oak-driven spices and cocoa. On the palate, fruit repeated nose, riding appropriate acidity, round and elegant. The level of tannic integration in such a young Napa Cab surprised me. Very long, complex, clean finish, 91 points under $35, drink 2017-25 at least.
For those who enjoy Tawny Port, please try to locate a bottle of Offley 10-year-old NV. I had read it was a top 5 of the best Tawnys from Portugal. So I bought some to sample. You see I enjoy a good Tawny when/if the weather turns cold. The best Tawny Port gains its distinctive color, aroma and flavor from several years' barrel aging and blending. Tawny starts as blended wine that is fortified with 77 percent abv wine alcohol before it has finished fermenting (residual sugar). This process provides some beautiful nut and caramel flavors and at 19 percent warms the cockles of old Scrooge McDuck’s heart. Recently the Burgler Burghers of the Douro have taken to holding the Tawny in the very hot climate to speed up the “aging process,” a technique known as the Duoro Bake. It forced me to eschew the product in its basic form. Wise buyers who enjoy well-made Tawny will find the best quality in the Reserve, which must be aged at least six years in barrel and the 10-, 20-, 30- or 40-year-old.
Be careful here folks. All of the wine in each bottle is not truly any particular age. These are proprietary blends of different vintages and must only contain some wine of the named age. The wine itself normally originates in the nonvintage years. Short story, like all NV wine, it is blenders' or winemakers' art product. Follow the guy, not the label. My choice is Warres 40 YO. Peter Symington has been at the helm for 40-plus years. His company owns Warres, Graham’s, Dow and Symington Family Estate. Problem is, it costs Jean Lafite $180 and rates 92 points under $200. On a separate note, Peter learned his skill from his dad John, who learned from granddad Andrew James who was blending in the 19th century. Peter claims they still have some of the 1882 lying about. Before you ask, Colheita Port is a single vintage-dated Tawny Port (all grapes are from one harvest) aged in wood. They must be aged in cask at least seven years, but may spend as many as 50 or more years maturing in wood. Look for the date of bottling on the front or the back label along with the words "matured in wood" or "aged in cask" - both of which are further clues that this is not a vintage Port. Colheitas are usually less expensive than aged vintage Ports. This may seem odd since less than 1 percent in any vintage year is so labeled.
If you are having a holiday party and are unsure how much wine to bring in, just take a look at this post for the ideal solution: www.youtube.com/embed/DRmD5l37Q7k.
Email John McDonald at chjonmc@yahoo.com.
