Top 11 Tawny Ports
With Christmas fast approaching it's time to start thinking about festive fortifieds. See the top scoring Tawny Ports from our recent panel tasting...
These wines are the top scorers (94 and above) in our recent Tawny Port panel tasting, in the January issue of Decanter magazine. See the full tasting here.
Top 11 tawny Ports
A new trend for tawny Port
There has long been a stark division between tawny and vintage Port, with the so-called ‘British houses’ majoring on vintage while the ‘Portuguese houses’ made a speciality of wood Port, meaning the tawnies and colheitas that are aged for extended periods in wood before bottling.
‘We always had strong sales in markets such as Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal, where aged tawnies have long been considered to be among the finest styles of Port,’ said Jim Reader, Port consultant at Dalva.
With the growing appreciation of tawny Port in English-speaking markets, that division is breaking down. All the main shippers have been building their stocks of wood Port.
Graham’s and Taylor’s have even begun to launch their own colheitas – single-year, aged tawny Ports – entering into an area that was once the near-exclusive preserve of the Portuguese-owned shippers. And this year the once rather obscure colheita style has gone mainstream in the UK, with a listing for Kopke 1996 in Marks & Spencer
Maynard's, 10 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
The Van Zeller family, owners of Barão de Vilar, can trace its origins in the Netherlands to the 13th century. It was in the 17th...
Maynard'sPort
Delaforce, Curious & Ancient 20 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
John Fleurriet Delaforce came to Porto in 1834 to set up the new firm of Martinez Gassiot, delving into the Port business. From there, House...
DelaforcePort
Fonseca, 20 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
Succulent, poached red and blue fruit – cherry, cranberry, pear and plum – at the core of this enjoyable tawny, of unpretentious classicism. Around the...
FonsecaPort
Quinta do Noval, 20 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
Characterful and unapologetic, with an alluring – and very idiosyncratic – smoky quality. Roasted almonds, dried rose petals, Earl Grey and apricot mingle harmoniously. In...
Quinta do NovalPort
Burmester, 10 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
<p>Sogevinus produces seven million litres of Port under four different brands: Burmester, Barros, Kopke and Cálem. The name Burmester honours Henry Burmester who, in 1750,...
BurmesterPort
Cálem, 20 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
Intense and broody, with melting dark chocolate, fleshy walnuts, roasted coffee beans, Earl Grey-poached plums and butterscotch at the core. Fine spice-lined tannic framework, outlining...
CálemPort
Maynard's, 20 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
Well-integrated and harmonious, with a rich, creamy Christmas cake complexity on the nose and palate, building to a long, satisfying finish.
Maynard'sPort
Manoel D Poças Junior, 20 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
Baked fruit and caramel aromas lead to rich, complex flavours of dried fruit and roasted nuts. Rounded and complete, with a soft yet long, warming...
Manoel D Poças JuniorPort
Quinta do Vallado, 10 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
A complex weave of fig, date, almond and earthy aromas, reinforced and well-matched on the long and complex palate. A delightful marriage between textural quality...
Quinta do ValladoPort
Cálem, 10 Year Old Tawny, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
Woody, spicy aromas usher in rich pecan pie-like flavours accompanied by hints of nutmeg and plum pudding. Fresh, broad and long.
CálemPort
