Vista Alegre Tawny Over 40 Years Old (Bottled 2012)
Clear brownish amber colour with a nose reminiscent of leather tack. The depth and complexity of this port were quite striking. The underlying butterscotch sweetness of sultanas presented a backdrop to complex dry flavours derived from the oak. Tasting this against a couple of excellent ten year olds demonstrated how the prolonged ageing contributed to the development of depth and complexity as this port was significantly superior in both qualities.
Quinta de Val da Figueira Tawny 10 Year Old (Bottled 2012)
Clear deep brownish amber colour with a rich and fruity nose. This port was full bodied being characterised by complex astringent wood flavours tempered by the sweetness of dried fruits. The depth was striking making it hard to believe that this was just a 10 year old. If you can track this down definitely buy a bottle as, in my opinion, this is the one to judge others by. It comes into its own as a superb digestive at the end of an excellent meal.
Dalva Tawny 10 Year Old (Bottled 2011)
Clear deep amber colour with a rich nose of dried fruits. On tasting the sweetness of dried fruits was balanced by the astringency of the contribution from the oak. This meant it was not as sweet as some ten year olds therefore allowing greater appreciation of the complex flavours derived from the barrel ageing.
