Marco
Barrel Filler
Posts:1046
 | | 01/06/2006 7:51 PM |
| I only recently started drinking Port and my first decent bottle is a Graham 20yr Tawny Port. It's great stuff and I like the fact that I don't have to finish the whole bottle in a day or two, but can enjoy it over a few weeks, a small glass at a time. If memory serves me right, I paid around $ 40.00 for this bottle.
Here is my question:
Tawny's are available as 10/20/30 and 40 yr olds. Where is the "sweet" spot with Tawny's? The prices for 30 and 40 yr olds are quite a bit higher than 10 or 20 yr olds, but is it really that much better? Does the wine evolve much beyond 20 yrs? At what age does Tawny hold or decline? Are some 40 yr olds possibly less enjoyable to the casual drinker? | | | |
|
jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6875
| | 01/06/2006 7:56 PM |
| One general misconception is that because it says 40 years etc on the label that is that old. It isn't. They are made to taste like a 20, 30 or 40 year old port would.
I personally just stay with the 20yr myself or buy Vintage. Then again I am a lot more price sensitive than most on this site. | | | |
|
skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 01/06/2006 7:58 PM |
| | The 20 year is the "sweet" spot for Tawnys. The incremental increase in quality for the 30 and 40 year Tawnys just isn't worth the large step up in price. There is a more noticable difference between the 10 and 20 years Tawnys in quality but the incremental price difference isn't as large as the difference between the 20 to 30 or 20 to 40 price difference. | | | |
|
skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 01/06/2006 7:59 PM |
| Quote:
One general misconception is that because it says 40 years etc on the label that is that old. It isn't. They are made to taste like a 20, 30 or 40 year old port would.
I personally just stay with the 20yr myself or buy Vintage. Then again I am a lot more price sensitive than most on this site.
No, the average age of the wine in the solera is 20, 30, or 40 years. There may be some younger wine in the blend but this is averaged with older wines. | | | |
|
jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6875
| | 01/06/2006 8:05 PM |
| It is the average age of the wine, but average can be quite a span of years. So there is nothing incorrect in saying that it is not a 40 year aged wine. Using the term solera is incorrect with regards to Tawny ports as well since it is not based upon a base year such a Sherry, but just the a blend to average.
Also Rumpel, there is really no benefit to aging tawny ports on your own. They are released ready for consumption. | | | |
|
jaimetown
DC area
Wine Bottler
Posts:3484
| | 01/06/2006 8:18 PM |
| | I don't really like to venture beyond the 20, as that does the trick for me. I'd also like to plug Quinta do Noval as the best 20 yr. tawny I've ever had (tried it this fall) - awesome bottle of wine. | | | |
|
Fred
Wine Thief
Posts:2673
| | 01/06/2006 8:58 PM |
| Quote:
I don't really like to venture beyond the 20, as that does the trick for me. I'd also like to plug Quinta do Noval as the best 20 yr. tawny I've ever had (tried it this fall) - awesome bottle of wine.
I agree with you JT. I really like Quinta's LBV port as well as their Tawny. | |
"It's better to have your enemies inside the tent pissing out, then outside the tent pissing in." -- Lyndon Johnson | |
|
Marco
Barrel Filler
Posts:1046
| | 01/06/2006 10:18 PM |
| Thanks for the great information, had no idea that this was a blend of different aged port.
Looks like I accidentally hit the "sweet" spot, maybe not so accidental as the 10 yr bottle was about $ 10.00 less, the 30yr was about $ 30.00 more and the 40yr old was over a $ 100.00.
I'll try to find some Quinta da Noval next. | | | |
|
skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 01/06/2006 10:21 PM |
| | Good 20 year Tawnys are also made by Fonseca, Taylor, and Dow. I'd give them all a try to find what you like. | | | |
|
ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 01/06/2006 10:58 PM |
| Quote:
I really like Quinta's LBV port as well as their Tawny.
You don't see much on wine sites about LBV Port. These are great alternatives to Vintage Port that are perfect while waiting for the Vintage Ports to develop. | | | |
|
stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Thief
Posts:2817
| | 01/07/2006 1:40 AM |
| Why wait? I've heard from some sources that the 2003's are guzzling wonderfully now.  | |
Cheers, y'all | |
|
ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts:1074
| | 01/07/2006 7:16 AM |
| Quote:
I only recently started drinking Port and my first decent bottle is a Graham 20yr Tawny Port. It's great stuff and I like the fact that I don't have to finish the whole bottle in a day or two, but can enjoy it over a few weeks, a small glass at a time. If memory serves me right, I paid around $ 40.00 for this bottle.
Here is my question:
Tawny's are available as 10/20/30 and 40 yr olds. Where is the "sweet" spot with Tawny's? The prices for 30 and 40 yr olds are quite a bit higher than 10 or 20 yr olds, but is it really that much better? Does the wine evolve much beyond 20 yrs? At what age does Tawny hold or decline? Are some 40 yr olds possibly less enjoyable to the casual drinker?
This is why I drink only vintage port. I can't find a tawny port that I like. | | | |
|
KillerB
Barrel Racker
Posts:1533
| | 01/20/2006 12:30 AM |
| I like to have a Tawny or two in because they are so flexible. You can open them and drink immediately, even when they've just come off the supermarket shelf and there's no sediment. They also last for a week or two after the bottle has been opened, unlike Vintage Port. Always look out for the nutty flavours. And it's nice chilled.
I've got the Graham's 20yo (sweeter and heavier) and Warre's Otima 10yo (lighter) hanging about at the moment. Apparently the 20yo Otima is excellent. I also like Dow's 20yo but the Graham's 10, Fonseca 10 and Taylor 10 are a bit ropey.
I'd agree with the sweet spot being 20 years as well. Graham's ordinary Tawny (about 8 years old) is actually better than the 10yo, it's cheaper and it comes in a cute bottle.
Tawny does NOT age in the bottle.
Late Bottled Vintage is great stuff, especially the unfiltered ones. Warre's makes an absolutely superb one (there is also a normal LBV for 2/3 price, not bad), so does Noval and, if you can find it, Krohn. Taylor's, Graham's and Fonseca again fall short.
Unfiltered LBV will age in the bottle, filtered will not. | | | |
|
ChangeMe
Grape Truck Driver
Posts:44
| | 01/22/2006 11:46 PM |
| Quote:
One general misconception is that because it says 40 years etc on the label that is that old. It isn't. They are made to taste like a 20, 30 or 40 year old port would.
I personally just stay with the 20yr myself or buy Vintage. Then again I am a lot more price sensitive than most on this site.
Port with an Indication of Age: 10 years old; 20 years old; 30 years old; 40 years old
These superior quality Ports are obtained by blending wines from different years in order to obtain complementary organoleptic characteristics. Aged in wood for varying periods of time, the age that is indicated on the label corresponds to the approximate average age of the different wines in the blend. From that age, one obtains an indication of the characteristics the wine acquired as it aged in wood.
In the mouth, they are smooth and well balanced and they have a very persistent aroma.
From this URL: http://www.ivp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=65&codSeccao=2&idioma=1 | | | |
|
ChangeMe
Grape Destemmer
Posts:96
| | 02/24/2006 12:34 AM |
| One other aspect of Tawnies are the Colheita wines. These are tawny ports from a single vintage (and good/bad years will not relate at all to good/bad VP years).
I am a fan of Tawnies with an Indication of Age, such as the 10/20/30/40 yo ones, but think there is real character in the colheitas. And some do actually improve in the bottle. I would relate it somewhat to an LBV port where some, mostly the less filtered and more traditional LBV ports, can improve.
Anyway, one can find good Colheitas from the 90's back to the 1912's or so though they are more rare than VP.
Good houses? Some who do VP less than successfully do wonderful colheitas: Kopke, Rocha. And some do well with both VP and Colheita: Noval, Niepoort. Of course there are others than are quite good as well.
Jay. | | | |
|
skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 02/24/2006 12:55 AM |
| | Krohn is quite well known for their Colheita's. | | | |
|
David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15756
| | 02/24/2006 5:00 AM |
| | Does Krohn even make a vintage Port? | | | |
|
skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| |