The Glorious 50th Anniversary Port by Rocha

[Andy Velebil]

If my memory serves me correctly, this is a blend of the 1937 and 1957 colheita's and the 10 and 20 year old tawnys, so its average age is 50 years old. There was some controversy when this was approved by the IVDP, as there is no designation for a 50 year old tawny Port. But its all in a name as they say, and since it's not actually called a 50 year old tawny there was a little fudge factor allowed.

A light orange center that has some red highlights which fade to a golden brown on the edge. The nose has a lot of orange peel, vanilla bean, and a touch of heat. On the palate the acidity really livens this up and brings out the toffee, mahagony, maple syrup, white pepper, oranges, and spices. The palate strikes that perfect balance of not being to thick or thin, but just right to balance out the flavors without be over the top. The finish is the only thing that ever so slightly brings this down. Not a lot mind you, but just a tad. Where the palate is really full, complex, big, and wonderful, the finish is just a tad too simple in comparision and just doesn't quite hold up to the palate. None the less, this is a very good Port and worth getting, especially if you are looking to celebrate a 50th anniversary.
92 points (see below post for upgrade). 93 points.
10/24/08

[Roy Hersh]

Andy,

I enjoyed this when it was about to be launched in the US marketplace. Nice juice! Just curious, how much did this cost?

[Andy Velebil]

I don't recall exactly right now, but I think its around the $120 range for a 750. I'll have to check later when I get home

[Andy Velebil]

There was a little bit of this left and I must add that the finish was much better on day 2. I should have allowed this a little more time to open up before I posted my TN. So I stand corrected and the finish is on par with the palate now. I'll upgrade the score to 93 points.