10 Year Old Tawny Port by Quarles Harris

[Lamont Huxley]

An amber/copper color with burnt orange and strawberry highlights. Some tangy fruit notes on the nose - maraschino cherry, strawberry and mandarin orange - backed by warm hazelnuts and a touch of spices. The first day this was opened the spirit was showing quite raw and hot on the palate, but after a few days of air it's mellowed nicely and really plumped up. It has nice weight in the mouth with a smooth, semi-sweet caramel character overlaid by light strawberry and watermelon fruit flavors. The medium-long finish reverberates with a pleasing nuttiness. I have to say, I wasn't crazy about this on day 1, but four days later it's quite delicious. At the price I found it ($15.99) this is a great QPR wine. 89/90 pts