Ferreira Duque de Braganca 20 Year Old Tawny Port

[Bradley Bogdan]

I don't have a lot of experience with aged tawnies, but the color is surprisingly red to me. The color is a fairly clear ruby, like that of 10-15 y/o lighter vintage burgundy.

The nose is very fresh, with a noted pecan pie element, a bit of lemon, and some warm vanilla. The palate is equally fresh, with a nutty and citrus opening, transitioning to a carmelized strawberry and vanilla midpalate and a mouthwatering citrus and butterscotch finish. Unfortunately, my vocab for Tawny and Madeira is fairly limited, so I'm not doing this justice. Its complex, wonderfully balanced and delicious, on the drier side, and I'm having to really control myself seeing as I have work in the morning. Most wines don't make it quite this difficult.

94 Pts.

[Peter W. Meek]

F20 is an amazing tawny. We (Gang of Port) have found it to change over time after opening. Most bottles (they vary) open very hot (alcoholic) and then mellow over the first few days. After about three days they seem to reach a plateau and then seem much the same for a week or so, and then "simplify' over the next few weeks. It never gets bad, but just gets less complicated as the open bottle ages. The color changes all the while as well.

[Andy Velebil]

Love this Port!!

[Barry Sunderland]

LOVE IT! As a Coravin user, though, I wish that it came in a traditional-driven cork, rather than the bemoaned t-cork.

[Barry Sunderland]

F20 is an amazing tawny. We (Gang of Port) have found it to change over time after opening. Most bottles (they vary) open very hot (alcoholic) and then mellow over the first few days. After about three days they seem to reach a plateau and then seem much the same for a week or so, and then "simplify' over the next few weeks. It never gets bad, but just gets less complicated as the open bottle ages. The color changes all the while as well.

Over time, it unfortunately loses its prized acidity and freshness, as well.

[Peter W. Meek]

F20 is an amazing tawny. We (Gang of Port) have found it to change over time after opening. Most bottles (they vary) open very hot (alcoholic) and then mellow over the first few days. After about three days they seem to reach a plateau and then seem much the same for a week or so, and then "simplify' over the next few weeks. It never gets bad, but just gets less complicated as the open bottle ages. The color changes all the while as well.

Over time, it unfortunately loses its prized acidity and freshness, as well.

That may be what I was trying to describe as "simplify".

But here's an interesting thing. We just got a new case of 2013 bottling, and we (GoP) think (based on the first 2013 bottle opened) that it is quite a bit different than the 2011. Less hot immediately after opening, for one thing. I have brought a 2013 bottle home and plan to open a 2011 and a 2013 simultaneously and sample them side-by-side over a few weeks.

This (change) would be fairly unusual, as I have always understood that there is a real effort to keep these tawnies the same from year to year. Unless, perhaps, the 2011 has changed a bit in the bottle (and because it was incremental) we never noticed.

[Andy Velebil]

F20 is an amazing tawny. We (Gang of Port) have found it to change over time after opening. Most bottles (they vary) open very hot (alcoholic) and then mellow over the first few days. After about three days they seem to reach a plateau and then seem much the same for a week or so, and then "simplify' over the next few weeks. It never gets bad, but just gets less complicated as the open bottle ages. The color changes all the while as well.

Over time, it unfortunately loses its prized acidity and freshness, as well.

That may be what I was trying to describe as "simplify".

But here's an interesting thing. We just got a new case of 2013 bottling, and we (GoP) think (based on the first 2013 bottle opened) that it is quite a bit different than the 2011. Less hot immediately after opening, for one thing. I have brought a 2013 bottle home and plan to open a 2011 and a 2013 simultaneously and sample them side-by-side over a few weeks.

This (change) would be fairly unusual, as I have always understood that there is a real effort to keep these tawnies the same from year to year. Unless, perhaps, the 2011 has changed a bit in the bottle (and because it was incremental) we never noticed.

Peter,
While they do strive to keep them consistent, that doesn't preclude them from making them better when needed. I am real curious as to how you evaluate them side by side. That's the fun and education part.....in other words, get on it, we're all waiting

[Peter W. Meek]

[<snip>
But here's an interesting thing. We just got a new case of 2013 bottling, and we (GoP) think (based on the first 2013 bottle opened) that it is quite a bit different than the 2011. Less hot immediately after opening, for one thing. I have brought a 2013 bottle home and plan to open a 2011 and a 2013 simultaneously and sample them side-by-side over a few weeks.

This (change) would be fairly unusual, as I have always understood that there is a real effort to keep these tawnies the same from year to year. Unless, perhaps, the 2011 has changed a bit in the bottle (and because it was incremental) we never noticed.

It must have been bottle variation (or maybe even taster variation). I brought a bottle of the 2013 home and last night we opened 2013 and 2011 bottles side-by-side. I got out some extra glasses and we sampled both for a while. None of us could detect any difference, even though the 2011 has spent an extra two years in the bottle (upright in a temp/humidity-controlled cellar). I'd have to say that the Ferreira folks have done a superb job of matching these two bottlings of their 20 year.

Still no idea why that first bottle seemed to taste so different. We will keep tasting side-by-side over the next few weeks to see if they change any differently with air on them.

[Glenn E.]

Still no idea why that first bottle seemed to taste so different.

It's wine.

In January, the London guys did a tasting of 6 bottles of 1985 Taylor that had been stored together in their case for, as near as could be told, their entire lives.

Julian's summary of the tasting (shortened by me): "Six bottles handled as identically as we could manage, and no two tasted the same. Three were excellent Port (and RAYC reported that another bottle from this batch was on a par with the good three); one was satisfactory drinking; and two had faults." According to the review thread, the two with faults were one example of TCA and one example of some sort of bacterial infection.