For The Love Of Port

A co-worker shared this bottle with me while we were working together at the wine shop last week. I had the chance to sample it on the day it was opened as well as a couple of days later. I didn't take formal notes but these are my impressions from memory...

Brownish/amber color with only a hint of orange/red left in it. On the nose as well as the palate caramel and walnuts are the dominant notes along with less prominent hints of dried fruits. The palate shows medium concentration with a smooth, lightly viscous mouthfeel and moderate sweetness. There isn't a ton of complexity for a 20-year, but it's nicely balanced with very little heat showing and a long finish of walnuts that I could still detect several minutes after sipping. A solid 20-year tawny that I found very easy to like. 90 pts, Tasted 11/11

I assume since you did not mention OTIMA that this was an older bottling of the Warre's 20 year old Tawny. I've had them in the past but almost never see them anymore and when I do, it is typically in Portugal, not the USA.

Yes, this is the regular Warre's 20, not the Otima. I actually forgot to check out the bottling date but after looking at my previous note I wonder if this wasn't an older bottling than the last one I tried. It was definitely lighter, smoother, and showed less heat.

Btw - last time I checked there were still a few of these on the shelf at the Trader Joe's here in NYC.