For The Love Of Port

Tasted at Roy's on 3/14/2010

Martinez 10 Year Old Tawny Port
Bottled in 2007

Color: Medium tawny, which is unusually tawny for a 10-year old. It looks more like a 20-year old in the glass. There is very little primary red left... just like a 20-year old.
Nose: Fairly closed to start, but some dust, sweet vanilla, and tangy apricot can be found.
Palate: Exceptionally smooth for a 10-year old, with a light tone that applies to every aspect of the flavor. Lightly sweet like Karo syrup, a light high-toned vanilla, lightly toasted coffee beans, and a light woody cinnamon. The Port practically dances in your mouth.
Finish: A little edgy, but a nice length and good warmth. The tail is marked by grape stem, though, which is mildly frustrating after an otherwise superb experience.

This was easily the surprise hit of the evening for me. I don't normally enjoy 10-year olds that much because, to me, they're just not tawny enough yet. But this one looks and feels like a 20-year old, and a reasonably good one at that. 90 points.

I was not a fan of most of the Martinez' but I must say, this one really rocked. In fact given your comment that this is as solid as a good 20 year old, I think your score is slightly stingy. Not because mine was higher, but because the rest of your note reads like a Tawny deserving of more than a 90. Just being critical in an educational sense and not meaning this to sound like I am picking on you. That said, I am in agreement that this was a very fine 10 year old Tawny which was quite evolved and lush. Impressive!

Roy Hersh wrote:I think your score is slightly stingy.

Yeah, probably. I think I'm harder on tawnies than I am on rubies because I like them better. Off the top of my head I have only scored 2 tawnies above 95 - the 1937 Warre Colheita (97) and the 1906 Brunheda Colheita (100). There are a few right at 95, but for whatever reason that seems to be as high as I go for tawnies.

I do pack a lot of 'em in there between 90 and 95, though, which makes it tough to score higher once in that range. 90 is as high as I've ever scored a 10-year old (I wasn't scoring back when I had the Niepoort) and that puts it right about where a solid but not spectacular 20-year old would fit for me as well.

Sadly, scoring seems to be more of an art than a science. Some days I feel like I know exactly what a Port deserves, but other days I feel like I don't have a clue!