20 yr tawny curiosity

[Steve Culhane]

Hi,

Haven’t posted here in a long time, but thought this might be of public interest, so here goes...

Was holding my annual port thing with office colleagues when someone mentioned they had some old bottles they wanted to bring along. Turned out they were 20 Taylor and Warre, but respectively bottled in 1991 and 1993. Both were decanted for a day. The Taylor especially had a large amount of sediment and was rather cloudy. Both T-corks had survived amazingly well for 25+ years with no seepage.

Both were rather good with the Warre fresher and fruitier than Taylor. The 2016 bottling of Taylor I had as a comparison point was better, but not by much. Overall, a cool experience to drink a couple of “20 + 25” tawnies...

VPs for the evening were Dow 77, Vargellas 95 and Fonseca 2000. The Dow did not show as well as previous times, the Vargellas is still fine and amazing value for money and the Fonseca was sublime and clearly the highlight of the night.

Steve

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks for the post Steve, very timely considering the recent discussion on a thread about old colheitas and tawnys. In case you missed it:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40975

I started my wine journey hearing about drinking tawny ports, colheitas included, when they're young and fresh. However, over the years I have discovered that this is not entirely true. Whether tawnys, other dessert wines, or even whiskies, many have developed additional character with age. When I bought a 20 year-old Moscatel du Setubal bottled in 1989 the advice given to me was to drink it soon after when it is fresh and relatively fruity. In 2009, when the 20 year-old was 20 years in bottle, it was sublime. I have also experienced a couple of older whiskies that changed but of course spirits need more time in bottle to develop, or tropical heat in the case of a Laphroaig 10 year-old.

And thanks for an update on the 2000 Fonseca VP, a sentimental favourite because I first tasted it as a barrel sample with Bruce Guimaraens at the time of it's declaration here in Edmonton. I later managed to secure a few bottles.

Cheers .................. Mahmoud.

[Andy Velebil]

Very cool experience. That cloudiness is very fine sediment and is easily stirred up due to how fine it is. It also takes a really long time to resettle back out of the wine, as in a couple months. It usually will make the Port taste off from a bottle that isn't cloudy. Give it a very slightly gritty and dusty feel in my experience. Most people probably wouldn't notice, unless like yourself, you've had the same wine where it wasn't cloudy.

I do want to ask, was it worth cellaring the 20 year olds for so long for what you describe as only being minor differences?

Bummer about the Dow's, when it's not flawed it's a beauty.

I like the Vargellas and think it's one of the better of that vintage and of course the Fonseca Thanks for posting about it!

[Mike K.]

I recently opened a 30yo tawny that had been bottled in 2011. It was very good, but when I got to the very last pour or two there was a heavy amount of large sediment. Like what you would find in a VP. Never see that in a tawny, but also never had one that was more than 2 years in the bottle.

[Andy Velebil]

I recently opened a 30yo tawny that had been bottled in 2011. It was very good, but when I got to the very last pour or two there was a heavy amount of large sediment. Like what you would find in a VP. Never see that in a tawny, but also never had one that was more than 2 years in the bottle.

That's a lot of sediment for any tawny, regardless of how long it's been in bottle. What producer was it?

[Mike K.]

I recently opened a 30yo tawny that had been bottled in 2011. It was very good, but when I got to the very last pour or two there was a heavy amount of large sediment. Like what you would find in a VP. Never see that in a tawny, but also never had one that was more than 2 years in the bottle.

That's a lot of sediment for any tawny, regardless of how long it's been in bottle. What producer was it?

Ah, my words may have been misleading. The main point I wanted make was the sediment was larger flakes/chunks, not an extremely fine particulate. There was not the quantity one would find in a VP by any means, but the final large pour looked like a snow globe. It was quite surprising. The quantity was closer to what you might find in a 5-10yo unfiltered LBV.

[Andy Velebil]

Ah ok. What producer was it. That may help explain things.


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[Mike K.]

Ah ok. What producer was it. That may help explain things.

Oops, I forgot to answer that. Vista Alegra.