NV Heritage 40 Year Old Tawny Port

[Will W.]

The context for this tasting note can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42645

This was the sixth and final Heritage port consumed at the sitting.
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The best of the Heritage wines tasted on the day was far and away the Heritage 40 Year Old Tawny Port, bottled in 2018; it proved to be unique in a number of respects when compared to other forty year olds.

To the eye, the port was suggestive of Yemeni black honey; for readers keen not to lose their lives in Yemen in an effort to add to their port wine-colour charts, it will be observed that the appearance of the wine was much like that of the older Quinta do Mourao tawnies, not least the 100-year-old masterpiece. Somewhat oddly, however, this forty year old featured a clear rim. As for the nose, it was delightfully pronounced, offering a great deal of toffee, spice and wood, with lesser notes of truffle chocolate and almond paste. Shoe polish and beeswax rounded out the olfactory stimulation. On entry, the palate was hit with a wave of caramelised sugar, which gave way at the mid-palate to dark chocolate and hazelnut. The lengthy finish was akin to that of gently-spiced, mulled wine.

Heritage 40 Year Old Tawny Port brings together a high level of acidity with considerable sweetness. The two manage to coexist in a pleasing manner, though one and even two persons would experience heavy sledding in getting through a bottle in a single sitting. That noted, this unusual and pleasant tawny is well worth a tipple for those able to countenance the price per bottle of EUR 179 which is charged by what is evidently the only vendor (i.e., Portologia) to carry the product.

-93.5 points