The Wine of the Month that I have chosen for May is Taylor Fladgate 20 year old Tawny Porto (port). It can be bought at most wine stores, as it is heavily exported, and Clinton Wine & Spirits does carry both the 20 and 10 year old versions (which I will explain below). The 20 is at the upper end of Steve’s price range and the 10 is usually at the very high end of Billy’s price range. This is by far my favorite port and the 20 is worth the extra bucks, in my opinion.
All true “ports” come from Portugal, primarily from the Douro Valley, a very harsh climate that would seem very unlikely to be a good place to grow grapes. The best ports are typically made from a combination of 5 grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Spanish Tempranillo), Tinta Cao, and Tinta Barroca. The best subregions are Baixo, Cima Corgo, and Douro Superior. Most ports today are still aged anywhere from 2 to 50 years in the “Port Lodges” of Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from the city of Oporto (a tradition that’s over 200 years old). In order to be considered “tawny”, a port must be aged for a minimum of 10 years. Besides Taylor Fladgate, Graham’s and Sandeman are major exporters of good Port and can usually be found in the same location on the shelf. The most common “tawnys” are the 10 and 20 year old versions. Only at much larger wine stores will you usually find 30, 40, or 50 year old versions.
As far as tasting notes go, both mine and theirs, this port has a very smooth almost elegant finish. You will get apricot, fig, and white peach on the nose. There is also a walnut and baking spice element to its aroma. It is a low acid, full bodied, low tannin wine, with a long finish. It can be served at room temperature or slightly cool. It made Wine Spectator’s (WS) Top 100 of 2023 (at #76) and this is what they had to say about it, “Another magnificent and finely-balanced old tawny blend of outstanding richness and complexity“. It also rated from 93 to 95 by most wine rating companies. Two other ports that WS likes are Dow & Quinta Do Noval, and if you are looking for vintage (“non-tawny”) ports, than 2016-2017 would be the best years. But, in my opinion, you cannot get a better deal, at a better price, than Taylor Fladgate 20 year old Tawny Porto. Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
That should do it for #39. Next week will be another Food & Wine pairing. Be sure to check it out. Cheers!