20 year Old Tawny

Douro, Portugal

Non-Vintage

Tasting Notes

The Quinta Do Vallado 20 year-old Tawny is rich and nutty with aromas of dried fruit and cigar. The palate is voluptuous and round, ending with a satin finish.

Vineyards

Port is a fortified wine made primary from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão (plus around 75 other indigenous grapes) that are hand-picked from the wineries Estate vineyards.

Winemaking

Port wines are intended to be sweet, so fermentation is arrested half way through the process, before all the residual sugar has been fermented. Fermentation is halted through the addition of grape spirits, thus fortifying the wine. The wine is aged in 600 litre oak casks for years during which time the complex aromas and flavors become thoroughly integrated and the distinct hue develops.

Technical Information

Vintage:: Non-Vintage
Alcohol:: 20%
Region:: Douro
RS:: 119G/L
Varietals:: Blend of Old Vines Tinto Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Fraca and others
PH:: 3.5
TA:: 4.8G/L

Accolades

93 points

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

February 2015

The 20 Year Old Tawny, bottled in 2013, was aged in very old oak casks and vats. It is an old-vines field blend with residual sugar of 119 grams per liter. Opening with a big, big rush of sugar, this shows more focus and far more complexity than I sensed on the first whiff. The finish is crisp and laced with a bit of brandy. This isn't big and thick, but it seems far richer than it is given the finish and the aromatics. The aromatics are very powerful for a 20. The remarkably concentrated flavors on the finish also seem often to exceed what many 20s deliver. This is quite an exceptional 20 Year from many perspectives, but that finish is particularly exceptional.

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90 points

Wine Enthusiast

April 2015

This has just the right balance between the fresh fruit of younger Ports and the wood and dried fruit of aged tawnies. It’s a dry style of Port, with a lift of acidity. It’s delicious and, like all aged tawnies, ready to drink now.

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93 points

Wine Spectator

June 2011

Suave and silky-tasting, delivering complex, refined flavors of buttercream, toffee, dried apricot and pear. Light and airy on the finish, with a cleansing minerality and hints of sea salt.

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