40 Year Old Tawny

The 40-Year-Old Tawny was aged in very old oak 600-liter casks and old oak vats. It is an old-vines field blend with residual sugar of 196 grams per liter. Even more so than its 20-year sibling reviewed this issue, its sugary with an endless finish. It adds a layer or two of depth to the 20, but it is so sexy and so rich that it seems a bit less complex, which is not always the way this works in comparing 20s and 40s. As it airs out and that first rush blows off, though, you do begin to get the complexity this has in spades. It is more piercing and gripping. You eventually taste the treacle and concentrated molasses underneath. You realize how fine it is when you notice that the powerful and sugary finish never seems to end.

There’s beauty in this wine’s alcohol, a fiery warmth that has captured the scents of roses and the soft luxury of caramel cream. While the fruit has matured into scents of leather and rooty notes of radish or carrot, it’s no longer central to the wine’s message, which is focused instead on brisk schist tension, an ineffable mineral freshness that’s not drawn toward earthiness but open to the sky. Drink this on a cool afternoon, after a long, leisurely lunch, especially if you happen to be in the Douro.

It's old-gold color says it all. This luscious, liquorous wine has a tangy edge to go alongside the acidity, the raisin fruits and flavors of long wood aging. It's not so much fresh as still very alive and poised. Drink now.

A flash of cherry gives way quickly to date, green tea, ginger and sandalwood notes, with an echo of persimmon through the finish. This has a rounded, viscous feel but manages to stay lithe and alluring as the flavors play out.