Port

Fonseca Bin 27 Port 750ml

Fonseca is the only Port house with four 100-point scoring wines — and Bin 27 is the wine that made their name accessible to the world. A non-vintage Ruby Reserve blended for consistency of character, Bin 27 shares the heritage and depth of the great Fonseca Vintage Ports but is bottled ready to drink and can be served by the glass directly from the bottle. Aged in large oak casks for four to five years, it retains a deep color and intensely fruit-driven character that has earned it a devoted global following.

Rich, generous, and unmistakably Fonseca — Bin 27 is the benchmark for what a Ruby Reserve Port should be: plush dark fruit, velvety texture, and a luscious finish that lingers long after the glass is empty.

"Bin 27 remains one of the most reliably delicious Ruby reserves, presenting the plump Fonseca style in a wine that's remarkably easy to drink. Its scent of purple plums emanates from a luscious texture, the wine's freshness firmed up by schist tannins." — Wine & Spirits, 92 pts (Best Buy)

• Producer: Fonseca, Douro, Portugal
• Style: Non-Vintage Ruby Reserve Port
• Appellation: Porto DOC, Douro Valley
• Blend: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz
• Aging: 4–5 years in large oak casks
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Blackberry, cassis, cherry, plum, spice, velvety texture, firm tannins, rich luscious finish
• Best Paired With: Dark chocolate, blue cheese, walnuts, crusty bread with Queijo Serra da Estrela, or enjoyed on its own

The most decorated Ruby Reserve in Port — Fonseca Bin 27 is the bottle you reach for when only something rich, dark, and deeply satisfying will do.

Dow’s · 10 Year Old Tawny Port · Douro, Portugal · 750ml

Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port blends older wines for complexity with younger wines for fresh fruit and vibrancy. Long maturation in oak casks develops a reddish-amber color and a nutty character, expressed in Dow’s characteristically drier house style.

Character & Style

The winemaker describes a full, nutty bouquet, citrus and vanilla accents, and a soft, lingering finish. The supplied reviews add dried berries, caramel, hazelnut, fig, plum cake, and dried cherry. The 10-year designation is an average-age indication for the blend, not a vintage date.

Expert Reviews

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate · 92 Points · Attribution as Supplied
This is an interesting take on a 10-year-old tawny where it comes across more like a classic Late Bottled Vintage. Full-bodied, medium dry and tannic. Dried berries and a light caramel undertone.

Wine Spectator · 92 Points
Solid, with hazelnut, fig, plum cake and dried cherry notes in lockstep from start to finish. A streak of hazelnut husk tilts to the drier side of the tawny spectrum, resulting in mouthwatering cut on the finish.

Wine Enthusiast · 90 Points · Incomplete Supplied Excerpt
This is a rich, nutty wine, satisfyingly ripe, poised between sweet and dry. Its touch of spirit adds to the sweetness of the wine and balances with the acidity from wood a

The Wine Enthusiast excerpt supplied with the listing ends mid-sentence; no missing text has been reconstructed.

Winemaker Description

10 Years" indicates an average age – this Aged Tawny Port is a blend of older wines, which offer complexity and younger wines, which bring fresh fruit flavors and vibrancy. During their long maturing period in oak casks, Aged Tawnies undergo subtle color changes: the deep red hue which characterizes Port's youth gradually gives way to a paler reddish amber color. Dow's is known for its characteristically drier house style.

This 10 Year has a full, nutty bouquet with citrus and vanilla accents on the palate and a soft lingering finish.

House Background

The supplied history traces the business to Portuguese merchant Bruno da Silva’s move to London in 1798 and the Symington family’s involvement from 1912. It names Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira as Dow’s vineyards. Awards mentioned for the separate 2007 and 2011 Vintage Ports are not presented as ratings for this tawny.

Serving & Pairing Suggestions

Try slightly chilled in a small wine glass. Consider toasted nuts, almond desserts, caramel-based sweets, or aged cheese, or enjoy a small pour on its own after dinner.

Wine Details

• Producer: Dow’s
• Style: Aged Tawny Port
• Age designation: 10 years, an average age as described by the producer
• Origin: Douro, Portugal
• Maturation described: Oak casks
• House style: Characteristically drier
• Bottle size: 750ml

Croft Reserve Ruby Port — Douro Valley, Portugal

Croft is one of the oldest and most storied Port houses in the Douro Valley, with roots stretching back to 1588. Their Reserve Ruby is a vintage-character Port — a step above standard Ruby, blended from wines aged three to four years in neutral oak barrels to achieve greater complexity, depth, and consistency. Fruit is sourced in the traditional way from the highest-quality individual growers across the Douro, where varying altitude and aspect create the character that defines this style. In the winery, Croft’s innovative “Port Toes” robotic treading technology replicates the gentle action of human feet, maximizing fruit quality without damaging the grape seeds.

The nose is powerful and inviting: rich blackcurrant, woodland fruits, and subtle cedar and spice. On the palate, black fruit and chocolate dominate, with good weight and structure and a fine, lingering finish. Sweet, fortified, and deeply satisfying, this is a Port built for immediate enjoyment — no decanting required, no waiting necessary.

“A powerful, rich blackcurrant bouquet with subtle hints of cedar and spice. In the mouth, black woodland fruit and chocolate flavors dominate. Good weight and structure with a fine finish.” — Croft Port

• Producer: Croft Port, Douro Valley, Portugal (est. 1588)
• Style: Reserve Ruby Port (Vintage Character)
• Appellation: Douro DOC — Porto, Portugal
• Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
• Aging: 3–4 years in neutral oak barrels
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Blackcurrant, woodland fruit, chocolate, cedar, spice, rich and sweet finish
• Best Paired With: Dark chocolate, fruit-based desserts, Stilton or aged cheddar, walnuts, after-dinner cheese boards

One of Portugal’s oldest Port houses at its approachable best — Croft Reserve Ruby delivers vintage-character depth and richness at an everyday price, ready to pour and enjoy tonight.

Winemaker Description

The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness.

Churchill’s purchased the estate of Quinta da Gricha in 1999, and it quickly formed the spiritual heart of the house, and is where all the wines are made today before being sent downriver for aging in Vila Nova de Gaia. Winemaker Description.

Expert Review

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness. Drink the wine from 2029.

Expert Review

The Wine Spectator 94 Points | A very inviting, open style, with butterscotch and caramel notes framing the core of glazed pear, caramelized peach, golden raisin and warm fig flavors. The lush finish lets crème brûlée and ginger cream details hang, showing a flash of honeysuckle for lift.

Winemaker Description 

If time is marked by special moments, Kopke’s history is written in exceptional years.
Years that are worth keeping, so they can be relived and celebrated any time. When we retrieve years from Kopke’s history, we are creating more history: the age on the label of this Kopke Port wine is the average age of all the wines in the blend.

The wine should be stored in a cool and dry place, sheltered from light and temperature uctuations, and the bottle should remain in an upright position. Over time, it is natural that sediment will form at the bottom of a bottle of Port wine.

• Hand-picked at the optimum time, the grapes are then destemmed, crushed and converted into wine through a process of careful maceration to extract their colour, tannins and aromas, enhanced by constant churning during fermentation. This takes place in vats (lagares) at a controlled temperature (between 28-30°C) until the right degree of sweetness (baumé) is achieved. At this point, grape brandy is added to create the final fortified wine. A wine of high quality, made by blending wines of different harvests to achieve the array of sensory qualities that are typical of these aged tawny Port wines. These wines have each matured in oak casks for varied periods of time, with the average age of all the wines in the blend defining the age on the label. The resulting blend expresses the characteristics given by the ageing in wood.