Portuguese Wine

Our Professional Review 

Debra of 67Wine.com | This still Vinho Verde white has ripe tropical fruits on the nose and on the palate. It shows great freshness, with generous depth,  mouth coating texture, lively acidity, minerality saline and an energetic finish.  Pair with shellfish, white fish, poultry, salads and cheeses.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

91 Points Wine Advocate | Soalheiro's Alvarinho is a classical wine that made them famous and was first produced at the property in 1982. The 2023 Alvarinho was varietal, as it tends to be the first five years of its life: aromatic, clean and fresh, with moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.26 and 6.2 grams of acidity—parameters of freshness and balance. It's a bit shy, floral and insinuating, feeling a little reductive at first. This comes from vines up to 200 meters above sea level, on richer soils. The full clusters were pressed, the must fermented in stainless steel without malolactic fermentation and kept with lees for two months.

Wine Spectator 90 Points | Bright, buoyant acidity supports a pretty mix of ripe nectarine, Gala apple, blood orange pith and almond blossoms in this lithe, light-bodied white, with a salty undertow. Drink now. 25,000 cases made, 600 cases imported.

Winemaker Description 

Raspberry pink in color, with a slight prickle of fizz that emphasises its bouquet of red fruits (strawberries) and tropical fruits (banana). It the mouth it is lively and fresh, intense in flavor and well balanced, the overall impression being of lightness and freshness, with an elegant finish.

A fresh, semi-sparkling wine, displaying the best qualities of the Vinho Verde region in northwest Portugal. With a lush green landscape, Vinho Verde may literally mean “green wine” but it translates to “young wine.” Gazela is indeed meant to be drunk young, and is an extremely versatile pairing for all types of cuisine. 

Our Professional Review 

67 Wine Petit Somm Series® is a project created by our buyer, Oscar Garcia Moncada. The entire lineup of wines provide our customers and wine lovers with a hand-picked selection of wines of great quality and value. The artwork on the labels represent some of the most iconic neighborhoods in NYC, as well as some of our favorite international cities.

This Vinho Verde is deliciously fun to drink! Tropical and citrus notes combine perfectly to a refreshing off-dry finish.

Winemaker Description 

A classic Vinho Verde; light and fruity, with some nice peach and green apple flavors and a slight spritziness. The perfect, uncomplicated quaff.  

Expert Review

Debra of 67Wine.com | An easy drinking,  enjoyable red wine, offering complexity, mineral undertones, elegance  and nice depth. A classic Douro style,  this wine has ample tannins balanced with freshness, dark fruits and a pleasant long finish."

Pair with roasts, steaks,  grilled chicken or meats and potato dishes.

Winemaker Description

Twisted is a pleasant, easy drinking red wine, but with complexity, mineral notes and great depth, found in the classic Douro wines. It is produced from vineyards located in the Cima Corgo sub-region, being the main varieties, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela and Tinta Barroca. Its freshness and youth well integrated with soft tannins, full of Douro character, results in a very pleasant wine to drink.

The creation and illustration of the lable was done by the American animator Bill Plympton. 

The wine has a beautiful, intense ruby colour.

The aromatic profile of the wine is elegant, boasting mineral notes in perfect harmony with balsamic, floral and fresh red fruit aromas.

The palate is light and elegant, with smooth but persistent tannins and a pleasant acidity which makes the wine easy to drink and enjoy.

Winemaker Description

Bright garnet with high-toned red and blue fruit aromas, tinged with wet stone and violets. On the palate, lush, but with bright acidity to balance the red cherry and pomegranate fruit. White pepper, slate and herbal aromas overlay the core of fruit on a juicy, fresh finish.

Pair with roast game or poultry, or ratatouille. 

Winemaker Description

An exceptionally fine old tawny blend, aged for 10 years in oak casks. Elegant and smooth, combining delicate wood notes and rich mellow fruit, it is bottled for immediate drinking. A superb dessert wine, particularly with dishes made with chocolate, coffee or almonds, Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny may also be served at the end of the meal in the same way as Vintage Port.

Expert Ratings

93 Points Robert Parker | It is my opinion that Taylor's tawny ports are the best of their type. When tasted against other tawnys, they all exhibit more aromatic personalities, greater fruit and ripeness, and a wonderful sweetness and length. The Ten Year Old Tawny is a personal favorite, as well as the best bargain among these ports.

93 Points James Suckling | Beautiful sweet berries with walnut, toffee and caramel undertones on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with medium sweetness and a chocolate and toffee aftertaste. A richer style of 10-year-old and delicious. Drink now.

91 Points Wine Spectator | This has a nice racy edge to the mix of slightly dried red cherry and raspberry fruit, backed by red tea and singed vanilla. Shows good tension from start to finish. Drink now. 500 cases imported.

90 Points Wine Enthusiast | This ivery complete aged tawny has all the right nuts and fruit characters that show a Port that still looks back to its fruity origins. The style is ripe, full and sweet, a mellow wine that only hints at the spirit behind it.

Winemaker Description 

Bin 27 shares the heritage and style of the great Fonseca Vintage Ports, as well as much of their depth and character. However it is bottled when ready to drink and can be served by the glass directly from the bottle. Blended for consistency of character and quintessentially Fonseca in style, this reserve blend provides reliable and affordable value. 

Deep youthful ruby colour. Intense rich fruity nose crammed with pure blackberry, cassis, cherry and plum aromas interwoven with notes of spice. The palate full bodied and round, with a smooth velvety texture balanced by firm mouth filling tannins. The juicy black fruit flavours linger into the rich luscious finish. 

Creamy citrus oil, lime and yellow apple notes are nicely spiced and detailed with saline mineral and floral underpinnings through the long finish. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description 

Arinto brings bright acidity and aging potential, Azal is citric and fresh and Loureiro is aromatic and delicate. 

Clean, lively flavors of lime, ripe pink and yellow grapefruit. Slight effervescence. 

Winemaker Description

Deep ruby core with vivid ruby rim. The nose is very fine and multi-layered, with rich strawberry jam aromas, herbal notes, and fresh scents of cedarwood. There is also a discrete dimension, a luxurious redolence of leather and mocha coffee. In contrast, and in keeping with the Taylor house style, the palate has an attractive edge of austerity with taut tannins providing a firm grip to the long finish which delivers a surge of rich berry fruit flavor. A beautifully refined wine, poised and complete, displaying a complexity comparable with that of a mature classic vintage port. A beautiful expression of the 2018 vintage with its accent on elegance and finesse.

Excellent with fully flavored cheeses, especially blue cheeses. It is also delicious with desserts made with chocolate or berry fruits. Winemaker Description.

Expert Reviews

92 Points Wine Spectator | Shows a nice core of dark currant and fig fruit that’s been steeped with anise, alder and bittersweet cocoa. Give this a little time in a decanter or cellar for another couple of winters. Possesses the stuffing to cover slow sipping over a weekend.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 95 Points | The aromas to this beautiful tawny port are saturated with burnt orange peel, caramel, candied fruit and hints of honey-coated nuts. Full-bodied, very fruity and dense with intense nut and mahogany flavors. Hints of sultanas, chocolate and coffee. Extremely creamy, long and flavorful. Delicious all the way. Better served slightly chilled.

The Wine Spectator 93 Points | Rich, with a spicy nose, this offers flavors of fig, dried apricot, mango and ginger. Complex and elegant, delivering concentrated crème brûlée and tropical fruit notes that linger on the vibrant and buttery finish. (KM)

The Wine Advocate 93 Points |  On first taste, this was simply Taylor: big, concentrated and serious. It was all that and a bag of chips, but over a couple of day it also demonstrated far more elegance. It seemed arguably better balanced than the 10 year old Tawny this issue. Simply filling the mouth on first taste, this shows fine complexity for its age and it does everything else rather brilliantly. Succulent and inviting, it finishes with waves of concentrated flavors. The fruit remains lifted and and it has a bright, transparent feel. It is hard to resist, often seeming like a bit of an overachiever. It's not the best tawny Taylor's submitted this issue, but it might be the best intersection of quality and price.

Winemaker Description 

This superb example of aged tawny Porto is made from selected grapes from the best vineyards of the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. Taylor Fladgate is an area leader in winemaking technology, as one of only three Porto producers to pioneer the development of piston fermenter techniques, called Port Toes, that extract significantly greater flavor and aroma than conventional pump-over fermentation.

Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. Individual wines produced in different vintages are aged in 600-liter oak casks for years, over which time they will lose their young, dark purple-black color to gain the distinctive “tawny” hue from which the wine takes its name.

As tawnies age, the wines take on increasingly more nutty flavors and become more concentrated as the barrels lose 3% of their volume every year (the “Angels’ Share”) to evaporation. The 20 Year Old Tawny is a blend created using tawnies with an average of 20 years of aging.

Winemaker Description

An appealing golden colour, with an amber rim. Elegant and complex, it shows aromas of spice, with prevailing notes of dried fruit and elegant hints of wood and honey. Smooth and round on the palate, it shows complexity amidst intense flavours of dried fruit. An excellent finish. 

Expert Review

Decanter 95 Points | Kopke is the oldest of all the Port wine houses having been established in 1638. They produce outstanding tawnies (and aged whites) at all levels, up to and including a new 50 Year Old Tawny. Pale orange -amber in colour, this is gently toasted on the nose with lovely fresh citrus and dried fruit and smooth, savoury complexity on the finish.

Winemaker Description

Made with Jaen (Mencia)-led blend, which also features some Touriga Nacional and Alfrocheiro, aged without oak. With typical Dao freshness, this is a herb-fruited, honest reflection of this great appellation. 

Winemaker Description 

Selected from the lighter Porto of each year, these wines are chosen for ageing in small oak casks to develop their style. Sandemans Original Fine Tawny has the fruit and style of great Porto - but with an added finesse.

Pale in colour and light in body this Port is superb as chilled aperitif, yet satisfying when served at the end of a meal. 

Winemaker Description

Bright ruby-garnet. On the nose, bright fresh cherry, pomegranate, candied violet, rose petal and flint. On the palate, elegant and fresh, with floral and spice notes wrapped around a core of fresh cherry fruit. Finishes long, with mouthwatering acidity and a consistent beam of minerality through the finish.

The fresh red fruit and delicate aromatics of the Quinta de Saes Tinto pair very well with roast poultry and game. Mushrooms and other umami-laden dishes are also fine pairs. 

Critic Notes

93 Points Wine & Spirits | Alvaro Castro replanted his vines at Saes around the turn of the century, an east-facing vineyard in the foothills of the Serra da Estrella, where he and his daughter Maria grow touriga nacional, alfrocheiro, jaen and tinta pinheira for this blend. Fermented without added yeasts and aged in older oak barrels, this is among the most straightforward wines they make, and it showed beautifully in 2018: An elegant red with lovely richness, its melodramatic funk in control, its fruit in blossom—"red plum, violets and rose petals," as panelist Bruno Almeida described it.

Winemaker Description 

Dow's Tawny offers a great entry level Port for the shopper looking for value. It has bright citrus, caramel and almond flavors and the drier finish characteristic of Dow's Ports.

Serving and pairing suggestions

Dow's Tawny is bottled ready to drink after an average of three years of cask aging. It has a t-cap closure, which means that you don't need a corkscrew to open it and that it will stay fresh for four to six months if stored in a cool, dark place or refrigerator. Serve it in a glass with at least a six ounce capacity so that you may appreciate the wine's aromas. Dow's Tawny is delicious with soft ripened cheeses, flan or fruit tarts. In warmer months, try it chilled for a refreshing dessert in a glass. 

Winemaker Description

Dark ruby in color, it offers aromas of crushed herbs with hints of black pepper. Silky smooth mouth feel with concentrated smoky black fruit and earthy flavors, with silky tannins and a long finish.

Winemaker Description

Casa da Passarella is one of the oldest and most important producers in the region. It is located in the Serra da Estrela sub region of the Dao. If that sounds familiar, you are right, one of the most famous cheeses from Portugal comes from the same region and carries the Serra da Estrela DOP. The Dao is a special region, it is surrounded by mountains that not only protect it from the vagaries of the Atlantic but the harshness of the Continental climate that defines the Douro, the Masseta of Spain and Southern Portugal. The protected climate and granitic soils help shape the character of these wines. 

This Branco is a blend of Encruzado, Malvasia Fina and Gouveio. After a short pre fermentation maceration the wine is fermented in stainless steel vats and a short period of aging with regular battonage. Burgundy is the region that most people would use as a comparison for the style of wines from this region, and in this case I think it is apt. The core of acidity and structure from the Encruzado maps fairly well to white Burgundy, the battonage helps too. The flavor profile is different, as it should be, with Gouveio and Malvasia the wine has more aromatic lift, and a fun mix of orchard and stone fruits as well as hint of mountain herbs. There is a lot of wine here.

Expert Notes

Jim Gordon writes:  This smooth and sleek Port combines fresh fruit with good, mature nut, honey and fig flavors to be enjoyed before a meal if chilled and for dessert at a warmer temperature. Plenty of ruby in the color, with less amber than many tawnies, and accompanying fruitiness that is characteristic of Noval. Drink now.  - James Suckling 92

Jeb Dunnuck writes:  Quinta Do Noval's NV 10 Year Tawny offers up a semi-opaque ruby hue as well as a tons of cigar wrapper, chocolate, espresso, and candied black olive aromas, just to name a few. It's complex, medium to full-bodied, and rounded on the palate, with plenty of fruit as well as complexity. Aged in oak in a solera system for multiple years, this is in a sweet spot for me, with a solid mix of sweet fruit and some complex, spicy, tertiary nuances.  - Jeb Dunnuck 92

Richard Mayson, Rod Smith MW, Demetri Walters MW write:  Warm aromas of coffee, red fruit and cocoa, followed by soft yet rich and spicy flavours of nutty red fruit, flowing onto a gently spirity finish.  - Decanter 90

Mark Squires writes:  The NV 10 Year Old Tawny was bottled in 2016 with a bar-top cork and 106 grams per liter of residual sugar. Medium in body--well, it's a 10, not a 40--this has fine freshness and perfect balance. The juicy, delicious finish is irresistible and has more intensity of flavor than most 10 Year Olds. Although I tend to look first for freshness in this category, it is also nice to find some complexity and intensity of flavor, too, as here. This is nicely done. This showed way better at 58 degrees Fahrenheit than it did at 70.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91

Winemaker Notes

The 10 Year Old Tawny port shows outstanding intensity of color, complexity, concentration, and depth of flavor. Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca predominate among the traditional grape varieties. 50% of the grapes come from the estate (a large part of these now coming from the replantings at Noval in the mid nineties) and 50% from traditional suppliers of "A" category grapes. 100% of grapes are trodden by foot in lagares, a traditional, costly and rare approach, and the wine is aged in oak barrels of 640 liters until bottled. 

A favorite of restaurateurs because it remains fresh for weeks after opening, the Noval Tawny Port has beautiful complexity with vibrant young fruit that blends with the attractive and characteristic dry fruit and nut aromas. It is rich and smooth on the palate, with an elegant structure and long finish. Winemaker Description.

Expert Reviews 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | This is alluring, with whiffs of warm date, green tea and walnut backed by juicy fig bread and salted caramel flavors. The racy, focused finish lets a singed juniper note glide through. Drink now.

Wine Enthusiast 94 points | The wonderful old-gold color of this tawny leads into a generous, rich wine that has retained fruits while also showing a woody character that is typical of wines this old. With spice, dried raisins and intense acidity, it is a beautiful wine that deserves to be drunk just by itself.

Wine Advocate 94 Points | The NV RP 30 Year Old Tawny Port comes in with 119 grams per liter of residual sugar and was bottled in 2015. This is the new release. This mingles complexity of flavor with a fresh and surprisingly elegant feel (relative to the category, of course). The finish is very long, complex and persistent, adding new flavors as it lingers. Beautifully constructed and balanced, this is a 30 that starts with a bit of understatement and keeps getting more impressive. It's fun to just smell, but you expect that with long-aged Tawnies. The lift to the fruit and the sunny demeanor aren't always as guaranteed. It has a surprisingly supple and fresh style that I rather appreciated, delivering those old Tawny flavors while also seeming remarkably elegant. Then, it finishes with that big acidity. It was notably better a few days later, no longer seeming quite so understated, particularly in regards to its concentrated flavors and intense aromatics. Note that this comes with a bar top cork. If you're wondering, this is their oldest NV Tawny; Ramos Pinto does not make a 40.

The Ramos-Pinto 30-Year old Tawny is amber colored with orange and garnet tones. The delicate green highlights of the meniscus are characteristic of old cask-aged wines, and illustrate the quality and advanced age of this fine port.

This complex, perfectly balanced port shows rich aromas of dried fruit and vanilla. Agitate the glass and spice aromas of cinnamon and cocoa are liberated. In the mouth, the attack is fresh, fine and delicate. Ripe, dried fruit softly merges with almond and hazelnut, culminating in vanilla flavors which linger gracefully on the palate. Winemaker Description.

 

Winemaker Description 

This wine is a remarkable example of the Noval style. Treated exactly like a Vintage Port with only noble grape varieties from the Quinta, trodden by foot and unfiltered. Its main difference is that it is aged for five years in casks instead of the two years typical of Vintage Ports. Definitely an LBV with a difference, with fine structured tannins, great freshness and purity of fruit. It is delicious to drink today but will age beautifully in its bottle.

OUR DIFFERENCE
An unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage made only with grapes from our vineyard, trodden by foot in the Quinta do Noval "lagares".

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VINTAGE

2016 was a year of extremes: a warm winter with high rainfall, at 618 mm twice as much as in an average year. After a wet spring, summer was very hot and dry, with some peaks of heat in August and September. By the end of August, the harvest looked extremely good, in excellent sanitary condition, but ripening began to slow down due to the very hot and dry conditions.

Fortunately 17 mm of much needed rain fell on 13th September, and maturation continued in ideal conditions from this point onwards. The main part of the harvest began on 19th September in dry and sunny weather, and the fruit continued to ripen throughout the harvest period. We were able to harvest each plot in ideal conditions as ripening continued.

In spite of the unusual and extreme climatic conditions of the year, the end result is of an excellent quality. The Port wines are exceptional, with excellent structure, very intense bright fruit, and aromatically very expressive.

TASTING NOTES

This 2016 LBV Unfiltered is a delicious Port, rich and complex with gorgeous notes of blackberry and blackcurrant fruits and hints of spice as well. A minty freshness and dark chocolate add to the mix. This concentrated wine presents a broad, rounded texture that leads to a long aftertaste.

Carlos Agrellos, Technical Director

GRAPE VARIETIES

Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Sousão

Winemaker Description 

Straw color with greenish tones. The nose is fine, with citrus, green apple and mineral aromas. Excellent freshness in the mouth, light and very attractive. 

Winemaker Description 

Dark garnet tinged purple. On the nose, lush blueberry, plum and red cherry aromas, overlaid with slate mineral. On the palate, a core of red cherry and blueberry fruit is wrapped with hints of fresh tobacco, black pepper and spice. Plush and refreshing all at once.

Producer Description 

"Made entirely from the grapes grown on Taylor’s own properties, Taylor’s is one of the few remaining houses which still produces a 40 Year Old Aged Tawny Port. A sublime port of very great age which shows the old olive-gold hue of its many years in cask. Decades of evaporation have concentrated this extraordinary wine to an exceptional density, with a powerful nose of dried fruit, honey and a touch of spice. Impressions of nutmeg, roasted coffee and an intense nuttiness converge both in the bouquet and on the palate. The wine´s rich, intense, voluptuous, almost viscous texture culminate in a finish of incredible length." -Winery

Expert Reviews 

Mark Squires of the Wine Advocate 95 Points | The NV 40 Year Old Tawny Port was bottled with a bar top cork in 2014. It comes in with 125 grams per liter of residual sugar. Big, weighty and mouth filling, this is an aromatic Tawny that finishes with acidity and tension. Gripping on the finish, its flavors become more interesting as long as it sits in the glass (or on your palate). It is not, perhaps, as sunny as the Fonseca, its sibling reviewed this issue, but it is denser and more gripping. Comparing to the Taylor 30 (also reviewed), I'm not sure I liked the 40 here all that much better. The 30 is a bit fleshier while this 40 is a bit more concentrated in flavor and aromatics. Perhaps some additional age also helped this 40 combat some of the aggression on the 30. They are both pretty fine, a difference of five to Midnight and five after, rather than night and day. It is still a fine experience and my favorite of the group. Don't drink it too warm. Room temperature is mostly too warm. The sweet spot for most tends to be 58-62 degrees Fahrenheit.

Producer Descripton 

A young coloured wine with a citrus hue. Fruity and intense aroma, with predominant notes of tropical fruit (passion fruit and pineapple), combined with an evident citrus character (ripe lime and lemon). In the mouth it has a lively flavour with an evident fruity component, framed with a good balance between an acid sensation and natural sweetness.
Varieties

Bical, Fernão Pires, Loureiro and Others

Classical white wine vinification process, focused on preserving the aromatic component of the grapes, thus obtaining an intense expression. Aged in stainless steel vats.

Portable, durable and faster to chill, it can be served anytime, anywhere, direct from the can, over ice or in a cocktail.

Expert Review - Vintage 1997

Wine Spectator 95 Points | Plum and blackberry on the nose, with hints of dried violets. Wet earth. Full-bodied, medium-sweet, very chewy and rich. Long and caressing. Still very tight. Give it time. Very layered and structured. Much better than I remember. Impressive. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Best after 2010. 3,100 cases imported.

The Wine Advocate 93 Points | Blackberries, licorice, and melted asphalt stand out in this full-bodied, beautifully made vintage port's moderately intense bouquet. It is not one of the great Graham's ports, and is less sweet than normal, but it is full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and impressive. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.

Winemaker Description 

This excellent Vintage has an intense colour with a deep, purple rim. On the nose shows a luscious ripeness with attractive floral aromas and undertones of black cherry. On the palate, a typically Graham's full-bodied structure, packed with layers and layers of fruit and firm tannins. The very long, accomplished finish indicates a great Vintage for long-term ageing.

Expert Reviews 

James Suckling 98 Points | Made from old vines and blended from casks of Port averaging 40 years of maturity, this is a rare treat with which to finish an evening. The color is tawny brown, with a light orange-amber rim and mahogany center. Fully developed aromas of cinnamon, cedar, nutmeg, vanilla, dried apricots and hazelnuts lead to layered, rich, sweet and creamy flavors and a long, long finish.

Decanter 97 Points | Terrific stature and visceral intensity. Tightly wound acidity, a touch of volatile acidity and Cognac-like spirit drive to the kaleidoscopic palate, unleashing a never-ending panoply of flavors: black cardamom, spicy fruit chutney, salty praline, mocha, dried mango, marmalade and walnut. Ultra-long, well-focused and resonating.

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points | The NV 40 Year Tawny is a blockbuster Tawny! Coming all from the estate vineyard and aged 40 years or more in 640-liter oak barrels, it has a touch of ranico-like character as well as beautiful caramelized fruits, toasted spice, cigar, and walnut/nuttiness. Ripe, heady, full-bodied and beautifully complex, it’s going to be perfect for sipping at the end of a meal over the coming couple of decades.

Wine Spectator 95 Points | This is exotic, with a wide range of baked peach, dried cherry and fig, singed cinnamon, warmed praline, hazelnut and green tea notes all swirling around together. The long finish is rich and  thoroughly comforting.

Winemaker Description 

Deep ruby-violet. Fresh and roasted red berry fruit on the nose, with lilting notes of toast and spicebox overlaid with fresh eucalyptus. On the palate, lush and ripe, with abundant fresh berries and cherry compote up front. The mid palate shows the minerality and a touch of smoke, with considerable length. 

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 91 Points | Rich and supple, offering creamy flavors of hazelnut, Christmas pudding and ripe cherry, with cocoa powder notes. Lush and spicy on the long, ripe finish. Drink now. 1,800 cases imported.

Winemaker Description 

Sandeman Porto Tawny 10 Years Old is a vibrant premium aged wine, where the balance of ripe fruit and oak aged intensity, highlight Sandeman´s quality.

The intense red tawny colour with shades of brick, typical of this style of aged yet youthful wine, anticipates the elegant and complex aroma, combining ripe fruit, jam and nuts, with hints of vanilla and raisins. In the mouth, Sandeman Porto Tawny 10 Years Old is a most flavoursome wine, full-bodied and appealing, with a persistent finish.

Our Professional Review

Debra of 67Wine.com | Fresh berry fruits, currants, really pleasant and enjoyable with many foods.

Winemaker Description 

Located one-hundred kilometers south of Porto in northern Portugal, Bairrada was once relegated to supplying grapes for Port wine when demand was high in England. The region is now in the midst of establishing its own wine making identity and young producers like Luis Patrao are using indigenous varieties in that pursuit.

Baga is the main red grape of the region and displays a firm and assertive character. In Vadio (slang for idler, dreamer), the vineyards are farmed organically and the fermentation derived from naturally occurring yeasts. This creates an atmosphere conducive for the variety to fully display its sinewy red fruits, cedary side notes and high-energy acid lift. A wholesaler's need to make room for the next vintage led to a fortuitous purchase and the following deal for you! 

Winemaker Description 

Late Bottled Vintage is so named because the final LBV blend is bottled later between the fourth and sixth year than Vintage Ports, which are bottled two years after the harvest.

Furthermore, Late Bottled Vintage, unlike Vintage Port, is aged exclusively in wood and once bottled it is ready for immediate drinking and does not require decanting because it is filtered prior to bottling.

Expert Review - Vintage 2010

Roger Voss of the Wine Enthusiast writes 92 Points | Bottled unfiltered so that it can age, this is a very fine Port. The tannins are now soft, fully integrated into the black fruits and mature texture. This wine is perfectly ready to drink. 

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 98 Points | Loads of wet earth and grape aromas with hints of stems. Old vine aromas of bark and moss. Full-bodied, sweet and structured with a big kick on the end. Very impressive. Exceptional layers of fruit and energy. A stronger and more muscular Warre.

Wine Spectator 97 Points | Lush and inviting in feel, with a beautifully creamy texture that lets plum sauce, blueberry reduction and raspberry pte de fruit flavors glide along effortlessly. Notes of violet, anise and black tea are beguiling in the background before melding seamlessly on the finish. This shimmers with fruit, balanced by depth and spine. Best from 2035 through 2055.

Wine Advocate 96 Points | Relatively accessible, this still shows some impressive firmness to go with its fine concentration. An elegant wine this may be, as Charles Symington called it, but it is still admirable for its structure, even if the whole package is a little understated. Its fruit and mid-palate are nicely supported by moderate tannins. It evolves well with air, easily showing vivid and fresh fruit. It is beautifully textured as well. This is a fine Warre's Port, holding its own next to Dow, better than the 2016 Warre and a force in its own right. It is one of the best in a while. It is relatively accessible but not ready.

Wine Enthusiast 90 Points | A ripe, floral wine that has many layers of black fruits with a fresh touch of acidity. The wine is dense while also elegant and poised with tannins and fruit already in balance. That suggests the Port will age relatively quickly. Drink from 2025.