TN: Quinta do Portal Very Old Tawny Port

[Stewart T.]

• Quinta do Portal Very Old Tawny Port - Portugal, Douro, Porto (9/28/2021)
  Date unknown. This wine was bought from a small producer with no records. It was first purchased in barrel, although the wine was apparently not reacting well when they moved it into their own barrels. They then moved the wine into glass demi-johns (this was #5 of 7) in 2014. This wine probably has some muscatel grapes in it. It is dark mahogany in color. There is an intense nose of citrus with subtle cocoa powder and herbal notes underneath. The nose shows a good deal of age – they told us they believed that the wine was around 90 years old when acquired. I guessed it was about 100 years old based on the aromas, and that puts it in a similar timeframe. While the nose suggests a very old wine, the surprisingly lively acidity that you find on very old, well-aged tawnies show up here to back up the claim. There is an incredible intensity of sweet caramel, burnt sugar, and wonderful rich spices. Extremely long finish with intensity with waves of complex flavors. (96 pts.)

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