Martha's 10 Year Old Tawny Port

[Mike J. W.]

Color: Burnt Orange with the slightest tinge of Red, Rim: None, Meniscus: Barely There Thin, Weight (Viscosity): Medium, Nose: Butterscotch, Light hint of Charcoal, Oak, Oranges, Slightly Spirity, Sous bois, Taste: Hints of Caramel, Leather, Lime, Ever so faint taste of Maraschino Cherries on the back-end, Oranges, Pepper, Tangy, Light touch of Vanilla on the finish, Acidity: Medium, Mid-palate, Late, Tannins: Light and well integrated, Late, Sweetness Level: Little, Early, Mid-palate, Finish: Long, Smooth but with an Acidic Bite on the bank-end, Other Notes: Driven cork, Bottled 2023, IVDP seal on the lower back of the bottle, Decanted for 5 hours, Long, thin tears on the side of the glass, Smoother on the second day. Better than most Top Producers' 10 year-olds and it could give some Producers 20 year-olds a run for their money.

This was a nice surprise for a relatively unknown Producer. I've heard of Martha's but had never tried any of their Ports. I ran into this bottle at a store in the Ironbound section of Newark. The Ironbound is heavily Portuguese so there are some nice locations for buying Port. You can find some real deals there like this Martha's 10 y.o. It was just under $24 which is good for a 10 y.o. these days...at least in my neck of the woods.

Surprisingly, this had a Burnt Orange color with just the slightest tinge of red. I would have expected this to be much more red than orange. The nose was pleasant with a mix of Butterscotch, Oranges, a touch of Charcoal and a few other smells. It seemed like every time I took a sniff the aromas would mix and change. The same went for the taste. At different points I was tasting Oranges, Pepper, Lime, Leather and Caramel among others. I even caught a taste of Maraschino Cherries on the back-end of the finish.

This 10 year-old wasn't overly sweet although the sweetness did improves over the several days that I drank this. The same could be said for the score., as the first day it probably would have earned a score of 88 points, but by the last day it was a solid 91 points. This had a nice, long finish that was smooth although it did have a nice, acidic bite to it as well. All in all, a very nice 10 year-old. If you see any at a good price, buy one and see what you think. 91 points.