NV S. Leonardo 30 Year Old Tawny Port

[Glenn E.]

A rarity in the US, but worth the trouble to acquire. This bottle was imported by Adventures in Wine and was bottled in 2009.

S. Leonardo 30-yr old Tawny Port

Color: Medium to medium dark tawny. Significant orange overtones and yellow at the rim.
Nose: Candied lemon peel, some very light caramel, some almond, and a relatively strong dusty odor. Caramelized apricots?
Palate: Smooth and rich on entry. Lots of light caramel and brown sugar. An overtone of pineapple or possibly some other tropical citrus fruit, which seems to be a signature of this Port. Possibly some mango. Good acidity, but just barely.
Finish: Rich and creamy dried fruits. A rich sweetness, but with some very slight bitter tones as well. Some passing warmth. Good length. Some tart apples very late as it tails off.

Score: 95 points. An amazing 30-yr old. Easy to drink, yet rich and complex at the same time. I especially enjoy the tropical fruit overtones as they make it stand out from the usual crowd of dense, rich, dark dried fruits.

[David Spriggs]

Actually I imported that wine using AIW as my importing agent. It was the first time that I ever directly imported wine from Portugal. It was quite a crazy ride to do it and avoid the VAT. Miguel Braga was great to work with and very accommodating. It's a fantastic wine... and their 40 year old is even another step up!