NV Old Boys 21 Years Old Tawny Port
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Tasting notes
Blended to an average age of 21 years, the 2018 bottling of the NV Old Boys 21 Barrel Aged Tawny features lifted aromas of caramel, maple walnut and rancio. Decadently sweet and full-bodied, it does finish with an assertive note of nut skin, which lends it a slightly drier, savory note. It will last a good long time sealed under screwcap and will even go a few weeks after opening so long as it's kept refrigerated. Pricing is for 375-milliliter bottles.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
57% Frontenac, 43% Muscat of Hamburg. RS 126 g/l. Deep, reddish tawny. Nutty, caramelised figs and raisins. Terrific piercing intensity and freshness and an intensely sweet wine. Much more grapey than a port but equal in complexity. Bitter toffee aftertaste and amazing length. GV (JH)
53% Shiraz, 33% Grenache and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon selected from 10 regions around Australia owned by De Bortoli and others. Fruit was allowed to stay on the vine until very sweet and an intense concentration of flavours had developed. Grapes were crushed and partially fermented to retain some sweetness, then pressed and fortified with a neutral spirit prior to maturation in small and large format oak casks for on average 21 years. Winemaker Julie Mortlock. This is a lovely cross between tawny port and madeira – it doesn’t have the fruitiness that you would normally associate with Australia. Fierce acid, lengthy and sweet – not honeyed but caramelised. Very lovable. (RH)
Semillon, Muscat & Shiraz. Cork. RS 150 g/l Very pale greenish tawny and drying out just a little. Much lighter, greener and less complex than the Noe PX from Gonzalez Byass. Lots of concentration and rancio – and fair value. (JR)