NV Taylor's 30 YO Tawny
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Tasting notes
Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional, fermented in innovative tanks, developed by Taylor’s and installed at the company’s winery at Quinta da Nogueira, that use 'Port-toes' technology to replicate the traditional foot-treading process. Winemaker David Guimaraens. TA 5.2 g/l, pH 3.5, RS 125 g/l. Bottle weight 600 g. Transparent reddish tawny. Very smooth with flavours of dried fruits and nuts. By no means given away, but then compared to a 30-year-old red bordeaux… Very pure and fresh. Actually, delightfully refreshing. Very well done with just a tiny bit of chewiness thanks to that long oak ageing. A bit of warmth on the end. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
RS 96 g/l. Pale tawny-brown. Wood spice, clove, dark chocolate and cakebread. Intense sweetness with balancing acidity, dark chocolate, wood spice, some mahogany and more cinnamon-clove/cakebread. Mostly tertiary with just a core of residual fruit. Long, chocolate finish. (TJ)
The NV 30 Year Old Tawny Port was bottled in February 2016 with a bar-top cork and comes in with 126 grams per liter of residual sugar. The last release of this I saw was the 2014. Obviously, the differences are typically small from year to year and they are not side by side, but this didn't show quite as well early on, whether due to it being a different release or just a different context. It shows good concentration while retaining some mid-palate finesse. It is complex, then it adds a powerfully intense finish laced with burnt orange peel and molasses as it warms. If I had a quibble, there was some noticeable alcohol, especially when retasted the next day. Some three or four days later, it was far smoother, but it is always a little edgy. Overall, this is a fairly stern style, dry and brooding, with that hint of spirits in the background. It reminds me of the stereotypical scene with Port (or Cognac), cigars and blue cheese. It just has that serious feel to it, along with that long finish. It seems to be one, as discussed in the accompanying article, that leans more to a 40-year Port. As always, these last indefinitely, barring cork failures, but they are not really meant to be held.
114g/l RS, 5g/l TA. Toasted nuts, dried fruits, plum and raspberry. Smoke, chocolate, spices and some meaty character too. Powerful acid on the finish. (RH)