Description
Taylor Fladgate 30 Year Port Tawny (750 ml)
Tasting Notes Taylor Fladgate 30 Year Port Tawny
Taylor Fladgate 30 Year Old Tawny Port casts a deep, majestic amber hue, a testament to its three decades of patient maturation. The aroma is an enchanting blend of rich, sun-dried figs, decadent dates, and a hint of candied orange peel. Layers of toasted almonds and an elusive wisp of exotic spices create an olfactory tapestry that invites exploration.
On the palate, this Tawny Port unfolds an opulent experience. Velvety toffee and molten caramel intertwine, revealing a symphony of sweetness underscored by a subtle infusion of leather and tobacco. The texture is silken, and each sip unveils a nuanced evolution, a testament to the wine’s extended aging. The finish is a lingering encore, leaving a profound memory of dark chocolate and a whisper of aged port cask.
Critic Ratings
Wine Spectator Review – Rated 95:
This is lovely, displaying warm date, toffee and persimmon notes entwined with sesame oil, green tea and ginger flavors. Shows a lovely interplay of sweet and dry, with flashes of hazelnut cream and juniper contrasting each other on the long and deep finish. Drink now. From Portugal.
James Suckling Review – Rated 95:
Caramel and butterscotch with some figs and dried fruit. Medium-bodied with a very fine texture that turns creamy. The finish shows milk chocolate, nuts and fruit. Medium sweet. Pecan pie.
Wine & Spirits Review – Rated 93:
This wine starts with a burst of flavor, trumpeting preserved lemon, mincemeat and baking spice over a luscious, creamy texture. Then it mellows into the finish, clean and lasting, ending on the savor of roasted almonds. It would be a delicious match for sheeps milk cheeses from the mountains, whether Ossau Iraty or, within Portugal, Queijo Serra da Estrela.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate Review – Rated 92:
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.
| Winery | Taylor Fladgate |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Duoro Valley |
| Year | 30 Year Port Tawny |
| Grape Varietal | Port |
| Size | 750 ML |
| ABV | 20% |
| Wine Style | Dessert Wine |
