TASTING NOTES:
"This wine has reached Tawny nirvana, all of its elements in harmony, its age a ghost of red fruit, its alcohol transformed into texture. It doesn’t suffer from oxidation, though it buzzes with richness, the flavors lasting on silken orange and fresh almond. Rather than the heat of Douro schist in August, it has the cool stoniness of the cellar where it evolved. Saturated with pleasure."
Wine & Spirits, 96 pts
"A superb wine, elegance and weight combined magisterially. It has all the right mature flavors, ripe fruit, intense marmalade and concentration. This is a wine with a great reputation, and the taste doesn't let that reputation down. Imported by Kobrand."
Wine Enthusiast, 95 pts
"The NV 40 Year Old Tawny Port was bottled with a bar top cork in 2014. It comes in with 125 grams per liter of residual sugar. Big, weighty and mouth filling, this is an aromatic Tawny that finishes with acidity and tension. Gripping on the finish, its flavors become more interesting as long as it sits in the glass (or on your palate). It is not, perhaps, as sunny as the Fonseca, its sibling reviewed this issue, but it is denser and more gripping. Comparing to the Taylor 30 (also reviewed), I'm not sure I liked the 40 here all that much better. The 30 is a bit fleshier while this 40 is a bit more concentrated in flavor and aromatics. Perhaps some additional age also helped this 40 combat some of the aggression on the 30. They are both pretty fine, a difference of five to Midnight and five after, rather than night and day. It is still a fine experience and my favorite of the group. Don't drink it too warm. Room temperature is mostly too warm. The sweet spot for most tends to be 58-62 degrees Fahrenheit."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 pts
WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
This sweet wine shows fresh, rich black cherry and cassis aromas. On the palate, it has a well-knit structure, with a velvety, luscious mouthfeel and smooth tannins.
Delicious as an after-dinner drink on its own, this wine also pairs well with desserts made from chocolate or berries. Made to be consumed immediately, without further aging.
