NV Taylor Fladgate 30 Yr Tawny

Taylor Fladgate traces its origins to 1692, when English merchant Job Bearsley arrived in Vila Nova de Gaia and began trading Port wine, making it one of the oldest houses still in operation. The firm took its modern name in 1838 when Joseph Taylor partnered with John Fladgate and Morgan Yeatman, and the Yeatman family went on to lead the company through much of the twentieth century. In 1744, the house became the first British shipper to purchase a property in the Douro Valley, later acquiring the celebrated Quinta de Vargellas estate. Now part of the Fladgate Partnership alongside Fonseca and Croft, Taylor Fladgate remains devoted entirely to Port and is widely regarded as the benchmark for Vintage Port.

This 30 Year Old Tawny is blended from reserves of cask-aged wines sourced from selected vineyards in the eastern Douro Valley. The wines mature slowly in seasoned oak casks within Taylor Fladgate's cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, where the cool, damp coastal air allows for gradual, gentle aging. Only every two or three years does the cellar master set aside a reserve with enough structure and fruit to age for three decades, and once those lots reach their peak they are blended together for balance and consistency.

The tawny shows a deep old gold color with aromas of dried fig, walnut, and honeyed orange peel layered over notes of salted caramel and spice. The palate is silky and rich, medium bodied, with a long, precise finish that lingers on roasted nuts and butterscotch. Pour it alongside pecan pie, aged gouda, or a simple plate of dried apricots.