NV Taylor Fladgate - Porto Tawny Port 20 Year Old

Taylor Fladgate carries over three centuries of history in Port production and stands among the most respected houses producing aged tawny Port today. The firm has long been an innovator in the region, one of only a few producers to pioneer piston fermentation, a technique known within the company as Port Toes that draws out more flavor and aroma than traditional pump-over methods used elsewhere in the Douro.

This 20 Year Old is blended from tawnies averaging two decades of age, sourced from grapes grown in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, the Douro's most prized subregions. After fermentation is halted with grape spirit to preserve natural sweetness, the individual lots age separately in 600 liter oak casks in the firm's lodges in Oporto, gradually losing their youthful purple color and around three percent of their volume to evaporation each year as they deepen into the wine's signature tawny hue.

The finished Port shows an intense amber color and an opulent, spicy nose layered with jammy fruit, toasted nuts, and orange blossom, along with a fine oakiness from its long cask aging. On the palate it is rich and concentrated, finishing long and mellow with notes of fig and caramel. It pairs beautifully with crème brûlée or a bowl of fresh strawberries.