Axel Probst on 80 Year Old Tawny Ports, the newest, oldest category in the Douro.
Only two years ago, the Port wine regulations were amended to permit the production of 50-year-old Tawny Ports, among other changes. In January of this year, the Port Wine Institute’s board of directors signed Circular No.1/2025, which permits the production of 80-year-old Tawny Ports. Previously, these old Ports were known as “Very Very Old Tawny Ports.” I never liked this name, because although the wines had to be at least 80 years old, their age was not clearly indicated on the label. This led to a lot of confusion within the Port-drinking community. You might also ask why there are no 60- or 70-year-old Tawny Ports on the market—but maybe there will be in the future.
To go back a step and provide some contextual information, Tawny Ports are cask-matured Ports that age in 550-liter pipas (pipes)—the official unit of measurement for Port. These pipes are always made of old, used wood to prevent the Port from taking on new woody aromas. There are entry-level Tawnies (normally called Fine Tawny) and Tawny Reserve, which need to be at least six years old. Then there are 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, 50-, and the new 80-year-old Tawny Ports, where the Ports blended into these must have at least the average age identified on the label. You could therefore take 50% of a 15-year-old Tawny Port and 50% of a 25-year-old Tawny Port and blend a 20-year-old Tawny Port. The actual blending of Port is, however, much more complex than that greatly simplified example suggests and should not be confused with many other soleras or other “random blends” of the various fortified wines of the world. Within Port production, there is not only the winemaker and the viticulturist, but also the master blender—the person who is responsible for the final blends of Tawny Ports. This is a complex and sophisticated task, because this person needs to know the aromas and flavors of all the various Tawnies in the stocks (large houses can have millions of pipes in their cellars), as well as the desired quantities and final product. To complete this brief excursion on Tawny Ports, the remaining category is colheita (pronounced koll-yay-tah), the Portuguese word for harvest, or vintage. Colheitas are Tawny Ports made from the grapes of just one year. The Symingtons (Graham’s, Dow’s, Vesuvio, and Warre’s) and the Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft’s) use the term “single-harvest Tawny Port” instead of colheita, but this is exactly the same type of Port.
Unlike most Champagnes, Tawny Ports usually display the bottling year on the label, which is important, since they retain their freshness for only a limited time in bottle. As a rule of thumb, you could allow one third of the age for the Tawny Port for further time in the bottle. If you have a 20-year-old Tawny Port, this can easily hold six or seven years in the bottle before consumption, but not much longer. So, with this new category of 80-year-old Tawny Ports, you have plenty of time to open and finish the bottle. Once the bottle is opened, though, you should finish it within two weeks.
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The angels’ share is also a very significant factor in the production of Tawny Port, especially when it is decades old. Depending on the storage conditions (primarily the surrounding temperature and humidity), a loss of 3–5% every year is standard if the Port is in a pipe. You also lose a bit more when you rack the pipes (once a year). So, if you age a pipe of 550 liters for eight decades, you will end up with only 48 liters if the annual loss rate is 3%, and as little as 9 liters if it is closer to 5%. Moreover, only the very best Ports can mature for such a long time under the influence of oxygen. On the subject of quantities, note that some of these precious Ports are offered in 75cl formats, while others are in bottles containing only 50cl.
In recent years, many larger houses have either bought smaller rivals—for example, the Fladgate Partnership bought Wiese & Krohn in 2013 and vast stocks of Tawny Port—or purchased individual casks, usually containing less than a pipe, from farmers in the Douro. These family reserves are often stored in the Douro Valley, where the Ports acquire the distinctive “Douro bake” aromas, which are rather burned notes, like tart or caramel.
Tasting 80 Year Old Tawny Port
Graham’s 80-year-old Tawny Port
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Only 600 bottles of the 80-year-old were bottled, and the shelf price will be well above $1,350/
£1,000. For head winemaker Charles Symington, the blending process was very emotional, because his father, Peter Symington, was born in 1944. When turning 80, Peter very much enjoyed this special Port. Dark red color, with intense reflections and a green-gold rim. Gentle and perfectly balanced Douro-bake aromas on the nose, with coffee, dried orange, and tobacco. Complex, dense herbal notes in the bouquet, along with chocolate, malt, tobacco, and caramel; there are also floral notes and a hint of chocolate and toffee in the background. Amazingly complex on the palate, with mixed herbs, chocolate, tea, malt, honey, and tobacco. Perfectly long, balanced, and complex on the finish, with many overlapping layers. A perfect Port! | 100
Taylor’s Victory 80-year-old Tawny Port
This Port was bottled this year to celebrate the end of World War II. A symbolic 1,945 bottles have been filled and are individually numbered. Bright, intense reflections in a dark red color, with a green rim and an even more intense core. Perfectly balanced, as well as hugely intense and complex on the nose: toffee, chocolate, coffee, honey, and a mix of herbs. Very supportive acidity on the palate, with herbal notes, honey, chocolate, malt, and hints of nuts. Long, complex finish. A shelf price of around $800/£600. | 98
Taylor’s Very Very Old Port
Golden reflections and a hint of green at the rim of the almost opaque, dark orange color. Complex, rich, Douro-bake aromas in the rather rustic bouquet. Coffee, orange peel, tobacco, and a dense bouquet of aromatic herbs. White pepper on the palate, with hints of coffee and chocolate and a perfect harmony between acidity and sweetness. Long complex, balanced finish. | 96
Taylor’s Very Old Tawny Port Kingsman Edition
This is a release of only 700 half-liter bottles, with an average age of more than 90 years. Deep core in a dark orange-red color with intense reflections. Complex aromas of nuts, coffee, caramel, figs, and milk chocolate on the nose. Despite its complexity, everything is balanced and harmonious, with plenty of tension. Intense flavors of coffee, malt, orange peel, pepper, and balsamic vinegar on the palate. Perfectly balanced sweetness and acidity. Complex, long finish. At around $2,700/£2,000, the most expensive Port in this category so far. | 98
Quinta do Vallado 80-year-old Tawny Port
This Port was blended by the two Franciscos: Francisco Ferreira from Quinta do Vallado and Francisco Olazabal from Quinta do Vale Meão—two cousins with four different Ports, the youngest around 50 years old and the oldest from 1888. Dense but transparent dark red color, with a golden-green rim and medium-intense reflections. Spicy aromas on the nose: dried fruit, smoky notes, orange peel, tar, and tobacco leaves, with a hint of chocolate in the background. A fantastic combination of acidity and sweetness on the palate, with honey, raisins, fine dark chocolate, coffee, and light floral notes. There is only a hint of sweetness on the very long finish. | 97
