Description
92 Points | The Wine Advocate. Mark Squires
Remember that with tawnies, they are best drunk a little cool. Most producers recommend 58 degrees to 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, the end-date drinking windows are just placeholders. I don't pay much attention to them and neither should you. Old Tawnies don't die easily, barring cork failures, and as they sit longer and longer in barrel, they become more and more resistant. End-date drinking windows are just advisories that mean "a very long time." They aren't really meant to be aged, though. They are ready on release.
The 2005 Colheita Tawny Port is a typical field blend of grapes like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz, bottled in 2019 with 117 grams of sugar, 21% alcohol and a long cork. A dry and pointed Colheita, this shows a little brandy to go with its focused and penetrating finish. Surprisingly complex for a young Tawny, showing dried caramel and fig nuances, it is also remarkably gripping. Overall, this is super for a young Colheita. Noval is known for Colheitas and rightly so. These age well, barring a cork failure, but that's not really the point. The end-date drinking window is just a placeholder. Also, don't drink Tawnies too warm.