- Details
- Written by Nicholas Breeze Nicholas Breeze
- Category: Fortified Wines Fortified Wines
- Published: 24 March 2021 24 March 2021
As unexpected as the lockdown was, so it has been that probably the most memorable drinking experiences throughout the period have come from fortified wines. In 2019 I visited Portugal 3 times and the Douro Valley twice. In February 2020, on the eve of lockdown, I was in Porto for the Essencia tasting, and despite many memorable parts to the trip, I do cherish the Port Dreams tasting as among the most special. I will write this up later as I have a backlog of port tasting notes, memories and even film footage to disassemble.
Here in Italy, I was recently handed a gift of Burmester 40yr Old Tawny Port at the table in a beachside restaurant. With eyes bulging in gratitude I retreated back home to pour a glass and found myself instantly conjuring the landscape of the Douro Valley.
Douro Valley from Quinta Do Noval 2019
The 40yr old Burmester has all of the Chesterfield leather, varnish, tobacco, and orange fruits. It is intense, honeyed, nutty rich and lip-smackingly delicious.
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Thinking for sensorial parallels, I recall tasting the Quinta Do Noval 40-Year-Old Tawny during our stay at the Quinta during the 2019 harvest. Bringing up the notes on my phone they read: 'Acetone, leather, tobacco, varnish. Volatile acidity gives it a real zing. Really clean/fresh. Pleasant aftertaste of dried fig, nuttiness, and tobacco.'
Each of the bottles were tasted on steep sides of rugged terrain, Liguria and the Douro, in warmer climates than England... and both are sensational.
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