Van Zellers & Co - 40 Years Old Tawny Porto [3pac]

Grandes Escolhas

VertdeVin

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The NV 40 Years Very Old Tawny Port I tasted is surprisingly dark and with a green tint around the edges, a color that is similar to other 80 Year Old wines. But who knows what could have happened to some of these components along the decades... Anyway, the wine is very good, with a profile of concentration and clout, volatility and acidity and some notes of iodine and nuts, with a bittersweet finish. I didn't get the analytical data, but it does not feel that sweet. Like the rest here, it's only bottled to order, so I tasted an unbottled sample.

Van Zellers & Co. is the new project from Cristiano Van Zeller and his family after he sold Quinta do Vale Dona Maria. It's an old company that was created in 1780 by his ancestors. They resumed the family tradition of making unfortified and fortified wines. They have 15 hectares of vines, owned and rented, and make around 80,000 bottles of unfortified wines and Port. The CV wines are always from the same vineyards, but for the rest, they use a diversity of terroirs. There's a wide range of négoce Ports, some very old; I received unbottled samples of them, as they are bottled to order.

James Suckling

Medium amber hue. Concentrated and deep nose and palate, showing a wide spectrum of aromas and flavors. Caramel, sourdough, Brazil nuts, dried persimmons, figs and licorice. Really intense and smooth on the palate with fine, creamy tannins and a lengthy finish that goes on for almost a minute. Drink now.