It's a Tawny – Chateau Reynella 16 year old Rare Old

I was long overdue for my next round of port. Completely out of stock, I headed over to the shops in order to get a bottle of port. Not knowing what to select.

Chateau Reynella 16 year old. Rare Old Tawny was recommended to me by a staff member at Dan Murphy's, after spying me standing in front of the port selection for more than 10 minutes. He suggested that many of the staff there, who were not port drinkers, actually found this easy to drink and quite nice. So – I more than willingly took the bait...

But in order for me to truly understand the flavours and aromas of this port I felt it necessary to find out more.

What is Tawny?

If you remember in my first review "Port Beginnings" I mentioned that there are 2 specific ways port is aged –

1. In the barrel and

2. In the bottle

Tawny or Vintage Tawny is a barrel aged port using predominantly red grapes. It is usually aged in oak barrels and during this time, the grapes are gradually exposed to oxygen and allowed to evaporate. This, and the length of time spent in the barrels, which varies from 2 to 7 for tawny and 10, 20, 30, and 40 plus years for your vintage Tawny, is what makes the redness of the grapes turn to a tawny golden brown in colour. They can be sweet, nutty, mellow in flavour while being medium to dry in taste. Tawny Port generally will not improve with age once bottled.

The PORT Experience

Chateau Reynella 16 year old. Rare Old Tawny

Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia

Age: 16 Year Old

Grapes: Shiraz and Grenache

Size: 375ml bottle

Alcohol: 19.5%

On pouring a not so standard sample sized  "two fingers" (see notes on Two Fingers at the end of this post) I noted a very strong, perhaps spicy aroma. After some thought though, I get the impression of sweetness and wet oak. It is golden-brown, grape in colour and has a smoothness to it, while also being quite dry. I can see this going well with a christmas pudding as the more sips I take, the more I get a juicy raisin flavour.

The finish is a build up of a mild pungent 'heat' trail with each sip, that lasts for sometime after your last taste. I feel this heat seems to linger more so, than my experience with other ports and tends to leave a mild taste of date on the palette.

The label on the Reynella reads "Smooth, Mellow" & "Displays a distinctive spicy aroma", "Classic rancio flavour leading to a dry nutty finish."

I hope upon each review I will get better at detailing the "Tasting Notes" of each port, but for now I would have to say for a $10 (AUD) port you cannot go too wrong on selecting this one. The taste you will remember from this selection however is definitely its spice.

So please – Join me next time, as we share in "The PORT Experience"

Na zdrowie!

Two fingers

Notes about Two Fingers: "Two Fingers" refers to the amount poured into the glass. This does not follow "etiquette" as mentioned in my previous blog 'Port Beginnings – How to taste port', as it is the amount from your index finger to your pinky regardless of the glass size. I was brought up in the so called tradition of "Two fingers" thanks to my father. (Obviously after being well and truly within the legal drinking age requirements) It is the only way I serve an alcoholic drink!