I love Tawnies, and here is a different kind

Ports and Tawnies have grown into a true passion of mine and the fascination is increasing. Normally you would think of the Douro Valley and Porto, but Australia made fortified wines ages ago, and still do. The fortifieds from Penfolds might actually be their most authentic wines, even if Grange is what steals the show these days. But Penfolds has over 100 years of history before Grange, and that is where these Tawnies come in the picture.

Tawnies is aged fortified wines, so the finished wine, which is a red wine, and at this stage could have become a regular inky dark Ruby Port (if it was from the Douro of course) is then aged in barrels, for years, so they become more oxidative and more developed than their Ruby cousins. Penfolds do it similarly, but not with Tinta Negra, Touriga Nacional and so forth, no, here it is Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro and Cabernet that is the building blocks. There might be other varieties as well in the blend, again a similarity with Douro. It makes for a both very similar, yet quite different expression. Tawnies from Penfolds tend to have a more fruit driven core, more red and dark berries, yet also the figs and dried fruits you expect from a Douro Tawny. The spices are slightly more exotic, and sometimes you find a hint of mint or even eucalyptus that is rarer, but not unheard of from Douro. 

 If you love Douro tawnies, you will love these. They are just a little bit different, and all the greater for it. Perfect exotic Christmas gift for the wine lover who has everything. He, or she, might not even have heard of these ones. Father is the name of the 10 years old blend, Grandfather the name of the 20 years old blend, and Great Grandfather the name of the ultra-rare 30 years old blend. This is the 15^th release during the last 30 years of only 2500 bottles. That makes it difficult to find. And this release is the best of the releases I have tasted. I would drink these over the next 3 to maybe five years after release.

Penfolds Father Grand Tawny 10 YO 

Kr 299,90

NB, kun 240 flasker i landet! Amber with ruby core. Dried fruits, anise, figs and dates nose, scented. Fresh acidity, elegant texture, dates, figs, raisins, nuanced, detailed, beautiful body, long finish. Bot pf exotic spices. Smooth! 90

In Penfolds’ own words, how it was made;

With compelling quality and provenance, Penfolds Father Grand Tawny is a tribute to over 170 years of Penfolds winemaking excellence. A blend of outstanding wines matured in seasoned small oak casks, achieving a minimum average blended age of ten years. Individual varietal components from each vintage allocation are aged separately in seasoned old oak casks. Many of these casks have been used for maturation of fortified for many decades and have been specifically selected for this wine to ensure the development and characters are consistent and true to the house and Tawny style. While some of these casks can be in excess of 70 years old, they may have only matured as few as six to eight different components over that time.

Penfolds Grandfather Grand Tawny 20 YO

Kr 899,-

NB, kun 60 flasker i landet, noen er alt solgt. Amber with golden rim. Dates, figs, raisins, some spices, not too intense nose. Fresh acidity, smooth texture and body, dried fruits, dates, figs, raisins, some wood polish, teak, intense and long. 93

Again in Penfolds’ words;

With each vintage, varietal batches are selected for Grandfather. These batches are individually aged in seasoned old oak casks before being blended together at 14 years of age. This blend is then introduced into the ‘Grandfather Solera’. This Solera consists of six stages that are designed to fully integrate all components offering consistency and freshness with a final minimum average blended age of 20 years.

Penfolds Great Grandfather Grand Tawny 30 YO 

Kr 2100,-

NB, kun 24 flasker i landet, 1 av dem er hos meg! Series 15, 2500 bottles made. This is bottle 21. Deep amber brown, golden rim. Dried fruits, some caramel, dates, spices, touch of mint, figs, raisins, faint chocolate note nose. Fresh acidity, intense, detailed, spices, dark fruits, figs, dates, exotic spices, cinnamon, smooth, lovely acidity, refreshing, very long finish. The series 15 seems better balanced on the alcohol than the series I have tasted before. 95

Great Grandfather Rare Tawny is sourced from stage six of the ‘Grandfather Solera’ and individual batches of maturing Grandfather that are identified as having exceptional quality. These components are further aged before being blended and introduced into the ‘Great Grandfather Solera’.

With a minimum average blended age of 30 years.