Mayson’s picks: definitive tawny Ports

Ferreira, 10 Year Old White 89 £ 10.99 (375ml) Harrods, Slurp, Sogrape UK Not strictly a tawny, but well on the way: bright golden-amber hue, fresh, not overly sweet with a lovely orangey tang to the nose and palate. Full of character and considerable finesse. Proof that not all great Port has to be red! Alc 20% Graham’s, The Tawny 90 £ 15 Fells, Marks & Spencer The colour of a Victoria plum. Rich, heady aromas of fresh figs and raisins with soft yet spicy glacé cherry flavours and a relatively full, broad finish. Very satisfying. Alc 20% Burmester, 10 Year Old 95 £ 19.90 Amazon UK Mature orange colour and seductive aromas of fruit cake, honey and a touch of spice. Mellifluous, smooth and suave palate yet beautifully fresh with a dusting of tannic spice on the finish. Alc 20% Sandeman, 10 Year Old 94 £ 19.99 Slurp, Sogrape UK, South Downs Cellars, Vintage Wine & Port Brick-red at the centre with a distinct amber-tawny rim. Gentle and fresh aromas with a soft, sweet, suave fruit palate and a touch of nutty complexity on the finish. Perfect balance. Alc 20% Ferreira, Duque de Bragança, 20 Year Old 98 £ 39.99 Slurp, Sogrape UK Quince marmalade on the nose and palate. Refined, soft and seamless with the merest dusting of tannin on the finish. Worthy Platinum Best in Category winner at the 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards. Alc 20% Ramos Pinto, Quinta do Bom Retiro, 20 Year Old 98 £ 54 (500ml) Cambridge Wine Merchants, Davy’s, Fortnum & Mason, Hedonism, James Nicholson Single-estate tawny from an A-grade quinta in the Torto Valley. Mid-deep in colour and supremely elegant and gentle in style. Slightly lifted on the nose with a dried fruit and nut character, then soft and lithe on the palate with just a hint of spicy tannin. Stimulating finish and perfect poise. Alc 20% Cálem, 20 Year Old 96 £ 33.05 Amathus Fragrant and fresh with a touch of spice and vanilla on the nose. Soft, creamy, textured palate combining the depth of age with the freshness and verve of youth leading to a fine, seemingly dry and focused finish. Alc 20% Sandeman, 40 Year Old 98 £ 107-£ 131.70 Hedonism, Lea & Sandeman, Slurp, Sogrape UK, Vintage Wine & Port Bright, pale amber-tawny, this sings from the glass with mixed glacé fruit and elvas plums. Very fresh and elegant flavours with a touch of savoury complexity that dries the wine off nicely on the finish. Beautifully poised for a wine of this age and stature. Alc 20% Kopke, Colheita 1996 92 £ 30 Hayward Bros, Marks & Spencer Online With the benefit of 20 years in wood, this suave colheita has a pale tawny hue, subdued but classic Christmas cake perfume leading to a silky-textured palate, a dusting of peppery spice followed by a sweet, mellifluous yet lithe finish. Delicious! Alc 20%

Dalva, Colheita 1995 90 £ 26.95 AC Gallie, Love Wine, Tom I’Anson A touch of torrefaction lends a full, savoury character to the nose and palate. It’s still very fresh and rich on the mid-palate with a hint of its past tannic grip, and youthful vibrancy on the finish. Bottled in 2015 at a wonderful phase in its evolution, and something of a bargain at this price. Alc 20% Graham’s, Single Harvest 1972 92 £ 190-£ 207 Fells, Farr Vintners, Hedonism, The Wine Society, Vintage Wine & Port, Fine & Rare Deep amber-mahogany in colour. Lifted with a slightly balsamic character on the nose, gorgeous textural depth and marked concentration, with demerara sweetness dominating on the palate and the finish. Alc 20% Kopke, Colheita 1966 96 £ 142-£ 149 Harrods, Nicholls & Perks, Hennings, Hayward Bros, Vintage Wine & Port From a year that happened to be good for colheita and declared as a vintage. Brick-red to mid-amber tawny in hue with delicate, lifted candied fruit aromas. Super-suave after half a century in wood, a touch of cherry fruit midpalate followed by a long, suave, seductive finish that goes on and on. Wonderful balance. Alc 21%

For full details of UK stockists, see p133