NV Quinta da Devesa Tawny 20YO (bottled 2019)

[Alex Bridgeman]

Quinta da Devesa is a relatively new name in the UK market. Principally known for their white, tawny and extensive collection of colheita Ports, they also make a range of table wines and a limited selection of bottle aged Ports. The vineyard covers 34 hectares on the north bank of the Douro, about 10km to the east of Regua, and were purchased in 1941 being run by the same family since acquisition.

This tasting note was from a bottle sent to me to be tasted and a review posted - and I am so glad to have been able to do so!

Quinta da Devesa 20YO Tawny, bottled 2019 (75cl).
Drunk lightly chilled at 12-14C. Deep chestnut brown with a green ochre rim; 40% opaque. Warm raisins and rum spices on the nose, sweet and intoxicating with just a bit of red pear. Smooth honeyed texture on entry with lots of flavours surfacing and submerging on a complex palate, all combining to give a wonderful cinnamon infused brown apple, deep and rich and very pronounced. A lovely balanced aftertaste and a wonderful persistent finish of brown apple, nutmeg and dark sugar. A delicious 20YO tawny. 92/100.

After the tasting note was written the remainder of the bottle was taken outside to be shared with a group of friends on a hot summer night sitting round an open wood fire. The contents disappeared very quickly with obvious enjoyment and many requests for refills!

[PhilW]

Very interesting. I picked up a couple of 50cl bottles of their 30yr old white recently which I enjoyed - a 2015 bottling, where the acidity had faded slightly, and I could imagine that a fresher bottle would have been even better. I also heard from a friend that visited, that their tawnies are even better (which perhaps depends on whether you enjoy the old whites as much as I do), so I look forward to tasting across their range when the chance arises, in particular the 20 and 30yr tawnies and whites.