Barros 10 Year Old Tawny

Tasting notes

With a brown-tawny colour, presents a nose densely marked by the dried fruit aromas, with delicate vanilla and chocolate notes. The soft and silky texture and the subtle nuances of wood are balanced by a fresh acidity and a long finish.

Producer note

Having just celebrated their 100th year trading in 2013 Barros Port is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious companies producing and trading in Port. Much of their success comes from Colheita ports - old tawnies from a single year matured in cask for a minimum period of seven years. Their expertise in Colheitas has established them as the stand out producer of this style. Barros leave their Colheita ports to mature in cask until bottling for release on to the market. The loss of wine from evaporation (what they call the angel's share) is much higher in comparison to bottle ageing. It is a sacrifice they are willing to make and one that helps them achieve unsurpassed quality in their Colheita wines. Colheitas can be served slightly chilled as an aperitif or at the end of the meal with desserts, cheese, nuts and dried fruit. In June 2006, Porto Barros was integrated into the Sogevinus Group who are now responsible for growing the brand in the international markets.

Vineyard note

The vineyard is disposed along the slopes on horizontal levels and, more recently, they are planted along the lines of greatest slopes.

Soil

Schist greywacke ante-Ordovician, with some inclusions of a geological formation of granitic involving nature.

Vinification

Hand-harvested at their best moment, the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and vinified in a careful maceration with extraction of colour, tannins and aromas, complemented by permanent pumping-over during fermentation. This process takes place in vats at a controlled temperature between 28-30ºC, until reaching the desired Baumé. At this phase grape brandy is added to make a fortified wine. A wine of an exceptional quality, obtained by the inclusion of several harvests, in order to acquire a complementary of organoleptic characteristics typical of this style of aged tawny. It matures in wood for variable periods of time in which the age mentioned on the label corresponds to the approximated average age of the different wines of the lot, expressing the character of the wine conferred by the ageing in oak casks.

Grape

Tinta Amarela 25%, Tinta Franca 25%, Tinta Roriz 25%, Touriga Nacional 25%

Food match

As a natural product, the Port Wine is subject to create a deposit when ageing. Once opened, it should be consumed within 4 to 6 months in order to retain the original characteristics. Slightly chilled, it is the ideal choice to serve with appetisers like strong cheeses and pâtés. The velvety texture and the singular aromatic expression stand-out remarkably with main courses with dried fruits. Irresistible with a terrine of foie gras with aubergine and nuts. Wonderful choice to serve with a myriad of delicious caramel brownies, chocolate and pistachio pavê and nuts crostini with goats cheese.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards, Silver, 2015;

International Wine & Spirit Challenge, Bronze,

2015; International Wine Challenge , Silver,

2015; Sommelier Wine Awards, Bronze, 2015