Margaret River Back Vintage Tawny Port 15YO

This awesome Margaret River Tawny Port 15YO has aromas of lifted spice and black cherries with integrated spirit. The palate is oozing black cherries, spicy oak notes and nutty complexity. The wine comes in a unique urn shaped bottle and is 500mL.

About The Producer

The producer of this wine was established in 1996 and was sold by its original owners in 2017. It now does not trade under its original name. It was a very small family operation with very little retail presence other than in restaurants and via cellar door. This Margaret River Tawny Port 15YO has been stored in a temperature-controlled environment in barrel for 13 years prior to being bottled.

Comments from Wine Buyer Steve

We rarely come across a good fortified (port) from Western Australia and when we do we grab it as they are as rare as hens’ teeth. A sample of the sensation Margaret River Tawny Port 15YO was sent to us recently and we loved it. The fruit used for this fortified was premium Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon from a winery rated a perfect stars by James Halliday at time of production. This Margaret River 15YO Tawny has rich flavours of black cheery and great spicy notes. This fortified wine to be enjoyed in the heart of winter, so snuggle up and pour some   

My Score 91/100 – WACC Silver Medal.

What is Fortified wine?   

There are numerous types and styles of fortified wine. More commonly known as Port however the only fortified wines that can be called port must be from Portugal. All involve the addition of grape spirits to still wine to increase the total percent of alcohol in solution above a 15% threshold. Many involve adding this spirit before the still wine is finished fermenting, leaving a high percentage of residual sugar, making a sweet, and fortified wine (i.e. Port). Others involve adding a sweetening agent during the process to effect a change in residual sugar content if desired (i.e Sherry). The two most popular and well-known fortified wines are Sherry and Port.

In making a fortified wine, grapes are left to get very ripe on the vine.  As ripe as you dare (depending on your requirements and the wine style you are after), as you watch the weather map and hope a rogue storm does not ruin your plans.  Very ripe fruit has lots of sweetness, and that means lots of natural sugar.  So, you pick, crush the grapes and start the fermentation.  As it ferments, you watch it, taste it, and check it often.  The sugars are converted into alcohol by yeast.  So, it ticks away, getting more alcoholic and less sweet.

Fortified wines in Australia were once called port however the Portuguese in recent years have legally claimed the wine variety name of ‘port and we must now refer to Australian varieties as fortified wines. .