96 points Wine Spectator: "A bird of a different feather, this tawny Port features a high-pitched jasmine note along with a range of singed white peach, bitter almond, hazelnut husk, dried clementine and green fig flavors that glide through effortlessly, all carried by superfine acidity through a remarkably long and persistent finish that tilts to the dry side. Shows delicate sweetness, which lets the panoply of flavors play out unencumbered. Beautiful. Drink now. 230 cases made, 111 cases imported. (2023)"
96 points/'Editors' Choice,' Wine Enthusiast: "Taking advantage of the newly created 50-year-old tawny category, this famous producer has launched a dense, intense Port. The wine's concentration is immense, wood and old gold flavors almost incidental in an age defying wine. Drink this fine wine now. Alcohol 20%. (Mar 2023)"
94 points Mark Squires (Wine Advocate): "The NV 50 Years Old Tawny Porto is a typical Douro field blend bottled in April 2022 with a Vinolok stopper and 124.8 grams per liter of residual sugar. Is this a step up qualitatively over the lovely 40 Year? I'd say the 40 is better, but that's a hard question to answer because this seems so differently styled. Most of the age-indicated Tawnies from Sandeman have some stylistic similarity. This does too, but if you were going to pick one in the group as an outlier, this is it. It seems drier and sterner. The most notable difference is in some power, the way this attacks on the finish in a fairly stern fashion and seems to brood. It dries as it lingers and leans a little more to the brandy side of the ledger (without becoming hot). It maintains the otherwise elegant style and relatively lively demeanor, relative to age, of its siblings. It is by far the darkest and most nuanced of the Tawnies, and it is very concentrated. Complexity is often the biggest selling point for me, but I'd still pick the lusher but still intense 40 Year as my favorite of the group. That certainly has plenty of complexity on its own, but this wins on power. Pick 'em. While mine is the 40, this 50 might do even better if you like to pair them with cheeses and the like. Drink: 2022-2060. (Nov 2022)"
94.3 points CellarTracker.com community score.
19/20 points Julia Harding, MW (JancisRobinson.com): "Tasted from a small screw-capped test tube. As they note on the presentation packaging, 'the highest expression of Sandeman's range of aged tawnies. Made by Sogrape's head winemaker Luís Sottomayor, who was named IWC Fortified Winemaker of the Year 2022.' TA 5.5 g/l, pH 3.2, RS 125 g/l. Light golden-brown colour. Intense and highly complex aroma that includes dried fruits (unsulphured apricots and citrus peel) as well as bitter orange and walnuts and so much more. Mouth-filling gorgeousness that is both intensely sweet and perfectly balanced. The intensity you might expect from such an old wine but still so vibrant, with flavours of dried apricots, caramelised bitter orange and nuts. Concentrated and yet so fresh. You only need a small sip of this to last a very long time. Fabulous concentration and balance. A little bit salty on the finish but not excessively so (unlike some very old sherries). (9/9/22)"
Producer notes: "This wine was produced under the watchful eye of a team led by Luis Sottomayor, who is renowned for his ageing and blending of Port wines. The pinnacle, in terms of excellence, of Sandeman's range of Aged Tawnies, this blended wine consists of wines with an average age of 50-year-old. It forms part of a range of remarkable consistency that has won international acclaim. Tasting Notes: A golden colour with greenish tints. An aroma of good aromatic intensity and excellent complexity with balsamic notes of cedar and tobacco box, hints of wax and ginger, and spices such as pepper. It has further notes of caramelised fruit and jammy apricots. On the palate, it has good volume and a vibrant acidity with prominent notes of spices and crystallised fruit that invite an extraordinarily long and elegant finish. Alcohol 20%."
96 points/'Editors' Choice,' Wine Enthusiast: "Taking advantage of the newly created 50-year-old tawny category, this famous producer has launched a dense, intense Port. The wine's concentration is immense, wood and old gold flavors almost incidental in an age defying wine. Drink this fine wine now. Alcohol 20%. (Mar 2023)"
94 points Mark Squires (Wine Advocate): "The NV 50 Years Old Tawny Porto is a typical Douro field blend bottled in April 2022 with a Vinolok stopper and 124.8 grams per liter of residual sugar. Is this a step up qualitatively over the lovely 40 Year? I'd say the 40 is better, but that's a hard question to answer because this seems so differently styled. Most of the age-indicated Tawnies from Sandeman have some stylistic similarity. This does too, but if you were going to pick one in the group as an outlier, this is it. It seems drier and sterner. The most notable difference is in some power, the way this attacks on the finish in a fairly stern fashion and seems to brood. It dries as it lingers and leans a little more to the brandy side of the ledger (without becoming hot). It maintains the otherwise elegant style and relatively lively demeanor, relative to age, of its siblings. It is by far the darkest and most nuanced of the Tawnies, and it is very concentrated. Complexity is often the biggest selling point for me, but I'd still pick the lusher but still intense 40 Year as my favorite of the group. That certainly has plenty of complexity on its own, but this wins on power. Pick 'em. While mine is the 40, this 50 might do even better if you like to pair them with cheeses and the like. Drink: 2022-2060. (Nov 2022)"
94.3 points CellarTracker.com community score.
19/20 points Julia Harding, MW (JancisRobinson.com): "Tasted from a small screw-capped test tube. As they note on the presentation packaging, 'the highest expression of Sandeman's range of aged tawnies. Made by Sogrape's head winemaker Luís Sottomayor, who was named IWC Fortified Winemaker of the Year 2022.' TA 5.5 g/l, pH 3.2, RS 125 g/l. Light golden-brown colour. Intense and highly complex aroma that includes dried fruits (unsulphured apricots and citrus peel) as well as bitter orange and walnuts and so much more. Mouth-filling gorgeousness that is both intensely sweet and perfectly balanced. The intensity you might expect from such an old wine but still so vibrant, with flavours of dried apricots, caramelised bitter orange and nuts. Concentrated and yet so fresh. You only need a small sip of this to last a very long time. Fabulous concentration and balance. A little bit salty on the finish but not excessively so (unlike some very old sherries). (9/9/22)"
Producer notes: "This wine was produced under the watchful eye of a team led by Luis Sottomayor, who is renowned for his ageing and blending of Port wines. The pinnacle, in terms of excellence, of Sandeman's range of Aged Tawnies, this blended wine consists of wines with an average age of 50-year-old. It forms part of a range of remarkable consistency that has won international acclaim. Tasting Notes: A golden colour with greenish tints. An aroma of good aromatic intensity and excellent complexity with balsamic notes of cedar and tobacco box, hints of wax and ginger, and spices such as pepper. It has further notes of caramelised fruit and jammy apricots. On the palate, it has good volume and a vibrant acidity with prominent notes of spices and crystallised fruit that invite an extraordinarily long and elegant finish. Alcohol 20%."
| Product SKU | 345617 |
| Producer | Sandeman |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Porto DOC |
| Varietal | Other Red Blends |
| Vintage | NV |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Other |
| ABV | 20.0% |
| Ships To |
