Taylor Fladgate 30 Year Old Tawny Port

Winery Background and History

Taylor Fladgate, also known as Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman, is a historic Portuguese Port house founded in 1692 in Vila Nova de Gaia.  Over centuries, Taylor has built one of the most extensive stocks of aged ports and is renowned for its consistency, craftsmanship, and preservation of house style across its portfolio of Tawny, Vintage, Ruby, LBV and White Ports. 

Producer and Wine Maker

The wine is produced under Taylor Fladgate’s blending and aging team, which carefully selects red Port lots from their Douro estates (especially from Cima Corgo and Douro Superior) and matures them in seasoned oak casks for decades.  Because the 30 Year Tawny is an age-statement blend rather than a single vintage, the blending team ensures balance across multiple vintages averaged to 30 years to maintain the house’s signature character. 

Vineyards and Micro Climate

Grapes for this Tawny derive from vineyards across the Douro Valley’s eastern zones—particularly the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior subregions, known for their schist soils and steep terraces.  The climate is continental with very hot summers and cold winters, with large diurnal shifts; in the aging cellars in Gaia, the cool, moist Atlantic influence slows oxidative development and helps the wine mature gracefully. 

Vinification & Aging Methods

The manufacture follows classic Port methods: red grapes are fermented and then fortified (adding grape spirit) to arrest fermentation and preserve residual sugars.  After fortification, selected wines are aged in oak casks (often large seasoned oak) in Taylor’s cellars in Gaia. Over decades, the wines oxidize and concentrate, giving the tawny character.  The “30 Year Old Tawny” is a blend of these aged lots with an average oak age of ~30 years. 

Tasting Notes

The wine shows a deep tawny/amber colour. Aromas of dried fruit (figs, apricot), honey, nut (almond, walnut), caramel, toasted oak, orange blossom, and spice emerge.  On the palate, it is lush and silky, with a rich core of dried fruit, caramel and nut flavours, balanced acidity and warm concentration. The finish is long, elegant, and refined, with lingering nutty and dried fruit nuances. 

Food & Wine Pairing

Pairs superbly with desserts featuring dried fruit, caramel, or nuts—fig tart, almond cake, crème brûlée, nut tarts. Also excellent with aged cheeses, walnuts, dried fruits, or as an after-dinner drink on its own. 

Service Methods and Temperatures

Serve slightly chilled between 12 °C and 16 °C.  Use a port glass or a smaller red wine glass to focus aroma. Decanting is not needed since there is no sediment in this style. 

Storage and Aging Potential

Because it is already extensively aged before release, further bottle aging has limited transformative effect. Store upright, protected from light, in a cool, stable environment. Once opened, consume within weeks to retain freshness. 

Grape Varietals & percentage used

Blend of traditional Douro red varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela. 

ABV (Alcohol by Volume)

20 % ABV 

Scores

• Wine Spectator: 95 

• Wine & Spirits: 95 

• James Suckling: 95