20 Year Old Tawny Port

About this wine

Sandeman 20 Year Old Tawny Port is a fortified wine from the Douro, aged oxidatively in oak casks to build its amber tawny color and layered nut and dried fruit character. It is made by the traditional Port method, with fermentation on skins followed by fortification with grape spirit to stop fermentation and retain sweetness. The house blend draws on classic Douro grapes including Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Cão, and in some markets the blend is detailed at 40 percent Tinta Roriz, 20 percent Tinta Barroca, 20 percent Touriga Franca, 15 percent Touriga Nacional, and 5 percent Tinto Cão. After the harvest, the wines stay in the Douro and are then moved the following spring to Sandeman’s lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia for cask ageing, with the final 20 Year Old style assembled from wines aged roughly 15 to 40 years. Aromas center on dried apricot, honey, roasted nuts, vanilla, and cinnamon, and the palate is rich and smooth with lively acidity that keeps the sweetness in check. The finish is long, concentrated, and gently warming, and the alcohol is 20 percent.

About the grape

Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny Port is built on classic Douro red grapes, with Touriga Nacional, documented in the region since at least the late 1700s, supplying the structured core from small thick skinned berries grown on steep schist terraces. Touriga Franca, known for much of the 1900s as Touriga Francesa and formally renamed Touriga Franca in Portugal in 2000, is widely planted in the Douro and is closely related to Touriga Nacional, it is often valued in Port blends for its reliable performance in the valley’s heat and slopes. Tinta Roriz is Portugal’s name for Tempranillo, a Spanish variety that became established in the Douro by the 1800s, and it is commonly used in Port lots for its ability to ripen well in the region’s dry summers. Tinta Barroca, a Douro native that is likely a cross involving Touriga Nacional, and the very old, low yielding Tinto Cão, recorded in the Douro since the 1500s and now comparatively rare, are typically used as smaller components to round out the final aged blend chosen for long cask maturation.

Quick facts

• 🕰️ “20 Years Old” is a style statement, this Tawny is master blended from lots aged roughly 15 to 40 years in cask to hit the house’s 20 year profile.
• 🚤 After the harvest, the wines typically stay up in the Douro until the following spring, then move downriver to Sandeman’s centuries old lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia for long oxidative ageing.
• 🪨 Part of its classic Port character starts early, fermentation is traditionally done with intense extraction, including work in granite lagares before fortification stops the ferment.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The bottle carries Sandeman’s famous caped figure “The Don”, created in 1928 and used on labels since 1934, often cited as one of the earliest true wine brand logos.
• 🏅 This 20 Year Old Tawny has racked up serious competition cred, including top medals and 90 plus point scores at major tastings such as Decanter and the International Wine Challenge.

Palate profile

Producer

Founded in 1790 by Scotsman George Sandeman, the Sandeman winery has been a pioneer in the Port wine industry for over two centuries. In 1805, it became the first company to brand its casks with a hot iron, ensuring quality and fostering customer loyalty. The iconic 'Don' logo, depicting a caped figure, was introduced in 1928 and remains one of the world's oldest trademarks. Today, Sandeman continues to blend tradition with innovation, offering a diverse range of Port wines.