Wine Advocate
The 2003 Colheita Tawny Port is a blend of Touriga Franca (40%), Touriga Nacional (10%), Tinta Roriz (16%), Tinta Barroca (32%) and Tinto Cão from Quinta Vale d Agodinho. It was bottled in May 2023 with a long cork and 1.12 grams per liter of residual sugar. Big and deep with a little power as well, this is a beauty in most respects. It isn’t the most complex 20-year Tawny ever, but it is concentrated and vigorous, and at the 20-year point, complexity is just a cherry on top. (For that, check out the producer’s 1976 in this report.) It becomes sensually textured with time, and it is pretty delicious too. The 2003 vintage was a big one, and this reflects its vintage to some considerable extent. It just feels solid on the palate. In some respects, this is the Tawny counterpart to the 2009 White Colheita in this report. They are both on the younger side, relatively, but they are both rich and deep. If you choose to hold this (Tawnies don’t need to be held), it will last more or less indefinitely, barring cork failures. Not imported at the moment, this runs around 45 euros in Portugal. If you’re looking for the value sweet spot in the producer’s Tawny lineup this time, this is it.
