Fresh, Balanced + Intriguing

Single vintage wines that have been fortified are designed to shine a light on the fruit character of both the variety, and the vintage, rather than showcasing the complex secondary and tertiary characters we find an aged fortified tawny, typically blended from multiple vintages. A native Portuguese variety, Touriga Nacional is a quintessential grape used in traditional Port winemaking in the Douro Valley.

Wine Notes

At first glance there is the typical flinty character found in Touriga Nacional, plus all the lovely primary fruit flavours of red cherry, raspberry liquorice, dates and ripe figs. Beneath the fruit flavours lurk herbal, savoury characters courtesy of the brandy spirit used to fortify this wine. You will find dried thyme, plus bergamot and a whisper of lavender. Perfectly timed fortification of this wine, plus 3 years bottle age has resulted in a softening of the Touriga tannin profile, plus has provided the time for the spirit and fruit to integrate and find harmonious balance in the glass.

Neil’s background in fortified wine making.

Early in his career, Neil worked at Campbells of Rutherglen, and Brown Brothers in Milawa, managing their fortified wine programs. In 1990 the family travelled to Portugal for vintage where he worked for the famed Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman house, studying the art of port production in its birthplace of the Douro Valley. During his years at Campbells and Brown Brothers, Neil won over 90 gold medals and 18 trophies for fortified wines in Australian wine shows.

Food Pairing

This bright fortified wine shows lovely primary fruit characters with an underlying balanced sweetness. We think it pairs very well with smelly blue cheeses, the inherent sweetness of the wine perfectly balancing the umami savouriness of the the cheese.

Cellaring

This wine will cellar indefinitely, if you can keep it that long!

This wine is a seriously limited release. Hand bottled, labelled, wax dipped, and individually numbered.