Trader Joe's (Quarles Harris) 10 Year Old Tawny Port

We don't get up to Trader Joe's that often. But the last time we went, I decided to check out their port selection.

They had several to choose from, and I chose their 10-year tawny, which ran about $15. In a nutshell, I'm disappointed by it.

First of all, it smells awful. I mean really bad. Like earth, metal, and alcohol.

Fortunately, it tastes much better than it smells, but it still isn't nearly as good as other ports in this range. It's decidedly sweet (which is good), it's a bit alcoholic (but that's the nature of the beast), and, to my novice pallate, takes more like Sherry than port: more fig than grape. Some of the smell's "earth tones" are left in the taste, but it is otherwise not very complex.

Here's another reviewer's take. But for me, the Australian "Victoria Tawny" by Buller is a much better bang for the buck.

In fact, I decided to re-try my standing favourite: Taylor-Fladgate's 2003 LBV. ...And, while it's a very good port, I'm convinced it's not so much better than the Victoria that I'm willing to pay the extra $10 for it.


UPDATE: The "R.L. Buller & Son" has apparently renamed itself to simply "Buller", so I've changed that here. In finding this out, I also became aware that they have many other offerings in the fortified-wine realm, and I look forward to trying a few.