Paul Conti Reserve Tawny Port

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Deep amber and tawny brown with warm reddish-gold highlights.
• Aromatics: Dried fig, raisin and mature red fruit are layered with roasted nuts, caramel, orange peel and gentle spice.
• Palate: Smooth and warming, with concentrated dried fruit, toffee, walnut and dark chocolate flavours.
• Savoury complexity: Coffee, old oak and roasted nut characters provide balance against the wine’s natural richness.
• Texture: Mellow and rounded, with a touch of Shiraz giving the middle of the palate additional weight and depth.
• Finish: Long and warming, with lingering dried fruit, nuts, caramel, coffee and spice.

Wine Details

• Style: Reserve Tawny fortified wine
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Primary variety: Grenache
• Additional variety: Shiraz
• Vineyard: Paul Conti Mariginiup Vineyard
• Region: Swan Coastal Region, Western Australia
• Grenache planting: 1948
• Maturation: Old fortified wine barrels
• Blend: Multiple vintages, including components dating back ten years or more
• Bottle size: 750ml
• Serving temperature: Approximately 14 to 16°C
• Cellaring: Ready to drink and unlikely to require further bottle ageing

Grenache Vines Planted in 1948

The foundation of this Tawny comes from Grenache vines planted at Paul Conti’s Mariginiup vineyard in 1948.

Older vines generally produce smaller quantities of fruit than young, highly productive vines. Their established root systems and naturally moderated yields can provide grapes with excellent flavour concentration and balance.

Grenache is particularly well suited to fortified wine. It delivers generous fruit, natural warmth and a soft texture, developing beautifully into dried fruit, spice and nutty characters during extended barrel maturation.

The inclusion of a small amount of Shiraz adds another dimension, bringing darker fruit, colour and a little extra weight to the blend.

Blending Different Vintages

Unlike a table wine carrying a single vintage, this Reserve Tawny is blended from fortified wines made in different years.

Each barrel develops at its own rate. Some retain more fruit, while others develop deeper flavours of nuts, caramel, coffee, spice and old oak.

The winemaker selects and combines these barrels to create a consistent house style. Younger components can provide freshness and fruit, while older barrels bring smoothness, complexity and length.

Some of the components included in this wine date back more than ten years. This does not mean that every drop is ten years old, but it does mean the finished blend benefits from genuinely mature fortified wine held in the Paul Conti cellar.

What Is Fortified Wine?

A fortified wine is made by adding grape spirit during the winemaking process.

This raises the alcohol level and stops fermentation before all of the natural grape sugar has been converted into alcohol. The result is a wine with greater richness, sweetness and warmth than a conventional table wine.

Extended barrel maturation then develops the complex nutty, caramel and dried-fruit flavours associated with Tawny.

Is Tawny the Same as Port?

The wines are closely related in style, which is why many Australians still informally call Tawny “Port”.

However, Port is a protected geographical name for fortified wine produced in Portugal’s Douro Valley. Australian producers now use the name Tawny for their own barrel-aged fortified wines.

In practical terms, if you previously enjoyed Australian Tawny Port, this is the style you will recognise.

Serving Paul Conti Reserve Tawny

Serve at approximately 14 to 16°C.

This is slightly cooler than the average Australian room temperature but warmer than a refrigerated white wine. The cooler temperature keeps the wine balanced while still allowing its dried fruit, nut, coffee and spice aromas to open.

If the bottle has been stored in a warm room, place it in the refrigerator for approximately 30 to 45 minutes before serving.

A regular white wine glass or small tulip-shaped fortified wine glass is ideal. The narrower opening helps concentrate the aromas, while the bowl provides enough space for the wine to breathe.

A serving of approximately 60 to 90ml is usually sufficient because of the wine’s additional richness and alcohol.

How Long Does It Keep After Opening?

Tawny is more resistant to oxidation than ordinary table wine because it has already undergone extended oxidative maturation in barrel.

After opening, reseal the bottle and store it in the refrigerator. It should remain enjoyable for approximately six to eight weeks, although its aromas may gradually soften.

Allow each serving to warm slightly in the glass before drinking.

Food Pairing Suggestions

• Dark chocolate: One of the winery’s recommended pairings and an excellent match for the Tawny’s coffee, caramel and dried-fruit characters.
• Freshly brewed coffee: Serve a small glass alongside espresso or freshly ground filter coffee after dinner.
• Cheese board: Mature cheddar, blue cheese, aged Gouda and washed-rind cheeses all work beautifully.
• Sticky date pudding: The wine’s caramel, raisin and nutty flavours complement the dessert’s richness.
• Chocolate desserts: Pair it with chocolate tart, flourless chocolate cake or chocolate truffles.
• Nut-based desserts: Pecan pie, walnut tart and almond biscuits echo the wine’s developed barrel characters.
• Dried fruit and nuts: A simple plate of figs, dates, almonds and walnuts makes an excellent late-evening pairing.
• Christmas pudding: Its dried fruit, spice and warming character make it particularly well suited to traditional festive desserts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Paul Conti Reserve Tawny?

It is a non-vintage blend made from barrels of different ages. Some components date back ten years or more, but the wine is not labelled as a ten-year-old Tawny because that is not the average declared age of the entire blend.

What does Reserve Tawny mean?

Reserve indicates a carefully selected house blend with greater maturity and complexity than a simple young fortified wine. It is not a specific regulated age statement.

What grapes are used?

The wine is made predominantly from Grenache grown at the Mariginiup vineyard, with a small amount of Shiraz added for extra depth and intensity.

Why is Grenache suited to Tawny?

Grenache provides generous fruit, natural warmth and a soft texture. During barrel maturation, its fruit develops into complex dried fig, raisin, caramel, spice and nutty characters.

Is it very sweet?

It is a sweet fortified wine, but extended barrel ageing introduces savoury nut, coffee, oak and spice characters that balance the sweetness.

Should it be refrigerated?

Serve it lightly chilled rather than cold, ideally at approximately 14 to 16°C. Refrigerate the bottle after opening to help preserve it.

How long will it last once opened?

When resealed and refrigerated, it should remain enjoyable for approximately six to eight weeks.

Will it improve with cellaring?

It is already mature and ready to drink. A sealed bottle can be stored for several years in suitable conditions, but the wine is unlikely to improve significantly because its development has already taken place in barrel.

 
 
 
 
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