($31): Along with winter, at least as measured by the calendar, comes the Port season.  A high-quality 10-year-old Tawny, such as this one from Noval, is a perfect way to start the season and end a meal.  Tawnies are unfussy:  Open the bottle, pour and enjoy, then re-cork and repeat the next day.  No extracting a 25-year old cork, which always crumbles, no decanting, no wondering if you have sufficient guests to finish the whole bottle at one time, as there is with its more revered cousin, Vintage Porto.  Ten-year-old tawnies frequently lack the intrigue of their 20-year old brothers, but this one, from Noval, is staggeringly complex for its age, combining sweetness and firey nuttiness in beautiful harmony.  Trust me, once you taste it, you’ll go through a few bottles this winter — maybe more if it really turns into winter.
93 Michael Apstein Dec 20, 2016