One of the pairings that struck my fancy at last night’s Critics Challenge Platinum dinner at San Diego’s Le Fontainebleau restaurant was the Dow’s 1992 Colheita Tawny Port that we served with a black mission fig dessert.
The colheita had been aged 12 years in cask before bottling in 2004 and still retained the subtle fruitiness of a young tawny. The dominant fruit characteristic was indeed fig.
I’ve always been a bit of a snob about tawnies and generally opt for those with more age — 20, 30 and even 40 years — and, thus, more complexity that is a result of the evolution of secondary aromas.
There are many occasions, particularly when served with a fruit-based dessert, in which a younger tawny with primary fruit flavors is the right call. In fact, with older tawnies I often prefer a pairing with savory cheeses rather than sweet desserts, but that’s a matter of personal taste.
Next time you’re out — or when you’re enjoying a fruit tart or apple cobbler at home — consider pouring a slightly chilled young tawny, and perhaps you, too, will have the same reaction I did — a sort of “Wow, what have I been missing?” moment.
It was the perfect ending to a beautiful evening.
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