We have offered the XSR 120 Finest White Port ever since it was found in the Cockburn lodge by Kevin Hamel, my one time assistant, while he worked for Cockburn in Porto. This is a wine which we sell under its lodge lot number XSR 120. There are but 16 pipes of this wine which was already very old when the inventory of the firm’s wines was made by John Smithes in 1970. Not much is sold. In fact we are the only customer. It is a wonderful old wine, made just like red port, but from white grapes.
Golden in color, with just a hint of amber and a rich unctuous body and aged fragrance, XSR 120 is a wine once tasted not easily forgotten. A sweet white port–normally white port is made as a dryish wine–XSR120 is perfect for dessert or as dessert. Served just slightly cool, it is a simply delicious vinous treat.
Savino Fine Tawny is a 12-15 year old tawny blend of two pipes made up for two uses: one, to be drunk at the Cockburn lunch table as the “house” tawny; and the other to be sold to Corti Brothers as our “house” tawny.
Nicely matured, (the base wine is Martinez 20 year old tawny) Savino has a good balanced fruitiness with backbone “grip” to it and is easy to drink. This is the style of tawny that is pleasurable drinking both as a dessert wine or in the port trade fashion, chilled, as a delicious warm weather aperitif.
