NV Galway Pipe, Yalumba Tawny Port

After all this--all this wine--sometimes you avoid the stuff you started with. Maybe you keep an old, empty bottle behind the recycling to remind you, but rarely do you ever go back and drink the stuff. Not after the great many vintages, and the great many debts, you've jolted and idled through the years. Which is why, when they're right, wines like this deeply concentrated tawny port can be profound, even after years of being ignored. What it lacks in complexity, this generous 12-to-15-year-old blend redeems in brute force. Its alcohol, mellowed by sweetness, spices the thick, figgy palate, which lingers into flavors of sweetened pipe tobacco and roasted walnuts. And, despite all its sugar, the finish is as fresh and fond as a memory, which this bottle has quickly become.