De Bortoli has one of the most extensive collections of old fortified wine stocks in Australia today. The winemakers draw on these stocks to blend the Premium Fortified wines, Old Boys Very Old Fine Tawny Port, 8 Year Old Tawny Port and Show Liqueur Muscat. Old Boys Port has an average age of 21 years. The more youthful 8 Year Old and Show Liqueur Muscat are rich and smooth and provide terrific value. The other premium fortified wine in the range is Black Noble. This highly individual wine is unique to De Bortoli and is made from Semillon affected by Noble Rot that is fortified then aged in old oak barrels in a solera system for several years before blending and bottling to an average age of eight years.

A wine made by Vittorio De Bortoli in the 1930s inspired Black Noble. The base wine for Black Noble came from some 1972 material made by Deen De Bortoli, which was an early attempt to make a Noble One style. Black Noble is an extraordinarily complex wine, richly textured and luscious with a long and well balanced finish.

Black Noble

94 points
“A unique wine, fortified and long barrel-aged Noble One as its base; super-intense, yet elegant, and shows no hint of volatile acidity; flavours of exotic spices and mandarin.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009

Highly Recommended
"This is a fascinating fortified which features toffee and dried dates aromas and flavours. Aged complexity is lifted by adept freshening."
Winewise, June 2008


"Unique and delicious, it's fashioned from botrytis-affected (a.k.a. noble rot) Semillon grapes, fermented and fortified then aged in very old barrels—average age of the wine is eight years. With a portion drawn from each barrel, it resembles the Solera system used for some Sherries. The appearance is dark amber and the aromas and flavours are a delightful cornucopia of dates, prunes, caramel and sweet molasses. Fully textured and silky smooth, serve very well chilled alongside spiced nut loaf or Christmas cake and espresso roast coffee."
Victor Harradine, Wine Current, 24 May 3008

91 points
"The Non Vintage Black Noble is made of fortified Botrytis Semillon in a solera system averaging 8 years of age. Amber brown, the wine has a splendid nose of figs, dates, toffee, and assorted candied fruits. Rich and full on the palate, the wine retains good acidity and a long finish. Drink it with strong cheeses or chocolate desserts. De Bortoli owns estate vineyards in Riverina, Hunter Valley, and Yarra Valley and produces several tiers of dry table wines in addition to their sweet and fortified dessert wines."
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #173, October 2007 - Reviewed by Dr Jay Miller

94 points
"A freakish wine; botrytis semillon aside and aged for many years in barrel; highly aromatic biscuit, treacle and mandarin flavours; long and very fine."
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008


"A rich and spicy wine showing gorgeous aged/rancio characters complemented by scrumptious steamed pudding, ripe sweet raisin and aged honey aromas and flavours on both nose and palate."
Winestate, Fortified Tasting, May/June 2007

"Complex stuff, from botrytis affected grapes which are oak aged to produce a dark, slightly oxidative style. Great with plum pudding, or a few chocolates after dinner. I've also served it poured over caramel ice cream... delicious!"
Shelflife Magazine (Ireland), December 2006

92 points
"Deep, amber-tinted gold. Wild, idiosyncratic aromas of apricot marmalade, toffeed orange, red licorice, sweet butter and toasted coconut. Rich, deep and quite sweet in orchard and citrus flavours, with lower-toned notes of caramel and mocha adding power. Finishes with lingering sweet notes of toffeed pear and apple."
Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (USA), July/August 2006

Highly Recommended
"It certainly bears a strong resemblance to the PX wines of the Jerez region of Spain. The bouquet carries treacle and toffee notes, with hints of Christmas cake, and the sweetness of the palate is balanced by lifted acidity."
WINEWISE, Vol 22 No 2, June 2006

Other Fortified Styles & Blends - 11 Tasted, 10 Recommended
"Fresh red fruit nose under spicy caramel. Good balance of black noble fruit, sweetness and acid."
Winestate Magazine, Vol. 29, Issue 3, May/June 2006


"A nose reminiscent of herbs, aged almond oil and muscat grapes. Great toffee/coffee palate. Big and sweet with excellent oak."
Best Wines of 2005, Winestate, Annual 2006, Vol. 29, Issue 1

"A dark viscous and hugely concentrated wine that displays a complex array of flavours ... accompanied by complex aged characters from oak maturation in small barrels for an average of eight years. The wine was inspired by a wine made by Vittorio De Bortoli in the 1930s thought by the family to be botrytised Pedro Ximinez. The base wine for Black Noble come from a 1972 material which was a very early attempt to make a Sauternes style. Black Noble has a rich toffee colour with hints of amber and coffee anise and toffee aromas evident on the nose."
QHA Review, August 2005

"Has hints of toffee, rum and raisin together with very complex barrel age characteristics. A fascinatingly different fortified style."
Winewise, June 2005

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Old Boys Port

92 points
“High-quality tawny, with potent rancio; intense and long, with spiced biscuit and cake flavours; balanced acidity.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009

Highly Recommended
"The De Bortoli team has worked on this style over the years and gradually turned it into a market leader. There's plenty of aged complexity and it is very well freshened. The sweetness-dryness balance is spot-on."
Winewise, June 2008

“For a grand finishing touch, how about an aged Port-style wine from Australia. I’ve talked about quite a few De Bortoli wines, and I like their fruit forward qualities. This one has a bit of a story behind it. Tawny is a style of Port that sees wines age in barrel for many years, becoming mellow and brown. In this case, De Bortoli bought up stock of old fortified wine from the Rutherglen and Barossa regions and combined them with their older reserves to create Old Boys. The 21 year old reference is an average, so younger components are in the final blend as well as much older ones. The result is well-priced given the background. What’s in the glass? The colour is a mahogany brown with streaks of amber. The smell is of mocha and roasted hazelnuts. The taste brings to mind Christmas cake, candied fruit an appropriate touch of rancid butter.”
Dan Kislenko, The Hamilton Spectator, 22 March 2008

90 points
“A super-rich, treacly sweet fortified wine that may as well be dessert in a glass. It has rich, peanut brittle, candied walnut and caramel sauce notes riding on high alcohol. A longer finish would have edged this up higher, but interesting nonetheless. Drink or hold.”
John Szabo,  First In Line, 15 March 2008

"Dark amber. Sweet, almost roasted aromas of dark cherry, honeyed nuts, toffee and bitter chocolate. Broad, thick and weighty, the dark honey mocha flavors showing superb depth and richness, with a texture like motor oil. Finishes expansive and very long, with the darker chocolate and coffee notes building and taking over the palate. This is delicious."
Josh Raynolds, Discover our latest vintages, 15 March 2008

91 points
“A small coterie of wines stepped into the luxury circle. Among them is the De Bortoli Old Boys 21 Years Old Tawny from Australia, with ultra smooth roasted nuts and pekoe flavours. Ports are one of Australia's best kept secrets.”
Gord Stimmell, thestar.com (Canada), 15 March 2008

90 points
"Pale, clear, bright tawny colour; a tangy tawny port style, less sweet than many; the age is in fact considerable."
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008

"De Bortoli is particularly strong in premium fortified wines with a very good portfolio consisting of an old Tawny style with an average age 21 years called Old Boys which has recently had a label makeover and is enormously popular both here at home in Australia and overseas."
Michael Kotevski, Liquor Watch, June 2007

"Attractive old wood characters on the nose, with a nice nuttiness evident. Very well constructed palate that has long, lingering flavours and great age/rancio presence"
Winestate, Fortified Tastings, May/June 2007

"The average age of the juices used in Old Boys is 21 years, so it's already ready to drink. Golden brown in colour, the nose is deliciously heavy with spice and raisins, which tangle with each other on the medium palate. It's not too sweet, and the finish is soft and smooth. It's like bread pudding in a glass -- delicious."
Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, Winnipeg Free Press (Canada), 17 January 2007

"Wonderful, nicely intense nose. Fruity balance with a very long finish."
Wine & Spirit (UK), December 2006

92 points
"Dark amber. Sweet, almost roasted aromas of dark cherry, honeyed nuts, toffee and bitter chocolate. Broad, thick and weighty, the dark honey and mocha flavors showing superb depth and richness, with a texture like motor oil. Finishes expansive and very long, with the darker chocolate and coffee notes building and taking over the palate. This is delicious."
Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (USA), July/ August 2006

"Quite complex, displaying obvious aged character."
WINEWISE, Vol 22 No 2, June 2006

Tawny Port Over $20 - 13 Tasted, 9 Recommended
"Developed rancio nose with lots of Christmas cake-like characters. Long, medium-weight palate with some under-ripe fruit and hot spirit."
Winestate Magazine, Vol. 29, Issue 3, May/June 2006

"If you're looking for a good, genuine tawny style that won't break the bank, this could be the wine for you. It shows some rancio complexity and has been freshened up well."
Winewise, June 2005


"Great tawny hues. A sweeter style with complex aromas of fresh oak and developed fruit."
Winestate, May 2005


"Complex rancio and hazelnut aromas greet the nose. Provides great depth and intensity of flavour in the mouth with lovely developed nuances that display very good balance and persistence."
WINESTATE ANNUAL 2005. No. 197 BEST WINES OF 2004

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Show Liqueur Muscat

The Quaff 2009 'Any Port In a Storm'
Fortified Wine of the Year Award
"I said last year 'This is stunningly good: a riverina fortified that at this price point matched it with the best of Rutherglen,' and I'll stick with that view having seen the current wine. It's powerful, rich and concentrated, with raisiny, treacle, molasses and liquorice flavours, lush texture and a neatly balanced finish that lingers. Unbelievable  value."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009

89 points
“Mahogany, with an olive-green rim; strong raisiny varietal fruit; overall abundant flavour.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009

"Rich, super-sweet and raisiny, this sweet wine is utterly gorgeous... it's great value too, and robust enough to accompany most desserts."
Jamie Goode, Sunday Express (UK), 4 May 2008

"This is a traditional Australian style of pudding wine from the Italian-Australian family. Sticky, nut brown, viscously rich and lusciously fortified (18 per cent), its fig and date-rich fruitiness is derived by reducing down in oak barrels like a tawny port over a period of time until the liquid concentrates into a sticky, marmaladey confection."
Anthony Rose, The Independent, 15 December 2007

"Chocolate, coffee and sweet, sticky raisins mingle in this Muscat.  At 18 percent it is strong, but stands up well to Christmas pudding."
Susy Atkins, Stella Magazine - Sunday Telegraph, 25 November 2007

90 points - Editors Choice
"This wine shows its age in the dark coffee color rimmed with green.  Dates and raisins provide the foundation for complex molasses and rancio notes that build on the finish, where enough citrusy notes provide balance to the syrupy-sweet flavors."
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast (USA), 15 December 2007

93 points
"Dark mahogany, with some olive on the rim; powerful yet balanced raisin flavours; lacks the complexity of the very best; nonetheless multiple trophies and gold medals in minor wine shows."
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008

91 points
"The Non-Vintage Show Liqueur Muscat is amber brown with a delightful nose of caramel, English toffee, and dates. Intense, sweet, and long, a little of this full-bodied Fortified goes a long way. De Bortoli owns estate vineyards in Riverina, Hunter Valley, and Yarra Valley and produces several tiers of dry ttable wines in addition to their sweet and fortified dessert wines."
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #173, October 2007 - Reviewed by Dr Jay Miller

"It doesn’t matter much whether you are a traditionalist and like to finish a celebratory meal with desserts of the wonderfully rich, dark Christmas-pudd style, or more modern playthings like horns of chilled dark chocolate filled with whipped soft white chocolate, a great wine that’ll match either is De Bortoli’s Show Liqueur Muscat. This rich fortified is loaded with raisin, fig and dried fruit flavours, and as English wine scribe, Matthew Jukes once wrote, is like 'liquidised boozy Christmas cake in a glass...'"
David Ellis, Your Weekly Wine Column, 6 August 2007


"Lovely lingering muscat characters fill this soft, subdued wine from beginning to end. Nose a little subdued - palate silky-smooth and balanced."
Winestate, Fortified Tastings, May/June 2007

Winner: Gold Medal (Decanter World Wine Awards 2006)
"Fig, raisin, candied citrus, sweet spice and coffee. Lovely structure, toffee and spice."
Observer Food Monthly (UK), September 2006

"Shows plenty of rancio character and is a complex, aged muscat."
WINEWISE, Vol 22 No 2, June 2006

"Maybe one year we will have more fortified wines in the UK to choose from, but until then, you can't find a better wine to exchange for a tenner than this one. Liquidised, boozy Christmas cake in a glass."
Matthew Jukes, Top 100 Australian Wines, 2006, UK

Muscat - 23 Tasted, 12 Recommended
"Smells and tastes of delicious steamed pudding with sweet, rainsined notes. Palate is long and weighty, with a fresh, drying finish."
Winestate Magazine, Vol. 29, Issue 3, May/June 2006

"THIS WEEKS WOW: At a tenner this must be one of the best value wines in the UK. It's a must for everyone who likes chocolate cake, outdoor spectator sports (for sipping from a hip flask) steamed puddings or ice cream. If you have a sweet tooth you'll adore it. The wine tastes like liquidised chilled toffees, nuts and raisins. And when you get a taste of it on your tongue, you'll be under its spell."
Matthew Jukes, Mail On Saturday, 11 March 2006


"Very deep colour with green tinges. Big, vibrant, spicy fruit bouquet show lovely richness. Great length of developed muscat fruit flavours on a complex aged palate."
Best Wines of 2005, Winestate, Annual 2006, Vol. 29, Issue 1

"These wonderful old sweet Muscat wines from Australia are an absolute treat, and the essence of Christmas. Dark brown in colour with a core of ruby, the nose is sumptuous and intense, with chocolate, raisins, figs and espresso coffee leaping from the glass, and a palate that explodes with concentrated toffee and caramel richness, a sweet core of fruit and wonderful complexity into an endless finish. What a treat with the Christmas pud, or on its own."
Tom Cannavan, www.wine-pages.com , UK, 5 December 2005

"This Australian wine has wonderful acidity with an almost Christmas cake flavour. Rich, complex, powerful and delicious."
Luxurious Dessert Wines for Christmas Sweet Courses - As Recommended by Decanter Magazine
Homes & Gardens Magazine (UK), December 2005

"Whether anyone has sufficiently strong teeth for the second bottle needed to earn the discount is debatable, but this is a great buy. Tawny, orange, tasting of molten treacle toffees and liquorice, this has clearly been aged in wood somewhere hot. A useful midwinter reminder that the sun does still shine somewhere?"
Jancis Robinson's Festive Wine Guide, Financial Times, UK, 19 November 2005


"I notice that this wine won a gold medal at the 2003 Royal Adelaide Wine Show where yours truly was offering his ill-informed opinions as an associate judge. As it turns out, it was to be my last invitation to the nation’s most prestigious wine show, but I’m sure it had nothing to do with my admiration for this wine - more likely my behaviour at the chairman’s dinner ... Anyway, great fortified."
Don't Buy Wine Without Me 2006. Australia's Best Value Drinking by Stuart Gregor.

"Wines don’t come much more viscous than this mature, perfumed, super-rich, super-concentrated Muscat. It’s nutty and figgy with well-balanced oak, lots of dried-fruit flavours and a finish that lasts longer than the Wimbledon Ladies’ final."
Tim Atkin, Nectar Of The Gods, The Observer, 17 July 2005

"This muscat is a complex individual...certainly displays varietal character. Plenty of interest and flavour for your dollar."
Winewise, June 2005

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8 Year Old Port

"As well as being crammed with honey, toffee, caramel, chocolate and dried fruit flavours, this has a softness and an easy-drinking quality that makes it a sure bet on a winter's night - and plenty of other occasions too."
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2009

88 points
“Good rancio and balance; spicy, biscuity aromas and flavours; not too sweet.”
James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2009

87 points
"Good, middle-aged tawny port with some biscuity/rancio characters: good balance."
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008

91 points
"Amber with copper rim. Pungent aromas of red berries, poached pear and toffee, with accents of thyme, honey and dried flowers. Light and fresh, with noteworthy restraint to its toffee- and honey-tinged fruit flavors. Gently styled and ridiculously easy to drink, finishing with a note of raspberry and impressive depth and persistence."
Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (USA), July/ August 2006

Excellent Value
"We blinked in disbelief when our stewards revealed the identity of this wine. It certainly punches above its weight and the eight year old designation may be conservative. The nose is fresh, with a nutty complexity, and the palate is long and comparatively dry, offering faintly sherry-like notes."
WINEWISE, Vol 22 No 2, June 2006


Tawny Port Under $20 - 10 Tasted, 8 Recommended
"Developed aromas - reeks of fruitcake and caramels. Some instringent fruit on a lightweight palate with a nice oaky finish."
Winestate Magazine, Vol. 29, Issue 3, May/June 2006


"A youthful style with a light tawny colour. Lifted rancio/oak aromas and a sweet, well-balanced dark chocolaty palate that exhibits great elegance."
Best Wines of 2005, Winestate, Annual 2006, Vol. 29, Issue 1

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