I don’t drink much Port, and far less vintage than I used to. But I have begun to turn to tawnies, and having gone through a number, I find that I like the compromise of the twenty year old. It may not have the complexity of older ones, but the combination of fruit and spice in just the right amounts work beautifully. Favorites, Dow, Taylor and Sandeman.
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Given that I like vintage Port with a lot of age, and didn’t start really cellaring it until the 2000 vintage, I open a fair bit of Tawny to scratch the Port itch while I wait.
It’s mostly the Taylor 20, and sometimes the Fonseca.
20 (or 30) year old Tawny Port or Colheita is my preference over vintage Port. More complexity and less heavy to me.
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I tend to find them too woody. I’d rather drink younger LBV.
I agree Mark and think Sandeman might be my favorite 20. I haven’t done a side-by-side tasting though.
IMO the price jump from 10 year to 20 year tawny is well worth it. The jump from there to 30, 40, or beyond, not so much. I mostly drink Taylor and Fonseca but mix in some smaller houses now and again. I picked up a couple of bottles of Ferreira “Dona Antonia” 20 yr tawny a while ago on a WB recommendation, for example. Good stuff.
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Doubt I am conveying new info here, but 77 and 85 VP is all over winebid and usually hammers around or a touch below current release pricing. (And I’d say only 50% or so of bottles I’ve bought have been contested.) One of the easier categories to backfill bottles that are ready to go.
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And if I start buying more wine my wife will in fact kill me. 
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Well when you put it that way…
Count me as another 20 yo tawny fan.
This is me. And I’d probably feel the pricing jump from 20 - 30 is well worth it if pricing on the 30 yos were generally 15% - 20% cheaper.
All of this having been said, I don’t drink much tawny port, as I’m inclined to reach for a Sherry, or even Madeira, first.
I am with Keith on this - definitely LBV.
I’m in this exact spot and been posting on it. The Sandeman 30 could be the best QPR on the planet. Had the 40 last week. Wonderful stuff.
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The couple of times that I have tasted a producers 10,20,30, and 40 in sequence , there was a big step up in enjoyment from the 10 to the 20. But it still kept getting incrementally better with the 30 and 40. You might be right that the 20 is a solid place to hangout.
"When the sun has set, no candle can replace it. " George RR Martin.
(about 40 year+ tawny port, probably)
Ferreira and Ramos Pinto are also very nice, but probably a bit more expensive than the ones that you mentioned. And I agree with you and @Dav3_Dyr0ff , for Tawny Port, the 20-year is also our sweet spot for the combination of quality and price.
One of the best values in wine for me is LBV Port. Excellent bottles can be found for less than $30. One example is the 2019 Taylor LBV, which can currently be found for $22 in the Bay Area.
Have to agree with the consensus. I’ve found that the improvement from 20 to 30 to 40 is smaller than it is from the 10 to the 20. But the price jumps really make the differences come into focus.
Ferreira has always been one of the best 20 yr olds for me.
LBV’s are a different animal to my palate. More ruby than tawny. But they can be great values. Trader Joe’s usually carries the Ramos Pinto for $23 locally. Very nice at that price.
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Love the quinto do noval, though at that price point I start looking at 50 year old colheitas
I found that I like the white tawnies more
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80 years. Go big or go home. 
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