Product details
Taylor’s Vintage Port is one of the world’s great iconic wines. Made only in the very finest years – known as ‘declared’ vintages – Vintage Ports are blended from the best produce of the firm’s own estates of Quinta de Vargellas, Quinta de Terra Feita and more recently, Quinta do Junco. After each harvest, the tasting panel selects the finest Port wines from the three properties and these are then left to age for two winters in oak vats. In their second Spring, they are tasted again. If they are judged to be of exceptional quality, the Port wines of the three estates are blended together, Vargellas bringing structure, elegance and complexity to the wine and Terra Feita and Junco body, depth and powerful, concentrated fruit. At this stage it must be decided whether a Vintage Port is to be ‘declared’. For a declaration to be made, the Vintage Port blend must be of outstanding quality: austere in its youth, with tremendous depth of flavour and massive structure, capable of evolving over years, or decades into that quintessence of great Port, a mature Taylor’s Vintage. Historically Taylor’s has only declared about three Vintage years per decade. Taylor’s Vintage Ports are renowned for their massive structure and aromatic power, tempered by a characteristic understatement and restraint. The ultimate collector’s Port wines, Vintage Ports will age for decades in the cellar, slowly developing the elegance and harmony which are the hallmarks of a mature Taylor’s Vintage Port.
Grape Varieties:
Traditional grape varieties
Tasting Notes:
Impressive purple-black core with a narrow purple rim. An intense burst of powerful woodland fruit, a dense coulis of blackberry and blackcurrant, almost overwhelms the nose. The black fruit aromas are infused with discreet notes of cherry and mocha. As would be expected of Taylor’s, the fruit is very fine and focused, but the year seems to have given it an additional layer of density and weight. A familiar veil of violet scent hangs over the wine, together with a fragrance of rose petal and wild, minty herbal aromas. On the palate, the wine has beautifully ripe tannins, which integrate perfectly into the mid-palate, providing both structure and volume, and then break out on the finish with a firm wiry, grip. The palate closes with a powerful tide of fresh, complex fruit flowing endlessly through the finish. In the 2018, the Taylor traits of fine fruit and inner power combine seamlessly with the ripeness and depth typical of the vintage.
Store and Serve Advices:
Store the bottle horizontally in a dark place with constant temperature, ideally between 12ºC and 15ºC.
Food Pairing:
Vintage Ports are after meal drinks. Take them with cheese like Stilton or Gorgonzola. But you can also incorporate them into a meal, combining for instance a Steak au Poivre with a young Vintage.
Allergens:
Contains sulphites.
Reviews and Awards:
. 98 points in Wine Enthusiast Magazine;
. 96 points in Wine Spectator Magazine;
. 95 points in Robert Parker;
. 19,5 points in Richard Mayson;
. 19,5 points in Vinho Grandes Escolhas;
. 18 points in Revista de Vinhos.
Disclaimer:
This product may include a wooden or a cardboard outer box. If so, we will include the outer box and pack it in a way to avoid any type of breakage during transport. However, we cannot be held responsible for damage to the outer box, as only the product as shown in the images is insured. If you have any specific instructions or questions about the box, please contact our customer service team and we will do our best to fulfill your request.
98 points·Taylors Vintage 2018
expand_moreThis stellar wine comes from one of the grandest estates in the Douro, created in the 19th century by Dona Antónia Ferreira, whose family still owns it. For such a massive wine, it is surprisingly elegant. It is dense with tannins and black fruits but also sophisticated and certainly ageworthy. Drink from 2026.