Winemaker Notes
Taylor's has owned the beautiful estate of Vargellas for over a century, and it is acknowledged as one of the great vineyards of the world. It has the highest percentage of old vines of any quinta in the Douro, 60% being over 75 years old. Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Ports are ready to drink from ten years, but will go on developing for another twenty years or so - almost as long as Taylor's declared Vintages.
Records show the Quinta de Vargellas being sold at Christie's auction house in the 1820´s.
Quinta de Vargellas vintage ports are one of a small handful of single estate ports to have achieved the stature and reputation of the great 'declared' vintages and to be traded regularly at auction. Still as prized today as they were over 180 years ago, these distinctive wines are one of the longest established of all single estate ports.
"The hue of this wine takes dark and inky to a new level—and this wine's intensity isn't confined to its color. This is simply huge in every way, yet because every component is in proportion, the balance is impeccable. Incredibly rich, dense fruit picks up hints of tar and chocolate, while the finish lasts for what must be minutes. Hold."
-Wine Enthusiast
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2000 Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Port is a typical field blend aged in used French oak vats. It comes in with 88 grams per liter of residual sugar. Full-bodied, relative to this elegant vertical, this also is one of the most delicious in the group, lush, sexy and irresistible. There are touches of chocolate and a long finish. It is just a bit more mature than the 1997, but certainly far, far more expressive while still showing impeccable balance. It is still youthful enough to tighten with air, though. There is brilliant structure to go with brilliant fruit. A couple of hours after being poured, it was better than my first taste. This was one of my favorites, one of the greats of this vertical. The only argument here that anyone can have is how great it is. Right at the moment, I'm thinking "pretty great." This is also a good time to approach it. It has a long life ahead, but it is sexy and succulent now.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.