Winemaker Notes
Taylor's finest and rarest wine, the very pinnacle of port. Only in a year when everything is perfect does Taylor's ‘declare' a vintage. With the company's reputation at stake, ‘declaring' is not taken lightly, since it invites a knowledgeable and worldwide audience to judge whether perfection has indeed been achieved. The ultimate collector's wines, Taylor's Vintage Ports will last for fifty years or more. They are renowned for their massive structure, concentration of flavor and distinctive ‘masculine' style. Bottled after two years in wood, they continue to mature for decades in the cellar, slowly attaining the sublime elegance and power which are the hallmarks of the Taylor's style. view vintage charts Taylor's Vintage Ports are classically served after lunch or dinner, in a relaxed and unhurried atmosphere when their powerful aromas and rich flavors can be fully appreciated and discussed. They can be enjoyed without food, but cheese is a fine accompaniment, as are nuts or dried fruits.
Professional Ratings
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.