Taylor's Vintage

For many, Taylor's is the archetypal Port house and its wines the quintessential Ports. Established over three centuries ago in 1692, Taylor's is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses. It is dedicated entirely to the production of Port wine and in particular to its finest styles.

Based in Oporto and the Douro Valley the company is closely involved in all stages of the production of its Ports, from the planting of the vineyard and the cultivation of the grapes to the making, ageing, blending and bottling of the wines. The family's commitment to the future of Port is demonstrated in its single minded dedication to the highest standards in Port production, its continued investment in all aspects of the firm's operations and its determination to preserve the unique environment of the Douro Valley through the promotion of Sustainable and responsible viticulture.

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.

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The Winter preceeding the 2003 harvest was very wet. Flowering took place in bright warm weather at the end of May in some of the best conditions seen for several years.

The first two weeks of August provided the intense Summer heat which often precedes a great Port Vintage. The picking season in September was warm, dry and the yields were even across all grape varieties, ensuring balance and complexity in the wines.

The 2003 Vintage Port is an absolute blockbuster, which according to Robert Parker, ‘will proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest ever crafted by Taylor’s.’

A classic Port from a great vintage, and highly rated by the critics with 98 points from Robert Parker. It's a blockbuster of a Port and its drinking superbly now. Rich and velvety with exotic notes of violets, red berry fruits and spice are complemented by a full and rounded with palate with a long and intense finish.

From Taylors themselves;

Rich purple, red in colour, with a vibrant rim. A nose of great purity opening on a note of lovely floral, aromatic blueberry and blackberry. The palate is concentrated with beautifully pure sweet fruit and a lovely spicy, savoury, silky tannic structure. Rock rose and violets, liquorice, black cherries and plums resonate in the mid palate leading to an interminable finish of rich, dark chocolate, kirsch and blackcurrants. Still armed with exceptional power, depth and purity of fruit, this seductive vintage port with its characteristic Taylor understatement and restraint is still very youthful, with decades of potential ahead.