2018 - Taylor's, Vintage

The 2018 Taylor’s Vintage Port comes predominantly from two vineyards: Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta de Terra Feita. It has a classy, aristocratic bouquet, a signature note apropos Taylor’s Vintage: dense black fruit with touches of melted tar, cloves and white pepper. This just builds and builds in the glass. The palate is very harmonious with fine tannins, perfect acidity and very pure with a gentle, almost caressing second half. White pepper interlaces the black fruit with a very precise finish. Pure class.

The 2018 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for approximately 18 months in very old and large wooden vats. It comes in with 100 grams of residual sugar. This is the third straight declaration (2016, 2017 and this 2018) of a classic Vintage Port for Taylor's. When last seen, this was very good. Let's check in. This is an accessible Taylor's that drinks fairly well now, but it still shows some power. Most of all, though, the fruit is sensational. It's utterly delicious, with the young fruit ripe and rolling over the palate. This is coming along fast, so that with decanting, you might even drink it now, but that would be an error. It is not coming close to showing everything it has. In the back of my head, I am wondering a little about how fast this is coming around, so it seems, but it does so many things well, I can't be churlish right now. Let's see in time if it is going to be a long-haul wine, as I expect Taylor's to be.

Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership explains the decision to declare 2018 a vintage, in addition to 2011, 2016 and 2017: 'Although a Classic declaration normally only happens about three times a decade, the exceptional run of years has meant that Taylor’s has been able to make a third in a row. This is very unusual but our principle is that we declare a Classic Vintage when the quality is there. This is dictated by the year, not by any other consideration. All our properties are farmed so that every grape has the potential to become Vintage Port. In 2018, overall conditions were excellent but in the Douro Superior they were exceptional. Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas produced outstanding wines. In view of the current economic situation, we will bottle in July as usual but will not release the wine until early 2021.' Blackish crimson. Neat-looking. Pepper and herbs on the nose – almost makes you want to sneeze. And again the voluptuous fruit almost kids you that you could drink this now but instead there is a massive charge of fine tannin underneath. This is definitely not for sipping now but is a monument for the future. Rather dry and refined as opposed to opulent. (Go to Fonseca Guimaraens for opulence.) Very long, dry and savoury overall within the vintage port canon. (JR)