2003 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Douro, Wine Review

From one of the top producers of vintage Port, this was an extremely hot vintage across Europe. Taylor handled it beautifully creating a VP that really needed twenty plus years to be ready to start drinking. Purple in color, ruby rim, opaque and bright. This still looks youthful. The nose is great with chocolate covered raspberries, char, and a slight espresso bean note. Full bodied. Light to medium tannins. Good balance. On the palate, this is sweet, not cloying. Delicious. Flavors of chocolate, raspberries, slight dark chocolate, and char. Long finish. This is complex if still young. This should drink well for another twenty plus years. Drink on its own or maybe with a chocolate flourless torte.

Grade:

A+

Score:

Vintage:

2003

Current Price:

$75.00USD

Port Wine: Portugal's Douro Valley, Making Port Wine & the History of Port

Port is a fortified wine from the remote vineyards in Portugal's Douro Valley. Here, in the Douro Valley, time has almost stood still. You will not find the latest wine making techniques and fancy equipment. Instead, you will find a wine industry much the way it was over a hundred years ago. Yet, in spite of it, or because of it, vintage Port is one of the world's greatest wines. Port takes its name from the city of Oporto that is situated at the mouth of the 560-mile long Rio Douro or River of Gold. Although many port-style wines are made around the world – most notably Australia, South Africa and the United States – the strict usage of the terms Port or Porto refer only to wines produced in Portugal. It is these wines that we will explore here.

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Bartholomew Broadbent on Port, Madeira, and Great Quirky Wines from across the Globe

He's been named as one of the “fifty most influential people in the wine world" by Decanter Magazine . Bartholomew Broadbent The company he founded was nominated "Importer of the Year for 2005" by Wine Enthusiast . Prior to launching his own firm, he worked for a "Who's Who" list of the world's elite wine establishments with names like Harrod’s, Harvey’s Fine Wine Merchants, and Christie’s in London, the Rothbury Estate and Yalumba Winery in Australia, Hennessy and L’Academie du Vin in France, and Schenley in Canada, gracing his resumé. His work in Canada even resulted in the Canadian press labeling him the "Wayne Gretzky of Wine". He's widely considered to be one of the world’s foremost authorities on Port and Madeira. He's also credited for the growth of North American Port consumption during the mid 1980’s and was responsible for the re-introduction of Madeira to North America in 1989.

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Aging Wine Part III: Case Closed

Any regular readers of this column know that my wife, Emily, is pregnant with our first child. Upon hearing this news in June, I promptly began preparing to lay down a case of wine to enjoy with my unborn son 25 years down the road. Two months ago , I wrote about the process of aging wine – how to select it, where to store it, when to drink it, and so forth. Last month I delved into the all-important question of which wines are worth aging by cataloguing five of the wine categories that made their way into the mixed case I put together. This column finishes that project by reporting on the four remaining categories of wine I’ve chosen for my son’s case. In so doing, hopefully I’ll lend some help to others who are searching for wines to put away for a special occasion.

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2000 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Oporto, Wine Review

Vintage:

2000

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$98.00USD

From a 375ml bottle. At age 20, even from a half bottle, this is drinking great. No hurry though, especially from a full sized bottle. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with chocolate covered cherries and raisins. On the palate, this is sweet but not cloying. Slightly viscous. Lots of cherries cordial candy flavors. Some warmth if not heat. Deep and complex, it slowly unwinds in the glass. Long finish. Delicious on its own, this worked with blue cheese but chocolate is another fine choice. It will easily last another fifteen to twenty years if well stored.

1975 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Wine Review

Vintage:

1975

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$300.00USD

This was decanted for about 2.5 hours prior to serving. Very nice showing. Ruby in color with just slight browning, clear and bright. The nose shows some age but also some youth left. Cherries, chocolate covered raisins, and a bit of dust. Medium bodied. On the palate, this has a nice layered complexity. Drinking mature but not over the hill. Layers of cherries and cranberries with slight milk chocolate. Tasty. This is the kind of Port that is probably better to drink on its own and contemplate life, but it did work well with chocolate tiramisu. It probably should be consumed in

2003 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Douro, Wine Review

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Related Articles

Port Wine: Portugal's Douro Valley, Making Port Wine & the History of Port

Bartholomew Broadbent on Port, Madeira, and Great Quirky Wines from across the Globe

Aging Wine Part III: Case Closed

2000 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Oporto, Wine Review

1975 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Wine Review