In Bond Fine Wine. 2017 Taylor, Port, Douro, Portugal. Other vintage port in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 18.5/20 (JH). Drinking window: 2027+. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Taylor’s Port is one of the oldest and most revered Port houses, established in 1692 and still family managed today. Widely regarded as the benchmark for Vintage Port, Taylor’s has built its reputation on wines of remarkable purity, structure and longevity, combining immense concentration with extraordinary elegance and restraint. Sourced from some of the Douro Valley’s greatest vineyards, including the famed Quinta de Vargellas, Taylor’s Vintage Ports are renowned for their lifted аrоmatics, firm tannic backbone and ability to age gracefully for many decades. Alongside their iconic Vintage Ports, the house is equally celebrated for its exceptional aged Tawnies, which showcase the complexity, finesse and balance that have defined Taylor’s style for more than three centuries.
James Suckling (JS) — 99/100 · JamesSuckling.com, 16/06/2019 · Drink 2027+
Complex aromas of tar, wet earth, dark berry and flowers follow through to a full body, medium sweet and amazing compacted concentration. Vertical and so deep. It goes on for minutes. Truly excellent. Better after 2027.
Neal Martin (NM) — 98/100 · Vinous, 01/06/2019 · Drink 2030-2080
The 2017 Taylor's Vintage Port comes from their three quintas: Vargellas, de Terra Feita and do Junco, picking commencing at Vargellas on September 1, the earliest since 1945. Now this boasts a bold and more flamboyant bouquet vis-'-vis the Croft with layers of blackcurrant, blueberries, violet and allspice. Wonderful definition here and as it ratchets up through the gears with aeration manages t…