Taylor Fladgate - Late Bottled Vintage 2019 (750ml)
| Producer | Taylor Fladgate |
| Country | Portugal |
| Varietal | Touriga Nacional Blend |
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Sku | 21684 |
| Size | 750ml |
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This is only the fourth Late Bottled Port to EVER score 93 pts from the Wine Spectator!
To put it in perspective, this bottling matched or outscored five true Vintage Ports from the 2009 vintage with an average price of $132.60! It outscored six true Vintage Ports from the 2008 vintage with an average price of $79.17! It outscored fourteen true Vintage Ports from the 2007 vintage with an average price of $71.39!
So… what gives? Okay… the condensed version… in Porto, a year is “declared” Vintage Port upon general consensus from the Port houses that the wines produced are of exceptional character. In other “lesser” years, the grapes typically destined for these more expensive bottlings are turned into Late Bottled Port. Rather than being bottled after two years in barrel, Late Bottled Ports are aged four to five years before being bottled, typically with some filtering to remove sediment.
But, ascertaining the inherent quality of a vintage shortly after harvest is a tricky thing. And because the houses don’t want to saturate the market with too many “Vintage” offerings, the tendency is to err on the side of not “declaring” a vintage. Which means mistakes are bound to happen. 2009 was kind of a “tweener” vintage… quality was excellent, and many houses, including Taylor, made a Vintage Port. (97 pts Wine Advocate!). But, the stellar 2011 vintage was on the horizon, so Taylor opted to make a more limited quantity, instead turning much of their production into their Late Bottled offering.
Holy Smokes!!!!
Immediately approachable, this gem can and should be drunk now. But go ahead, squirrel some away… this baby will continue to age and improve for another dozen years or more!
And, upon opening, this will remain in prime drinking for 7-10 days, assuming you don’t drain it sooner!
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