Taylor Fladgate Ports 2017 Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Porto

Details

Quinta de Vargellas, celebrated as one of the top 100 vineyards in the world, has been part of the Taylor Fladgate estate for more than a century. It has the highest percentage of old vines of any quinta in the Douro, with 60% over 75 years old. For Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Porto, grapes are harvested from the oldest plot of the vineyard, which yields a Vinha Velha (old vine) intensity. And unlike most single-quinta vintage wines, Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha is made in years in which a general vintage is declared. All grapes undergo the traditional foot treading method, ensuring their fullest expression. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. Following two years in wood, the wines are bottled unfiltered and will continue maturing for decades.

Blend: Touriga Nacional;Touriga Franca;Tinta Barroca;Tinta Roriz;Tinto Co;Tinta Amarela

Alcohol percentage: 20

Tasting Notes

Ruby black core with a narrow purple rim. The nose is beautifully balanced, revealing multiple layers and dimensions of aroma as it opens up in the glass. The base is a coulis of dense, dark berries, with brambly woodland fruit, cassis and black cherry aromas. The richness of the fruit is tempered by an attractive flinty, mineral edge with hints of wild herbs and cedar wood. As the wine evolves, evocative aromas emerge, such as beeswax, leather and cigar box. The palate is supported by thick granular tannins and is packed with dense black and red berry fruit flavor that rises in a crescendo on the finish.